When someone tells us to “relax” in the middle of overwhelming busyness, it feels like an insult rather than helpful advice. We want rest desperately, yet we stress about never having it. Each responsibility brings mounting pressure to perform, to do it perfectly, and to make sure everyone sees our efforts.
The story of Martha and Mary in Luke’s Gospel reveals three specific pressures that trap us in performance-driven living and shows us the path to true rest through grace.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “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.”
The Pressure of “Do” – The Tyrrany of Restlessness
Like Martha in verse 40, we become distracted with much serving. Martha wasn’t distracted by frivolous activities, but the very hustle we celebrate in our culture. We run on the hamster wheel of performance, convinced that God’s approval hinges on our productivity.
One of the main drivers of our restlessness is the delusion of our indispensability. We secretly believe, “This whole operation would collapse without my planning, my effort, my sacrifice.” We serve not just to help others, but to prove our irreplaceability and secure our place among the needed.
This self-imposed pressure breeds restlessness that lingers even in quiet moments. We literally cannot sit still because we fear that pausing might reveal we’re not as essential as we’ve convinced ourselves to be.
More rest won’t solve this problem, for we even turn relaxation into performance. The answer lies in what one author calls “resonance,” or concrete experiences that draw us out of our heads and into the present moment through beauty, story, or unexpected delight. Resonance is grace: not a moment we work for, but surprise that stops us in our tracks and shocks us free from frenetic restlessness.
The Pressure of “Because” – The Anxiety of Expectations
Jesus cuts through Martha’s frenzy in verse 41: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” Anxiety is the fear of losing something we think we need to survive. This creates that familiar feeling when people ask, “Why are you doing that?” and we respond, “Because I have to.”
What was Martha afraid of losing? Perhaps control of the moment, her reputation as the one who gets things done serves flawlessly, or the affirmation that comes with being the good one. Ultimately, she feared losing the sense that she was enough, that her efforts validated her worth.
The unplated food, dirty dishes, and unswept living room weren’t just unaccomplished tasks but barometers of success, report cards of worthiness, spiritual balance sheets. We face the exact same anxieties, fearing loss of approval, control, and significance.
This anxiety runs deeper than stress. It’s the fruit of believing that our worth, security, and identity depend on what we do. We’re not just troubled about many things; we’ve made these things into many gods.
The Pressure of “Help” – The Loneliness of Judgment
Martha’s frustration spills over: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me alone to serve?” Martha isn’t just busy, but bitter. She doesn’t really seek help as much as she seeks credit.
Martha judges Mary, who sits at Jesus’ feet soaking up every word. In Martha’s mind, Mary’s choice to sit instead of serve feels like a personal affront. Her question, “Lord, do you not care?” reveals a deeper wound. She criticizes God’s failing standards, assuming His ultimate goal involves keeping us busy and productive.
This creates the loneliness of the doer. When we live under pressure to perform, we end up isolated from others and from God. We judge those who don’t share our frenzy and resent the Marys who seem to rest effortlessly in grace while we sweat it out.
Martha’s problem isn’t about service itself. It’s that she serves in complete isolation, empowered by her own efforts. She serves from fear, not love, motivated by “What happens if I don’t?” She cuts herself off from what she needs most: the rest that comes from sitting at Jesus’ feet and receiving from Him.
Christian Assurance
All of us are Martha. We’re addicted to the idea that God wants our achievements more than our attention, our hustle more than our hearts. But Jesus invites us to something better: not to do more, but to rest more; not to achieve for Him, but to receive from Him.
Only one answer exists for the pressures of performance: the Christian doctrine of assurance. Assurance is the confidence that God’s grace applies to you and me. While law appoints us to look inside ourselves to see what we can do, assurance points outside ourselves and says, “Look to what has already been done.”
While Martha sought rest through what she could do, Mary received rest from what Jesus promised to do for her. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet receiving the teaching of God’s grace. Jesus had already set His face toward Jerusalem and the cross to sacrifice everything for both of them.
Jesus tells Martha, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Because our assurance doesn’t depend on us and what we do, but on God and what He has done, it remains completely secure. We don’t achieve God’s love, but simply receive it. We don’t earn favor by doing the law; we are given God’s favor by hearing His grace.
The writer of Hebrews speaks of priests offering again and again sacrifices that can never take away sins. Then he says something remarkable: “But when Jesus had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”
He sat down. Done. No more appeasement necessary. Because of Jesus’ perfect and permanent work, no more pressure exists in the Christian life. Every failure has been forgiven at the cross. All the goodness needed to make God smile upon you has already been credited to your record because of Jesus.
Relax. Calm down. It’s all right. Sit at the feet of the Father. Hear of His grace again and again. You’re His. It’s finished.
This article is a recap of a sermon preached by Pastor Hunter Sipe at Good Shepherd Bible Church on Sunday, May 25, 2025 entitled The Assurance of Rest. This sermon continues our expositional series on Luke’s gospel entitled Luke: Good News for the Rest of Us. This sermon and others are available for listening on the Good Shepherd Bible Church Sermon Podcast.
Good Shepherd Bible Church is an Acts 29 church located in Pataskala, OH serving the eastern Columbus area.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about GSBC, consider connecting at our church, or read about our core beliefs.