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.”

Luke 9:38-42

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.

Most of us know the parable of the Good Samaritan, but what if we’ve misunderstood its core message? In Luke 10, Jesus challenges not just our definition of love, but our assumptions about who we are in the story. This parable isn’t a motivational tale about becoming better neighbors. It’s a radical call to recognize how helpless we are and how deeply we need a Savior who meets us in our worst condition.

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Luke 9:25-37

The Challenge

In Luke 10, a lawyer stands up to test Jesus with a question that echoes through every human heart: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He’s not asking because he’s curious. He already believes he knows the answer. He assumes the law can justify him. He thinks he’s pulling it off.

Jesus responds with another question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer answers correctly: love God and love your neighbor. But he misses the point entirely. He treats the Law as a checklist rather than a mirror. When he follows up with “And who is my neighbor?” we see his goal. He’s not trying to love more deeply; he’s trying to justify himself.

Jesus exposes a fatal flaw in our religious instincts. We think eternal life is something we earn. We think we can be good enough, consistent enough, devoted enough. But life under the Law turns us inward. It becomes more about our effort for God than about what God has done for us. The more we obsess over our own righteousness, the more we avoid the messiness of others. And that’s exactly where true love lives.

The Story

To answer the lawyer, Jesus tells the story of a man left for dead. He’s robbed, beaten, and abandoned. Two religious leaders walk by. They see him, but they don’t stop. They have their reasons. Ritual purity. Safety. Schedule. But the result is the same. They do nothing.

Then comes a Samaritan. An outsider. An enemy in the eyes of both Jews and Jesus’ disciples. And yet, he stops. He has compassion. He moves toward the wounded man, treats his injuries, carries him to safety, and pays for his recovery.

This parable isn’t a sentimental lesson about helping strangers. It’s a subversive rebuke of religious self-righteousness. Jesus isn’t asking us to be the hero. He’s showing us we aren’t the hero. We’re the one in the ditch.

And the people we think will save us—the religious experts, the moral examples, the rule-keepers—pass us by. They can’t help. They’re too concerned with maintaining their own holiness. But, the one we’re most likely to reject and who our sinful hearts deems offensive is the one who stops. He’s the one who shows mercy.

The Flip

Jesus ends with a surprising question: “Which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He doesn’t ask, “Who is your neighbor?” He flips it. He asks, “Who has been a neighbor to you?”

The lawyer can’t even say “Samaritan.” He simply says, “The one who showed him mercy.”

That’s the point. You need mercy. You need a Neighbor. And the only one who offers it is Jesus Christ.

He is the Good Samaritan. He was despised and rejected, labeled a blasphemer, and executed outside the city. But He did what the Law could not. He came to us when we were helpless. He bound up our wounds with His own, paid for our healing with His blood, and promised to return and bring us home. Every cost has already been covered by Him.

Jesus isn’t just asking you to go and do likewise. He’s telling you, first, that you can’t without Him. The Law will always pass you by. Religion will never bleed for you. But Jesus already has.

This article is a recap of a sermon preached by Pastor Hunter Sipe at Good Shepherd Bible Church on Sunday, May 18, 2025 entitled The Good What??. 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.

The conversation about following Jesus tends to be confusing. Discipleship is often presented as black and white, clean-cut, and straightforward in theological circles, books, and Christian media. Yet the reality of discipleship rarely matches this simple portrayal.

For many believers, discipleship feels messy and sometimes infuriating. It’s a journey of steps forward and backward, a mixed bag of good intentions and failed follow-through. What many present as a one-time decision (I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back) doesn’t align with the complicated reality most Christians experience.

The painful truth we must face is that we lack the unwavering commitment to follow Jesus fully. We hesitate and turn back due to our divided hearts and misplaced priorities.

When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. And He sent messengers ahead of Him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for Him. But the people did not receive Him, because His face was set toward Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do You want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” To another He said, “Follow Me.” But He said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:51-62

Jesus Sets His Face Toward the Cross

Luke 9:51 marks a pivotal turning point: “When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” This wasn’t a casual decision but divine resolve and an unshakable commitment to His Father’s will and redemptive purpose.

Jesus purposely and willfully moved toward sacrifice. From this point, Luke shows Jesus on a journey where the tone shifts as He engages different audiences with tailored messages.

When Luke says Jesus “sets His face” to Jerusalem, the phrase carries significant meaning. In the Old Testament, God set His face toward cities for judgment (a terrifying prospect of divine focus). But God also set His face toward His people in grace: “May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.”

Here, Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem not to give judgment but to embrace it. Not to receive grace, but to give it. He moves forward to embrace God’s wrath for our sin and to extend the gift of redemption.

Isaiah 50 captures this perfectly: “I turned not backward. I have set my face like a flint.” Jesus, incarnate God, was the only one with divine focus sufficient to accomplish this redemptive mission.

Not everyone welcomed this message. When Jesus passed through a Samaritan village, they rejected Him because his destination was Jerusalem: a cultural and religious affront to Samaritans who worshiped at Mount Gerizim. The disciples responded poorly, asking, “Lord, do You want us to call fire down from heaven?” They failed to understand that Jesus came to bring mercy, not judgment, even to those who rejected Him.

We Turn Our Face Away from the Cross

Jesus’s resolve exposes our weakness. His unwavering commitment to mercy rather than judgment reveals our self-centered nature.

In verses 57-62, three would-be disciples approach Jesus, each eager to follow but ultimately faltering in ways that mirror our own struggles.

The first says, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus responds that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but He has nowhere to lay his head. Discipleship comes at the cost of comfort and security. When this reality hits, the would-be follower turns away.

The second is called by Jesus but hesitates: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus replies, “Let the dead bury their dead. But as for you, proclaim the kingdom of God.” This man wanted to follow on his own terms, clinging to duty and religiosity. When called to radical trust, he couldn’t commit.

The third says, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus responds, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” This potential disciple’s heart was divided between loves, unable to look forward without looking back.

If discipleship becomes merely duty, the kingdom of God remains out of focus. When following Jesus centers on personal accomplishment rather than grace, something other than the kingdom always takes priority.

We often sing “no turning back,” yet turn back constantly. Our hearts remain divided and our priorities misplaced.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t end with our ability to follow Jesus. Our discipleship succeeds only through union with Christ, the one went to the cross knowing we would turn back, break promises, waver in commitment, and look away from the cross.

That’s precisely why He went. He set His face toward Jerusalem without looking back. Every step He took was for us. Every motion toward the cross happened because we couldn’t and wouldn’t make that journey.

Jesus didn’t flinch, hesitate, or say “but first.” He embraced every ounce of judgment for our sins to pour out every measure of grace. When He cried, “It is finished,” He completed our discipleship. He went to the cross in our place because we couldn’t.

Discipleship isn’t about mustering strength to follow perfectly. It’s about trusting that Jesus has already done it for us. It’s not earning His love through unwavering commitment but resting in His unshakable commitment to us.

When we turn back, hesitate, and wander, Jesus doesn’t turn away. He carries, holds, and remains in us as we remain in Him. His face was set toward the cross so His heart could be forever set on us.

Rest in him. Trust him. Let his grace define your journey. His decision to love us stands firm, with no turning back in His promise or His love. And because of Him, we move steadily toward the New Jerusalem.

This article is a recap of a sermon preached by Pastor Hunter Sipe at Good Shepherd Bible Church on Sunday, May 4, 2025 entitled No Turning Back. 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.