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"In Defense of Martha"October 3, 200738As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42 Are you are a Martha or a Mary? Today's scripture lesson tells of two women who have Jesus and his disciples as guests in their house. One of the women, Martha, is busy making all the necessary preparations; while the other one, Mary, is sitting at Jesus' feet. The two women don't understand one another. They both are frustrated with the action (or inaction) of the other. According to the Mary's in the world, Martha just needs to chill out. She always seems so busy, running to and fro, doing this and that. She never stops to smell the roses. She needs to learn to soak up the precious moments in life. She's missing it. Just sit down and enjoy. According to the Martha's of the world, Mary needs to get off her rump and pitch in. Mary is so lazy and worst of all thoughtless. Does Mary not know that dinner does not magically appear? How can Mary just sit there and ignore preparations that need to be made. Does she not know who we have as a guest for dinner? It must be perfect. Living as a disciple of Jesus Christ does not allow us to be all Mary's, nor does it allow us to be all Martha's. To take each of these women to their extremes is an unrealistic and unhelpful model of discipleship. There are times in our lives when we need to emulate both of these women. Sometimes we need to be like Mary and rest at the feet of Jesus. Our souls need to be renewed. At those times, we need to call a time-out on the world and retreat to that which gives our life meaning and purpose. Jesus knew about the need for self-renewal. In the scriptures, we often find him heading off by himself to pray. Surprisingly, he usually did this during the busiest times in his ministry. Jesus is also a man of action. He does not allow his disciples to gather permanently away in a deserted place. He does not spend everyday with them at his feet, sitting and listening. Jesus periodically calls his disciples away, but it is only for a little while (Mark 6: 31). The life of a disciple is a demanding life. It involves many tasks. The key is to know when we need to retreat and be renewed at the feet of Jesus. When Jesus reprimands Martha for being so busy and caught up with the tasks at hand, perhaps it is because he knew that she was in need of a break. He knew she needed to call a time-out and sit at the feet of Jesus in order that her soul could be restored. Another value of Martha is that through her preparations, she creates an environment for others to encounter Jesus. Dinner needed to be prepared. Jesus and his disciples were hungry. They came there for a meal and rest. By spending her energies on these preparations, Martha gave Mary the gift of space and time to encounter the divine and restore her soul. As disciples, we too are called to the task of creating opportunities for others to encounter God. Sometimes this means that we spend our time at church welcoming visitors rather than connecting with our friends. Perhaps it means teaching Sunday school rather than going to the class of your choice. A word of warning to the Martha's of the world, we must also remember that the world is not going to fall apart without us. We need to be fed as well, so Mary - get cooking. It's time for Martha to take a break! For more informationRev. Leigh Martin |
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