One Thing Is Necessary

A Sermon on Luke 10:38-42

Introduction

Before I say anything else, let me admit this: most—if not all—of my sermons are exercises in public self-indictment. You’ve heard the phrase “preaching to the choir,” but this sermon feels more like “preaching to the pulpit.” In other words, I am speaking as much to myself as to you. And this morning, the topic that confronts us all is busyness.

I once said from this pulpit that retirees are the busiest people I know, and that still holds true. But it’s not just retirees; it’s everyone. And it’s not only work and family that keep us busy; it’s us. We make ourselves busy.

In 2003, there was an article in the New Yorker by Adam Gopnik titled “Bumping Into Mr. Ravioli.” Adam had a daughter named Olivia, and Mr. Ravioli was Olivia’s imaginary best friend. Sixty-seven percent of children under the age of seven have an imaginary best friend, so it wasn’t Mr. Ravioli’s imagined existence that worried Adam and his wife. What bothered them most was that Mr. Ravioli was so caught up in the hustle and bustle of New York life that he was too busy even to play with her.

Olivia would pick up her toy cellphone and leave messages for him to come and play. She would sit at the dinner table and say that she spoke to Mr. Ravioli today, but when her parents asked what they talked about, she’d sigh and say he couldn’t talk because he had to go to work. She’d say she bumped into him on the street, but then quickly add that he had jumped into a taxi because he had things to do.

Mr. Ravioli reflected modern adult life. He was always so busy that even the simplest, most essential moments got overlooked. Olivia believed that busyness is what it means to be an adult in today’s world. She couldn’t imagine it any other way, and she wasn’t wrong.

Busy Martha

In our Gospel reading this morning, there are two sisters: Mary and Martha. Martha welcomes Jesus into their home and then busies herself with service. Luke writes that she was “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40). In contrast, her sister Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (10:39). Luke is intentionally contrasting the two sisters.

Martha is frustrated with Mary. She wants and expects Mary to help her with her busyness. She says to Jesus,

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (Luke 10:40)

Jesus replies,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42).

Anxious and Troubled

I don’t know about you, but when I hear Jesus say that Martha is “anxious and troubled with many things” (10:41), I recognize that feeling well. My life is full of busyness and anxiety, and I am troubled with many things.

What I hear Jesus saying to me this morning is exactly what he says to Martha: “Michael, Michael, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”

One Thing Is Necessary

Martha is distracted with much serving, anxious, and troubled by many things. In contrast, Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to his teaching. What Mary is doing is the one thing that is necessary.

I doubt any of us here would disagree with that statement. If asked, we would all say that the one thing necessary in this world is spending time with Jesus and learning from his teachings. But that’s what we would say with our lips; our lives tell a different story.

Many, if not most, Christians view spending time with Jesus in prayer and study as a secondary part of their lives at best. We know we should. We know it’s good for us. But necessary? Again, we might boldly say, “Yes,” but how we spend our time gives a different answer.

We’re All Busy

The issue is that we prioritize our busyness over our relationship with Jesus. We believe there are things we must do, and some are “necessary.” We have to eat, sleep, exercise, pay bills, provide for ourselves and our families, and so forth. I’m not suggesting you forget all these responsibilities and spend 24/7 at the feet of Jesus, even as your home and car get repossessed. What I am saying, however, is that most of us fill our time with activities that aren’t truly necessary. Instead, we keep ourselves busy to fill a void in our lives and use that busyness as an excuse to avoid sitting at Jesus’ feet and learning to be his disciple.

So let’s think about this for a moment. Why do we all make ourselves so incredibly busy?

In the book, We Learn Nothing, Tim Kreider writes: “Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness: obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are *so busy*, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day. All this noise and rush and stress seem contrived to drown out or cover up some fear at the center of our lives.”

The answer to our need for existential reassurance—the solution to that fear at the core of our lives that our existence is silly, trivial, or meaningless—cannot be found in busyness. Busyness only leads to more busyness, until it drowns out and leaves no room for the one thing that truly matters in this life. The answer to our deepest fears and greatest longings can only be found at the feet of Jesus. We fill our lives with busyness, trying to find meaning that only comes from the one who created us and gave his life to redeem us.

Sitting at the Feet of Jesus

Kreider’s suggested alternative to busyness is idleness. However, I would argue that the true alternative to our busyness isn’t mere idleness; it is instead sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from his teaching. And I probably mean this more literally than you might think.

If you heard me implying, “You need to read and study your Bible every day,” that’s not quite what I mean. You can get out your pitchforks if you want, because I will die on this hill: all of the Bible does not hold equal weight or authority. There is a reason the Gospels exist in a separate book and occupy a distinct place in the church, and there is a reason why we treat the Gospels differently when reading from them than when reading from any other part of the Bible. The Gospels carry more weight and have more authority than the rest of the Bible because they tell us about Jesus.

If you need a model or metaphor to help you understand this, think of the Jerusalem Temple. Was the whole temple holy? Yes. However, there was also a Holy of Holies, the most sacred place within an already holy temple. That’s what the Gospels are. All of the Bible is sacred, and all of the Bible is the Word of God, but the Gospels are the most sacred because they are where we hear about and from Jesus of Nazareth.

In short, Moses is great. The Psalms are great. Isaiah is great. Malachi is great. Paul is great. But Jesus is greater.

So Paul says to the Ephesians,

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus (Eph 4:20–21).

Notice he does not say that they learned about a book, a faith, or a system. What they learned about was Christ himself because that is what it means to be his disciples.

People of the Messiah

Some people say that Christians are “People of the Book,” but if that were the case, why don’t we call ourselves Biblians instead of Christians? We are not “People of the Book;” we are “People of the Messiah,” and so we must sit at the Messiah’s feet.

Again, Moses is great. The Psalms are great. Isaiah is great. Malachi is great. Paul is great. But Jesus is greater. To be his disciple, we must sit at his feet.

Now, please don’t hear what I’m not saying. I am not telling you never to read the rest of the Bible except for the Gospels. Instead, I’m telling you that it is necessary for you to spend time learning about and from Jesus every single day, and the place where you do so is the Gospels. You should be reading from the Gospels every single day. As you read the Gospels, you should be spending time with Jesus in prayer through the power of the Holy Spirit, and you should be doing this every single day too.

Conclusion

Sitting at Jesus’s feet and learning from him is the one thing that is necessary in this life. So stop filling your life with busyness, like Martha; instead, spend time with Jesus, like Mary. Sit at his feet and learn from him. He is the one who gives our lives meaning. He is the one who calms our fears. He is the answer to our heart’s deepest longings.

We can say we’re too busy to spend time with him, but all that really means is that we think other things are more important than him. To that, Jesus says, “Only one thing is necessary.”

Amen.

---

Life Group Study Guide

Introductory Prayer

Heavenly Father, as we gather to discuss the message about busyness and our need to sit at Jesus’ feet, we ask that you would quiet our minds and hearts. Please help us to be present in this moment, setting aside the distractions that so often pull us away from you. Open our hearts to hear what you want to teach us today, and give us the courage to examine our priorities honestly. May this discussion draw us closer to Jesus and one another. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Ice Breaker

What was the busiest day you've had in the past month, and what made it so hectic?

Key Verses

• Luke 10:38-42

• Ephesians 4:20-21

Questions

• The pastor mentioned the story of “Mr. Ravioli,” an imaginary friend who was always too busy to play. How do you see this same pattern of busyness reflected in your own life or our culture?

• Jesus told Martha, “You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” What do you think he meant by “one thing is necessary”?

• The sermon suggested that we often “make ourselves busy to fill a void in our lives.” Do you agree with this assessment? Have you ever recognized this pattern in yourself?

• How do you respond to the pastor's statement that “the Gospels carry more weight and have more authority than the rest of the Bible”? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

• What practical obstacles prevent you from spending daily time “sitting at Jesus' feet” through reading the Gospels and prayer?

• The pastor stated, “We are not people of the Book. We are people of the Messiah.” How does this perspective influence our approach to faith and spiritual practices?

• In what ways might our busyness be serving as “existential reassurance” or a “hedge against emptiness” in our lives?

• What is one specific change you could make this week to prioritize time with Jesus over busyness?

Life Application

This week, commit to spending at least 15 minutes each day sitting at Jesus' feet by reading a passage from one of the four Gospels and then praying about what you've read. Notice what happens to your sense of anxiety and busyness when you prioritize this time. Keep a simple journal to note any insights or changes in your perspective that arise from this daily practice. At the end of the week, reflect on whether this practice helped you distinguish between necessary activities and unnecessary busyness in your life.

Key Takeaways

• Jesus tells us that only “one thing is necessary” - sitting at His feet and learning from His teaching.

• We often use busyness as a form of existential reassurance and a way to avoid feelings of emptiness.

• The Gospels hold special significance because they directly reveal Jesus to us.

• Daily time spent with Jesus through reading the Gospels and prayer should be our highest priority.

• Being a Christian means being a person of the Messiah, not merely a person of the Book.

Ending Prayer

Lord Jesus, we confess that we have often been like Martha - anxious, troubled, and distracted by many things. Forgive us for prioritizing busyness over sitting at Your feet. Help us to recognize when we’re filling our lives with activity to avoid more profound questions or fears. Give us the courage to clear space in our schedules and our hearts to be with you daily. May we find in you the meaning, purpose, and peace that no amount of busyness can provide. Transform our priorities this week as we commit to making time with you the necessary thing in our lives. In your precious name we pray, Amen.