Mary and Martha

Over the years I’ve heard many objections to the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke (10:38-42). You may remember, when Jesus passes through a town, Martha invites him to dinner. And when he arrives, she is hard at work. We can picture her in the kitchen baking the bread, washing the olives…. but her sister Mary chooses not to help. Instead, she decides to hang out in the living room with the guys. 

You can imagine the frustration and resentment building. Finally, Martha has had all she can take and she marches into the living room, and she confronts not her sister – but Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me…” 

I imagine most of us can see Martha’s point. A lot of us are doers… Many of you have been successful in life precisely because you have rolled up your sleeves and worked hard. Others of us are in the midst of it now – caring for children, caring for aging parents, working sometimes very demanding jobs…

And it is not that what we are doing is not good – or important. Much of it is. For many of you, like Martha, you are simply being faithful, taking care of the needs of the world around you. Many of you, on top of all your other responsibilities, are serving on church committees; helping with Wednesday night dinners, singing in the choir, and packing backpacks with food for hungry children. And so when Jesus says, Mary has chosen the better part, it doesn’t sit well. 

It’s interesting, at this point in Luke’s gospel, Jesus just told the parable of the Good Samaritan and clearly said, “Go and do likewise.” Go and serve. Go and show mercy. Go and help. It seems like a mixed message.  

Or is it?  

Could it be that these two stories are side by side like this for a reason? Could it be that we’re not supposed to take one without the other? Perhaps it is not an either-or, but a both and. Like an elder said to me one time, “Joe you can’t give what you don’t have. You have to refill your cup… You have to be fed before you can feed others…”

Amid our hectic, busy, often chaotic lives may you and I continue to carve out time and space to listen to the still small voice of Jesus, to ensure we are fed. And then, and only then, may we go out to serve others in his name. 

Let us pray: We love you O God, and we want to serve you. Help us to set priorities and find a rhythm that empowers us to be centered, grounded people, who also have the bandwidth to give as we have received. In Jesus’ name. Amen.