As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

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I want to use a parallel here. I want to point out the fact that Martha welcomed Jesus into her home…much like many of us has welcomed Jesus to be Lord of our life. However, she became distracted with preparations, in other words, less important things. We do the same don’t we? We begin a relationship with God, but then we become distracted by possessions, money, relationships, controversy, etc. and the next thing we know we aren’t listening to God…because we are so focused on everything else. Jesus said Mary chose better. Don’t be distracted by all the noise and stuff around you. It’s easy to do…in fact sometimes it may even come across as “religious.” But if we become so focused on it that we have taken our eyes off of God, then we have a problem. Don’t be distracted. Stay focused on what matters.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

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And who is my neighbor? I think it’s a question we ask more than we would like to admit. Who do we help and who do we leave alone? Jesus used the issue of prejudice feelings to answer the question. You see, Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But in the parable, it was the Samaritan who helped the Jew…and in that one story Jesus gave His answer to racism and inequality. To Him, and therefore should be to us, there is no tolerance for any act or feeling of racism. Jesus’ response was to go and do likewise what the Samaritan did. Who is your neighbor? Anyone who is made in His image…which is everyone. Silence is not the answer. Make it a point to rid yourself and your community of any racist thoughts or actions. We can’t truly be like Jesus until we do.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone in on the road.

When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

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The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. It’s pretty clear, God is asking for more workers. Even today…half of the country are not believers. The harvest is plentiful…but where is its workers? We must get our priorities straight. Come on Church…how will we respond?

As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow your wherever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

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The cost of following Jesus. It seems harsh…how Jesus responded to these individuals. But what Jesus was speaking to them is the fact that when you become a Christ-follower, you must be all in or not in at all. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t live your life based on worldly things and expect to be considered a committed follower of Jesus. You must be willing to give up EVERYTHING if it is what He requires from you. How strong is your commitment to God today? What would you be willing to walk away from for Him? What would you not be willing to walk away from? If you want to be a follower of Jesus…it requires all.

As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for Him; but the people there did not welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then He and His disciples went to another village.

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Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. This means He went with purpose, determined, and unwavering. He knew what was coming, but His love for you and me was greater. He knew the pain and disappointment that was ahead, but He also knew the victory that was within reach now. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but He knew we needed a sacrifice that would cover all of our sins and give us a hope of eternal life with Him. He resolutely set out for Jerusalem for you…and me. Today, may we resolutely set out to serve Him. To live with purpose, determined to share the Gospel, and unwavering in our love for God and others.

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside Him. Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

“Master,” said John, “we saw someone drive out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

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The least shall be the greatest. Jesus modeled this by coming to earth to serve others. He experienced temptation and disappointment, as an example for you and I to put others first. How do you do with this? Does it bother you when someone else is struggling around you? Does it bother you to know there is someone not experiencing the love of God as you are? Does it bother you that some are living without the hope that you possess? It’s time we lower our status so that we can serve and help others…knowing that Jesus already did so for us.

The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seized him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

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They were all amazed at the greatness of God. You see, when you speak and act in His name instead of your own…it points to Him. Jesus made it clear that it was their unbelief that caused them not to be able to drive out the demon. Faith in who? Faith in God. If you want to point people to the greatness of God, you must be willing to live and speak on faith…not just what is comfortable for you. You want someone to see God? Step out of your comfort zone and act in faith…then people will see the one in whom you put your faith. We can point people to God by living in faith. We just point people to ourselves when we live under our own power and comfort. Point to God today.

About eight days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, taking with Jesus. They spoke about His departure, which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to Him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

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Listen to Him. We hear a lot of voices and opinions every single day. Some of which would say they love Jesus. But at the end of the day, for your life and relationship with Jesus, He is the only one to listen to. Whatever He says is what we do. Wherever He send is where we go. We can’t listen to any other outside voice. We can seek advice and opinions from those we trust, but then we must determine if it contradicts Him…and if it does, we can’t lean into it. Open your ears to hear what HE says today.

Jesus strictly warned them not to tell anyone. And He said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

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Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themself and take up their cross daily. It’s not a suggestion or an option. Jesus says MUST. Being a follower of Jesus means dying to self: to your opinions, desires, and thoughts. But remember, it’s for a great purpose. It’s to follow Jesus. If we are more worried about our life…we have missed the point. Our daily focus should be about Him…not us. Doing His will…not ours. Now sometimes those two will be the same…but sometimes they won’t. We are in a worship battle: choose to worship God, or choose to worship self. What will it be for you? Is Jesus worth sacrificing your opinions and desires today? He should be…

Once when Jesus was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

“But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered. “God’s Messiah.”

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I love that Jesus asks them two questions: Who do they say I am…Who do you say I am? I love this because each and every one of us is asked the same question. Who is Jesus…to you? You can’t live your life having Jesus based on what someone else says or does. You have to have a personal relationship with Him…you. It’s one thing to know what other people have to say and believe about Jesus. But when it comes to being a Christ follower, that requires you to answer that question for yourself as Peter did. So…who is Jesus to you today?