Rabbi Schneider - What Is The One Thing That Is Necessary?
Shalom beloved. Since I'm wearing my Jewish happy face t-shirt today, you can see the peyos here and the smile. I like to wear this shirt, cause it makes me happy, the color yellow and the smiley face. And because I'm wearing my happy shirt today, I'm gonna tell you a little Jewish joke. We're in the book of Luke chapter 10, verse 42, and we know historical scholars agree that all the writers of the New Testament are Jewish with the possible exception of Luke. Now that's a fact. There's question, whether Luke was a Jew or not. Many feel that he was not Jewish, that he's Gentile, but the Messianic Jewish brothers have gotten together and they have made the case that Luke is in fact Jewish because the scripture tells us that Luke is a physician. You get it, a lot of Jewish doctors?
But let's go to the scripture, Luke 10:42. Luke writes this, he's quoting Jesus words, and he says this, "but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her". So Jesus is saying only one thing is necessary and Mary, or Miriam in Hebrew, has chosen that one thing, that one good part that's necessary and it's not gonna be taken away from her. What was it that Mary chose? She chose Yeshua. This discussion took place when Mary and Martha were together and Martha was really very busy trying to serve Jesus, which was such an awesome thing. But Miriam was posturing herself in an even better way. She was simply sitting at Yeshua's feet to receive from him. And Yeshua said that that was the most important part of all.
So let me ask you a question. Are you so busy serving Jesus? But you're not taking the time to just sit before him in silence? Asking him to reveal himself to you? Allowing your heart to be open before him, bringing before him your anxiety and your sin? Asking him to bless you and causing you to feel his love. Are you so busy doing that you're not taking time to just be before the Lord? Sometimes we have to warfare into that place of just sitting with the Lord. It feels sometimes like nothing is happening. We wonder is this really...is this even worth? It doesn't seem like I'm experiencing anything.
I wanna encourage you. Take time every day, first thing in the morning, just to sit with God, play some beautiful worship music, maybe go to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and just listen in on the prayer room there. Even when it feels that nothing's happening, just trust the process, choose Jesus, beloved. And as you do, you're gonna become more and more like him as he imparts himself to you and draws you closer to himself. Mary just sat at his feet and that's the first thing that you and I need to do.