6th Sunday after Pentecost
The story of Martha and Mary. It’s one of those stories where, as a preacher, you don’t really know where to begin because it presents so many issues. Do you begin with the fact that, when standing on its own as is the case today, it’s ripped from its context, which can distort our understanding of it? Or, do you begin with some of the issues of translation and the traditional sexist interpretation of that language? Or, do you tackle the interpretational baggage that’s been loaded up with? Is it really better to be a Mary than a Martha? What’s a pastor to do…? Maybe tackle all three? Grab your water bottles, because today’s sermon will clock in at about 90 minutes.
Let’s begin with the issue of context and how it can influence our understanding of today’s reading. Several scholars believe that all of chapter 10 is a discrete unit within the Gospel of Luke. That is, it’s not a collection of separate stories and sayings of Jesus that were then pieced together in a way that makes sense. Instead, chapter 10 was composed as a whole, and it makes a specific point about the nature of discipleship. Chapter 10 begins with the mission of the 70 and their return. It then moves into the story of the Compassionate Samaritan. It ends, finally, with today’s story: the story of Mary and Martha. So, we must then ask ourselves, how does this knowledge change our understanding of the story of Mary and Martha? Recognizing that it plays a role in the larger context of chapter 10 helps us to realize that it’s not necessarily a story about a conflict between two sisters. This is not simply a tale of sibling rivalry.
What is it, then, that chapter 10 is trying to tell us about discipleship? Among other things, it tells us that being a disciple is about being present. “4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’” (Luke 10:4-11) In other words, “Don't worry about what to take, what to eat, etc. And don’t obsess over people accepting you, or not. Simply attend to the task at hand. Be present to the Kingdom of God. Be here, now.”
This is echoed in the story of the Compassionate Samaritan. Those whose focus is ahead of themselves (heading back home from Jerusalem) miss those in need. Their head is in the future. Being a disciple means being intentional and mindful about our ministry.
The juxtaposition of the stories of the Compassionate Samaritan and Mary and Martha tells us something else about the nature of discipleship. There is a time to “go and do likewise” and there is a time to sit at the feet of Jesus.
One of my favorite resources for sermon preparation is called “Left Behind and Loving It”. Rev. Mark Davis, the author, does what he calls “a rough translation” of the Gospel text every week, offers his own reflections on the text, and encourages others to share their own observations. It offers a more immediate sense of the actual language of the text, because it’s not being filtered through centuries of translation and interpretation. So, let’s look at what’s going on, here.
Our reading begins with the words “38Now as [Jesus and his disciples] went on their way, he entered a certain village…” But the actual text says “Now as they went on their way…” It does nothing to indicate who “they” is. Is it Jesus and the disciples? Or, is it Jesus and the 70? Because at no point are we told that the 70 have been dismissed or that they’ve gone on their merry way. And if it’s the latter, it would go a great length in explaining the language regarding Martha’s attitude and actions. Most translations use the same or similar language and describe Martha as “distracted”. And yet the original Greek is much more extreme: it communicates a frantic sense of urgency. As Mark Davis puts it: “Martha is having what looks like a panic attack. Not one that is rooted in a chemical imbalance or disorder, but one that is evoked by the overwhelming expectations she is facing as the host who is welcoming Jesus and his people. She may be on the verge of losing it. She certainly sees what she is doing as a struggle and she feels completely alone in it. Until we sympathize with the genuine challenge that Martha is facing, the internal ‘riot’ that she is experiencing, then we will only dumb down this story into ‘Martha, Martha’ as a condescending pat on the head. She’s a wreck because she is trying to respond well to what Jesus has put before her. That’s the kind of stormy anxiety that we have to identify with in Martha.” It’s also interesting to note that the word “διακονίαν” translated here as “serving”, is translated elsewhere as “doing ministry” or “ministering”, but only when it’s used with regard to men! In other words, not just in this story, but throughout the New Testament “διακονίαν” is translated as “doing ministry” when it’s used in reference to men, but it’s translated as “serving” when used in reference to women.
This story was always presented to me as Jesus (and Jesus alone) stopping by Martha and Mary’s house to say hello. And while Mary sits at Jesus feet, Martha is fussing around in the kitchen preparing a meal and resents her sister for not helping out. But let’s imagine another scenario: You’re Martha: a householder. Perhaps the convener of a house church. Suddenly, your friend Jesus and 70 of his closest friends show up! They’ve been on the road, for weeks. And so, you spring into action and begin ministering to these people. It involves organizing food. Maybe helping to bandage wounds. Making sleeping arrangements. Mending clothes. Listening to cares and concerns. Praying. FOR 70 PEOPLE! And all your sister does is sit around, listening to Jesus. Is it any wonder, then, that you might be feeling frantic? We have to appreciate Martha’s position before we can critique her. She is totally panicking about the many things. And notice that Jesus doesn’t say that she is irrational or wrong-headed. He merely says that he will not stop Mary from her sitting and hearing.
Being busy, or serving, or getting things done, or even rushing from this to that are not, in themselves, the problem. The problem is when the distraction of the many take away the ability to capture the one, the good part. We don’t need to reject Martha in order to understand Luke’s point about Mary: a disciple sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to him. If we are overly critical of Martha, we may end up with an image of faith that never actually does anything for anyone else.
One of the points I made in my sermon last week about the Compassionate Samaritan is that compassion without action is pointless. And the same is true of faith. The Samaritan embodies love for the neighbor; Mary embodies love for God. Both the Samaritan and Mary are socially disqualified from being models of anything good according to the norms of their culture: The Samaritan by virtue of being a Samaritan, and Mary by virtue of being a woman. And yet they are both images of the kingdom which Jesus brings. Both are needed to complete the discipleship Jesus calls for: to hear God’s word and to do it (Luke 8:21). We need the “go and do likewise” of Luke 10:37, and we need to remember that sitting as a disciple to hear the word of Jesus is a gift not to be neglected or taken away.
But there’s no need to reduce Martha to a caricature of a silly, distracted woman. Martha allows her self-imposed duties to take precedence over the urgency of the kingdom that is sitting right in front of her. Martha is only able to see that she needs to provide for Jesus and others, when in fact it is Jesus who is providing the one thing needed. In fact, Jesus IS the one thing needed. Martha fails to recognize how Jesus is the host wherever he is. It’s not easy to move from the role of provider to being someone who receives a gift from the other. It leaves us feeling too vulnerable, too little in control. Jesus comes to turn us from important but secondary things and, as the gracious and loving host, to turn us to himself. There’s no question here of “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). The “better part,” which will not be taken from us, comes as a gift.
In the end, Mary has chosen the good part out of the many things by sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing the word. She has chosen not only the better part, but the absolutely necessary part. She needs to be there. And so do we.
AMEN