- Sermon - Mickey Anders

Text: Luke 10:38-42

Our passage begins rather vaguely with these words, "Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village." But from the Gospel of John, we know quite a bit more about this family and where they lived. John 11 tells us that this family lived in a small town called Bethany, which was only two miles from Jerusalem.

We also get the strong impression that Jesus was close friends with this family, which consisted of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. John's Gospel presents the raising of Lazarus from the dead as the pivotal event that would lead directly to the crucifixion of Jesus. When Jesus had learned that his good friend, Lazarus, was dead, Jesus wept. I suspect that Jesus had visited in this home on many occasions.

As Luke tells the story, Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem in 9:51. For the rest of Luke's Gospel, Jesus is steadfastly headed toward his death and resurrection. He has twice told his disciples that he will soon die. We can feel the shadow of Jerusalem hanging over this story.

The way Luke tells the story, Jesus' visit in this home would have been shocking to his contemporaries in many ways. First of all, the woman Martha is presented as the homeowner and as the person in charge. There is no indication at this point that her sister Mary, nor her brother Lazarus, lived with her. Verse 38 says simply, "…a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home."

We are surprised that Martha seems to have owned the home - it was "her home," not "their home." Lazarus is not mentioned at all in Luke, and we are not told that Mary lives there.

Many questions come to mind about this scene. How did this woman become the head of the household in a patriarchal society? Why does she own the house when she clearly has a brother? Luke doesn't answer all our questions, but he is clearly making a statement in the way he tells the story. He loves to defy social expectations, just as he did in last week's story where the hated Samaritan is the hero.

We find the next shocking aspect of the story in the actions of Mary. Social expectations would place Mary in the traditional female activities around the home. The last place we expect this women is at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching. For many people, that seems to be a man's place. The Jewish Mishnah says, "Let thy house be a meeting-house for the Sages and sit amid the dust of their feet and drink in their words with thirst… (but) talk not much with womankind." While Martha busies herself with many tasks (a traditional female role), Mary sits at the Lord's fee and receives his teaching (a traditional male role).

Next, Luke turns our attention to Martha and says, "But Martha was distracted by her many tasks…" Some of my feminist friends bristle when someone suggests that Martha was in the kitchen. They see negative stereotyping in any suggestion that Martha was preparing a meal for Jesus and his disciples. And in fact, Luke does not mention "kitchen" and does not say she was preparing a meal. The literal translation says she was distracted by many tasks, and the word used for "tasks" is diakonian. It is the root word for deacon. It is commonly used for "waiting tables" and essentially means "service."

The story is told with such brevity that we can only guess at the reasons behind the behaviors of the two women. William Barclay suggests that there may have been a difference in the temperament between the two women. That often happens in families like this. One sister may have been more compulsive about the housework than the other. One sister may have been more interested in spirituality than the other.

Barclay shares this poem, which I suspect many of us could identify with:

"Lord of all pots and pans and things,
Since I've no time to be
A saint by doing lovely things,
Or watching late with Thee,
Or dreaming in the dawn light,
Or storming heaven's gates,
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates."

Whatever her activity, she was clearly disturbed that Mary was not helping her. She was being the responsible person and felt she was carrying too much of the burden, more than her fair share. We can hardly blame her for getting upset that her sister did not help her in providing appropriate hospitality to Jesus.

Martha is so upset that she decides to take the matter to Jesus. I think it interesting that she doesn't confront Mary directly, but interrupts Jesus' teaching to ask him to intervene on her behalf. Maybe there is a history of Mary's not helping with the housework. Maybe there has been a family rift.

In verse 40, Martha says, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."

She addresses Jesus as "Lord," but in the same breath rebukes him and gives him an order. "Do you not care?" and "Tell her then to help me" are hardly the respectful tone that one uses to address the Lord. Martha is focused on her own agenda, and asks Jesus to align himself and Mary to that agenda. Martha is seen trying to tell Jesus what he should do, while Martha is shown listening as Jesus tells her what to do.

In verse 41 Jesus responds, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

Jesus repeats Martha's name as a gentle rebuke.

Fred Craddock points out that there is a way of translating verse 42 so that Jesus is telling Martha she is preparing too many dishes. Certainly Jesus would not be one to desire extravagant meals on his behalf. We can imagine that any host would want to prepare only the finest meal when Jesus came to the home, but Jesus would never demand or expect such. Jesus would surely be happy with a simple meal and more time spent in discussion and relationship.

But I do not think Jesus is telling Martha to prepare a simple meal rather than a lavish one. I think it is a reminder that the love of God and obedience to God's Word take precedence over all other concerns.

Jesus notes Martha's distraction rather than her hospitality. He did not say the many things were wrong. Certainly he welcomes food, but he welcomes discipleship even more. He is on the road to Jerusalem and the cross, and this is his final visit (in this Gospel) to the home of these dear friends. Martha and Mary need Jesus, and Martha's busyness distances her from him. Jesus needs Martha and Mary, too. He knows what awaits him in Jerusalem, and he needs good friends now more than good food.

Augustine says Martha's was an important but transitory work. It will not always be necessary to each and drink.

Ambrose says, "Virtue does not have a single form. There was the busy devotion of the one and the pious attention of the other…" Martha is not rebuked for serving, but Mary is preferred because she has chosen the better part for herself…

Mary has chosen the better part, she has chosen the "Chosen one," she has chosen the main course. And Jesus adds that this "will not be taken away from her."

Mary is the kind of person who keeps her priorities straight. She’s like the teenager who skips a high-school dance to go on a church retreat. She’s like the man who takes a week off from work to attend a conference on spiritual growth. She’s like the woman who devotes an hour every week to leading a Bible study at a homeless shelter. She’s like the family that makes a commitment to be in worship every Sunday morning … even on a Sunday like today, in the middle of the summer.

Some scholars say that it is no accident that this story comes on the heels of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The point of the Samaritan story is to "go and do likewise." "There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which is a matter of spiritual discernment. If we were to ask Jesus which example applies to us, the Samaritan or Mary, his answer would probably be Yes" (Craddock, 152).

As I thought about this story, it brought back memories of the play, "Our Town." "Our Town" is a haunting play. The person I remember most vividly is in the play is Emily, who was a high school student as the play opened. The play showed Emily and her family living their very routine lives -- doing the same kinds of things that we all do -- keeping busy with all sorts of concerns.

Then three years pass, and Emily agrees to marry George, her high school sweetheart. George almost gets cold feet, but finally marches down the aisle to be wed to Emily.

Then a little more time passes, and we find ourselves in a graveyard. Emily has died in childbirth. But as she joins the other deceased people in the graveyard, she finds that she can talk with them -- and that she is aware of what is happening in the world that she left behind -- but that she is no longer able to communicate with those people.

But then Emily learns that she can relive one day of her life. She chooses her twelfth birthday, and goes back to her home and her family to revisit that day. She begins the visit joyfully, but her joy turns to anguish as she experiences once again going through the routine of a busy day that everyone just takes for granted. She wants to get their attention -- to tell them what an important day this is -- to have them embrace all its rich meaning instead of just skimming across the surface. But she finds herself powerless and she finds everyone else distracted by their ordinary, unimportant routine -- their busyness. You can hear the tears in her voice as she says, "We don't even have time to look at one another."

Finally, she gives up and goes back to the graveyard, weighed down with the thought of what she missed -- and what everyone else is still missing. She asks the Stage Manager:

"Doesn't anyone ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"

The Stage Manager responds: "No. Saints and poets, maybe; they do some."

The point of the play, of course, is that we often live our lives consumed by ordinary things -- never taking the time to enjoy the special moments or the special people who make life worth living.