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Gospel: Luke 10: 38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Last week, we heard the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan. Today, it’s the saga of Martha and Mary. It’s easy to conclude the message is simple: work is good, prayer is better.
But with scripture, there’s always another layer, a deeper lesson to be learned.
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Let’s consider this from Martha’s perspective. While hosting the Lord, she loses her cool – and I’m glad she does. Often enough, we can be Martha, too.
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Imagine the scene.
Martha is moving around the kitchen for an hour or two, banging pots and pans, slamming drawers, cutting vegetables while mumbling under her breath, hoping to catch someone’s attention.
Seemingly after being ignored, she storms into the dining room red-hot mad finding her sister, Mary, who hasn’t lifted a finger; rather, she’s seated, listening attentively to Jesus.
Interrupting their conversation, Martha bursts out, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?”
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Martha just made several mistakes.
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First, she accuses Jesus of not caring about her burdens. “Lord, do you not care?”
The disciples threw the same jab at Jesus while they were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night. Waking a sleeping Jesus, they howl, “Lord, do you not care that we are drowning?”
After accusing Jesus of not caring for her, Martha blames someone else for her anxiety. Somehow, it’s Mary’s fault.
“My sister has left me by myself to do the serving!” This, she presumes is the problem.
Then Martha polishes off her cocktail of complaints by telling Jesus what to do. “Tell her to help me!”
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Have we ever sounded like Martha? Have we complained to Jesus, accusing him of not caring about us? Or being deaf to our cries?
And like Martha, have we told Jesus how to solve our problems? … “Lord, just do this, this, and this and I’ll be fine.”
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What’s the root cause of Martha’s anxiety, and at times, our own?
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She loses her focus.
At least that day, Martha was motivated more by duty than by love.
“Martha, Martha,” Jesus says. “You are anxious and worried about many things.”
The root of the verb, “worry,” means, “to strangle; to seize by the throat; to tear.”
Martha has choked all the love out of her work. In that kitchen, she sees a mess. Water boiling on the stove; vegetables half cut on the counter; flour on the floor; an absentee sister; and a whole lot of “things” to be done with so little time.
What Martha could’ve imagined instead was:
The Lord’s voice humming beneath the boiling water; God’s empty stomach soon to be filled by those vegetables; his impending gratitude for a meal well served; even Mary’s appreciation for allowing her to listen to Jesus while Martha prepared the meal.
Everything Martha did in that kitchen could’ve been done out of love.
Her work is sacred. The home is sacred. Most importantly, her guest is sacred. But she’s so focused on “what” she’s doing, as opposed to “why” she’s doing it, that Martha chokes all the joy out of hosting the Lord.
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At times, aren’t we the same way?
Maybe you do more housework than other members of your family; you tote the kids around town; you do more dishes; you attend more sports practices and games.
Maybe you care for an ailing spouse or parent. Another day of phone calls, doctor visits, and pharmacy runs can feel like a drain on our time.
Maybe you drive into the city and work full, tiring days, and sometimes come home feeling unappreciated by an otherwise busy household.
If we focus solely on the tasks that we’re doing – driving, cleaning, childcare – as opposed to why we are doing them, then, understandably, we can feel taken for granted; tired; frustrated.
But when our primary motivation is love, the mundane suddenly becomes beautiful; fulfilling.
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Like Martha, has a blessing become a burden? Do I need to re-order my focus?
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“Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her,” Jesus says.
The better part isn’t necessarily long hours spent in prayer while neglecting other duties; the better part is recognizing that Christ is behind everything we do.
Whether sitting at his feet.
Or cooking in the kitchen.
He is there.
So, do everything in love.
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Image credits: (1) Shutterstock (2) Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Vermeer (3) Pantocrator, Sinai