After looking at the parable of the good Samaritan in week three, we continued on to the next story in Luke. It is interesting that the gospel writer put this parable just before the encounter at Mary and Martha’s house. “Doing” is a theme in the parable. The teacher of the law wants to know what he should do to inherit eternal life. Twice, Jesus tells him to “go and do.”

But where the parable stresses doing, the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha accentuates being. That was the crux of the message for week four of Change One, Change the World.

Before the lesson, we had a concentrated time of prayer. Frequently, the session begins with sharing prayer requests and I say the prayer. I desperately want our students to become more comfortable praying out loud  so I adapted a concept I picked up at Passion. I had them get into groups of three (also known as prayer triangles). I would read one of the requests off the whiteboard and listen as one person from each group prayed for the request. When the voices died out, I would say a quick sentence prayer about the request and then read out the next one. Yes, this takes a bit of time, but it can be rather powerful.

To start our Bible study, I asked the extremely broad question, “What do you worry about?” Answers included everything from boys (or girls) to money to getting into college to their schedules for the week.

We continued by reading the short passage in Luke 10. I asked the students what they know about Martha from reading the passage and got a rather unflattering list of adjectives, to be honest. Along the line, I pointed out that hospitality was a big deal in that culture and that this scene probably did not just involve three people. Luke 10:38 tells us that Jesus and his disciples (emphasis added) were on their way. So Jesus is rolling with 12 other guys, so to speak. Now does Martha’s plight seem a bit more plausible?

Next, we looked at Mary and what we know about her from this passage. Specifically, I asked the students what she said. They got it. They noticed that she said nothing.

Then, it was on to Jesus. We looked at what he said and the importance of the repetition of Martha’s name. We flipped back to Matthew 6:25-34 in which Jesus states a principle similar to that which is expressed to Martha.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

After reading the passage, we looked back to our list of worries and started eliminating anything that had to do with eating or drinking. We attached the idea of sowing and reaping to the concept of making money and eliminated anything financial on the list. Soon, everything on the list was eliminated. We talked about how we should be aware of such things, but constant worrying is not what God has in mind for our lives.

Finally, I asked the youth what their conclusions were upon reading this passage. Answers revolved around the need to spend time with Jesus. I was afraid the answer to the last question wouldn’t be readily apparent, but, to my surprise, someone answered right away. The question was: “What does this story have to do with our theme?”

The answer: We can’t really change anyone until we change ourselves.

Next up: Week five (and perhaps a few more) … we’ll focus on what one person in the U.S. can do to change the world of a believer in Muslim countries as we work through some materials related to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.