Martha, Martha

Luke 10:38-42

July 21, 2019

Today we continue our journey with Christ in Luke’s account of the Gospel, and just to get us caught up:  Jesus has recruited the 12, healed a man possessed by demons, commissioned the 70 missionaries to go out ahead of him, and told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  This Sunday, it’s important that we hang on to that lesson of the Good Samaritan from last Sunday…because I’m hoping you’ll see how it goes hand in hand with today’s lesson.

Today we find Jesus welcomed into the home of Mary and Martha (whom we also know as the Sisters to Lazarus, whom Jesus raises from the dead), which means we are in Bethany, although Luke never mentions the name of the village or their brother. 

And Martha does what a lot of us do when we have company…we get right away to the kitchen and get some food going.  Nothing fosters a sense of welcome and fellowship quite like breaking bread and sharing a meal.  Food has a way of breaking through barriers, doesn’t it?  Different commentaries vary here on how many people Martha is cooking for here:  it could be just Jesus, her sister, and herself, or if the disciples were with him (even though it’s not specifically named here that they are, most scholars believe that they would not have ventured  away from Jesus given their proximity to Jerusalem, and we know from the other synoptic Gospels and John that the disciples are present at the other accounts in this place)she could be  preparing food for (1) herself, (2), her sister Mary, (3) Jesus, (12) the disciples, and even if there’s no one else, that’s 18 people!  I have learned for myself that if I’m preparing a meal for 1 or 20, I’m probably going to make a mess either way, so Martha probably not only would appreciate some help…she probably needs the help!  Her sister lives there too, and she shares the same responsibility as a host to their guests; but where is Mary?  She isn’t setting the table, or  serving drinks, or doing anything to help with the meal.  She’s sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him.  

I don’t know about you, but I’m not so sure I’d be too happy about this.  Martha sure isn’t, and I’d bet her unhappiness is palpable.  She’s hitting every side of those mixing bowls with her spoon, slamming plates down on the table, sighing extra loudly…all in the hopes her sister, with whom she feels shares the responsibility, will get in here and help!  But instead of Mary responding to Martha’s passive-aggressive rantings in the kitchen, we see that she lets loose on Jesus, asking him why he doesn’t care that her sister isn’t in there helping…like she should.  

And then, the famous line…”Martha, Martha”.  “You’re worried and distracted by many things”.  

That’s kind of a low blow wasn’t it, Jesus?  I mean, here’s Martha, doing all she can to prepare a nice meal for you, and you tell her that her sister, Mary, has made a better choice?  Ouch.  

Now, growing up, we were taught that Mary chose the better portion because she didn’t get all “sass-mouthed” with Jesus…Mary chose to sit silently at the feet of Jesus, and while a woman’s portion was to be in the kitchen preparing the meal, it was never a woman’s part to clap back at a man.  I will say that Martha is braver than me in this instance, but that’s not with this story is about.  

Martha was doing what she was supposed to be doing, but not because she is a woman.  She welcomed Jesus into HER home, and by the ancient codes of hospitality, it would be assumed that the host (or owner of the home) would feed their guest.  Martha, then, would simply be doing what the norms of their culture would have her do, the social mandate as it were, as the owner of the home.  So, if that’s not the trouble, then what is?  

Is it jealousy that, perhaps, her sister allows herself to slow down and listen to Jesus?  Is it, she feels burdened, maybe being the “mother hen” who bears everyone’s responsibilities?  Is she mad, or even embarrassed, that her sister had been so bold to take the position of a man, to sit at the feet of a teacher?  Was she even mad at what she was mad about?  

And to make things worse, Jesus tells her that her sister was right, and she was wrong. Is that what any sibling wants to hear?  That they chose wrong and their brother or sister chose right?  Not really…and I doubt those words deescalated the situation any.  

So here, Jesus is praising Mary for being passive, and scolding Martha for being active.  But, just last Sunday didn’t we hear Jesus praise a Samaritan for his action in the face of the two religious leaders who choose to remain passive?  

So which is it?  Are we supposed to be like Mary, or like Martha?  Are we supposed to be passive or active?

I don’t think it’s either/or in this case.  So often the message of Jesus challenges our preconceived notions of things being black or white, one or the other, and strictly binary.  I think we’re supposed to be both Mary and Martha, because I think discipleship requires us to be both.

Yes, we are supposed to act.  We are supposed to love God and love neighbor, and we know that “love” here is an active verb which carries action, and in today’s text, we see this love carried out not for neighbor, not for self, but for God, in two very important ways.  

The Greek word “diakonia” appears in this text, which translates into service that is selfless.  Martha is carrying out this diakonia by preparing a meal for Christ; but she is not carrying out this service in the spirit of diakonia, which is selfless and giving.  Martha is caught up in the actions and the execution of this service.  She’s seemingly lost the heart of a servant, and Jesus notices.  Mary, however, is living into her love of God by attending to the ordinances, or hearing the (literal) Living Word.  She is taking the time from the countless distractions that vie for her time and she is setting them aside, and she is making time for God.  She is, with all her attention and all her focus, listening to every word, with a happy heart.  She is so eager to do this, that she is, in fact, rejecting the social policies that would prevent her from listening to Christ when she takes the coveted position at his feet.  

I’m reminded by the actions of Martha of myself in a way.  Have you ever used business as a way to hide?  For whatever reason, you start doing chores as a way not to socialize, or to distract you from a difficult task at hand (it has taken me all week to write this sermon, because this text intimidated me, and every time I would sit down I would catch myself wandering off, wanting to rearrange my bookshelves or write October’s bulletins).  

Sometimes we as churches get so caught up in action and doing that we forget why serve…and then we get distracted and start going through the motions simply for the preservation of the institution.  

Before we can know where to serve, we have to listen.  Before we can know how to serve, we have to listen.  Listening shows how to help in the way help is actually needed, not the way we want to help.  And before we can serve, we have to have something to serve, and we get that through giving God some “prime time”, or some full attention, if you will.  By reading – and not just reading, but truly studying – the Word, by praying, and by worshiping here.  We come to church, then we act. 

John Wesley said (paraphrasing) there’s no piety without mercy and no mercy without piety…and I kind of think he’s right.  

In the weeks ahead, make a covenant with yourself to give God that “better part”.