One Thing Is Neccesary

'but one thing is neccesary.

Mary has chosen the good portion

which will not be taken away from her.'

Luke 10:42

What encouraging words from Jesus! This piece of direct speech from Jesus to Martha, comes just after the great commission and the parable of the good samaritan. Jesus visits Mary and Martha's house after this momentous day, and sits and teaches. Mary sits at His feet, and listens to her Lord, soaking up what He has to say, loving her oppotunity, Martha on the other hand, is 'distracted with much serving'. She appeals to Jesus to ask Mary to help her, which, given the amount of people that have presumably just decended on her house seems fair enough...and it is here that Jesus speaks these wonderful words.

It is better, He says, to get to know Him, to spend time with Him than to do anything else. He describes Mary's choice as 'the good portion', the right thing to do, the correct decision, confounding the culturally accpeted norm. Earlier on in Luke 10, Jesus says that having our names written in Heaven is better than seeing the devil fall from the sky as we share the gospel (v17-20). I think He makes the same point here. Knowing Jesus is all there is that matters, all there is that counts. What a counter to legalism! What a repsonse to the devil, when he whispers that we do not read the bible enough, or pray enough, or evangelise to our friends enough...Knowing Jesus is all there is! All there will be. It is the good portion! How cool is that. Knowing Jesus is all there is. The law, legalism, works...they all crumple next to this. One thing is neccesary he says. Thats it, nothing else. These are the Jesus's own words... this is the absolute, objective truth that He speaks. One thing is neccesary. Know Him. Love Him. Thats all.

So you can keep legalism. You can keep feeling guilty about 'not reading the Bible enough', or 'not praying enough'. Legalism robs the joy from those things, it makes them a shallow pointless hypocrisy...worship is for the Lord's benefit, not ours. And i tell you what as well, the world can keep its culture, its drink and drug abuse, its promiscuity, its pride and vanity. The Lord and redeemer says that one thing is neccesary, i think i'll stick with that...