Martha and the Lion

The year is A.D. 64. You are in the tunnel of a huge coliseum. You are a proud Christian, and Nero has just ordered you to be sent out to against a lion. You must last at least five minutes. In sympathy they allow you to choose two weapons. You have the choice from an array of great weapons. You could choose the Pilum which is a heavy javelin. You could also choose the Hasta which is the Latin word for a spear. This was about six and a half feet long and was fairly heavy. Or maybe you are the defensive type of a person and choose a small sword with a shield. Could I suggest two items? The wooden chair to your left and the whip on the right. The reason is because these are the two items that you will see a lion tamer use. How can such a wild animal be scared of a chair? They can only focus on one thing at a time. This is exactly what the devil does to us. He cannot simply attack you, but instead he uses things in this life to distract us.

Are you worried and bothered about many things? Have you become so caught up in all of the workload of life that it is hard to catch a break? This is exactly what happened in the story of Mary and Martha. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha was distracted in the kitchen. As she was preparing the food, Martha was very distracted that day. She went to Jesus and said, “…Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me. ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42). Notice Christ’s answer, “but only one thing is necessary.” Here she became so distracted with everything going on that she forgot to worship.

As this year comes to a close, it is easy to become distracted like Martha and the lion. Yet in all of this, take time to rest. Go find a quite place and talk to God. Sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His word. This is the one thing that is needful.