Proper 11, July 17, 2022

Luke 10:38-48

Rev. Neli ML 

Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus were three of the most important disciples in Jesus’ ministry. They lived in Bethany, a small village two miles from Jerusalem. Through the Gospel of John we learn more about them, the great relationship they had with Jesus, and how much he loved them. In today’s Gospel we only hear about Martha and Mary. Very succinctly, Luke tells us that Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. Despite this brief introduction, from the beginning we can perceive Martha’s great leadership and her very active personality. Luke also tells us that Martha had a sister named Mary, who from the beginning, appears seated at Jesus’ feet. However, she is not just only seated but listening to Jesus’ words.  The sisters’ different personalities made them a great duo of disciples serving Jesus.

This time Martha is not enjoying Jesus’ company, and Luke tells us that she is distracted by her many tasks. The word translated to “tasks” is the Greek term Diakonan related to the word deacon. So, it seems that Martha is a very active deacon in the community; however, during Jesus’ visit, her many activities prevent her to share fully with Jesus and listen to his teachings.  Her frustration at not being able to fulfill all the tasks leads her to complain to Jesus, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." (10,40).        It seems that Martha is struggling with many tasks and feels frustrated at seeing her sister Mary sitting and Jesus’s feet, apparently without doing anything.  In her frustration Martha attempts to undermine her sister’s right to be a disciple—an attentive disciple. It seems that Martha is experiencing anxiety.  She is not clear about her priorities, has forgotten what a community is, and what her response should be to the presence of Jesus. Was not the priority to be listening to Jesus’ teachings and sharing in community?

In his response, Jesus does not scold Martha for being a committed server in the community but rather makes her see how her many activities distract her from what is more important. He tells her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things…” Nor does Jesus scold Mary for sitting and listening but praises her for understanding what is more important. “There is need of only one thing” Jesus says. “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her, he concludes (10,42). Jesus means that Mary has put aside her worries and opted for a devotional time. She has chosen the good part out of the many tasks by sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to his words.

As a woman, was it proper for Mary to be seated at a Rabbi’s feet? Instead, should she be worried about her domestic tasks like Martha? A proper Rabbi did not let a woman sit at his feet as a disciple. In Jesus’ community, Mary had the right to be a disciple, and Jesus makes her an exemplar of a genuine disciple, one who can sit at Jesus’ feet to listen to the teacher’s message. Mary teaches us that sitting quietly and listening is very important for a Jesus’ disciple.  Martha is a disciple, too, but she does not have the ability to turn off her voice and remove her distractions to listen and learn from Jesus. It seems that she eventually sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him. Later, in the Gospel of John we find Martha confessing Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, “… Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (11,27). Only a devout disciple would make such a proclamation!  Would we be in a position today to make such a proclamation?

Dear sisters and brothers, how often do we sit at Jesus’ feet silently listening to the word of God?  How many times does Jesus visit our lives and we willing sit at his feet to listen to him? Our daily life and community celebrations are good opportunities to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to his teachings; however, sometimes our many responsibilities, tasks, and duties like our job, our family, our economy, and social media, among others, distract us. It is good to be attentive to these daily duties, but when Jesus visits us, there is need of only one thing, sitting silently and listening to God’s voice.

May Jesus continually visit our lives, and may we be willing to sit at his feet and listen to him. Amen.