Our Hebrew scripture reading this morning is Psalm 52.
Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?
All day long
2 you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
Psa. 52:5 But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer,a saying,
7 “See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!”a
Psa. 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
Our second reading is from the gospel according to Luke, reading from chapter 10, verses 38 through 42. Let us listen for the whispers of the spirit.
Luke 10:38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing.a Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
How many of you live by your calendar? How many layers of Google Calendar or Outlook do you use? Or did you used to use?
The illusion it creates, a seeming ordering of chaos that your calendar allows you to put in place can be so satisfying. Even if it is just enough to ensure that you can manage to get the day done in a somewhat orderly fashion, with a minimum of friction, and the ability to look at it and say – yes I have time to do that thing, or No. I’m not available.
I don’t have the best read on how it is here, but outside of DC it’s almost a point of pride for people to be able to point at their calendars and say look at how busy I am. Like it was a measurement of self worth and pride to be able to say – look – I have ordered the chaos – I have put appointments on my calendar and I will be able to check them off. I can do all the things. See all of the boxes are full.
However, this can also lead to the inverse moment of that pride. It’s that moment where someone wonders why other people are not as busy as they are, or why those people – the people they are friends with or people they work with, or the people they are related to – the ones who wear that busy calendar and all their work like a badge of honor are when they need someone and they begin to wonder why no one is helping them. Even if they didn’t think to ask for help, they start to resent the work and the people and the lack of response they have gotten. Eventually all that resentment and anger spills out – why are you leaving me to do all the work, while you enjoy the fruits of my labors, the fruits of my overful calendar?
I think that’s a part of what happened here – Martha has taken over all the tasks of being the host. She started the meal and made sure there were drinks, places to hang a coat, and clean cool water to wash feet and hands. It’s hard work being the host and she is the host. Make no mistake friends – she is the host. Scripture said it was her house that Jesus came to. In that society at that time, had there been a father or an older brother or a husband scripture would have said “they welcomed Jesus to the home of Abraham or Joshua or Lazarus.” but Scripture says that Martha welcomed them to her home. So this is Martha’s house where she and Mary live.
I can only begin to imagine the pressure on her. The Rabbi has come to her house, not to the house of Abraham, or the house of Joshua, or the house of Lazarus. Jesus has come to her house, to teach and to share his wisdom. I imagine that her day did not start like this and this is not how she imagined it would go. She got up, and asked Mary to go to the well to get water, while she went to the market. In the market she heard rumors of this new rabbi, this Jesus who had come near to town. The rumors say that he has been healing people and casting out demons. It is said that he fed 5000 men with just some smoked fish and a couple loaves of bread. The market is ablaze with rumors and hushed talk of this holy man of God. Many are wondering will he come here, who will he visit?
I imagine that Martha puts this talk out of her mind, because surely holy men would not come to visit her house. They would go to see the town fathers, or the rich merchants, but they wouldn’t come to her house. So she gathered what she would need for the day and headed home to do the day’s work. I imagine she arrived home after Mary, the water jugs were filled and the work of keeping the house and the business must be done. And so, putting all thoughts of this traveling rabbi far from her mind, I think Martha got to work. She wasn’t preparing to host anyone, she wasn’t thinking that tonight, this wandering holy man will choose her and her house to share a meal and as a place to teach those that would come to listen.
Scripture tells us that Jesus and the disciples were fresh from their encounter with the young lawyer – where Jesus taught the parable of the Samaritan – and left everyone he encountered pondering that question – “What will happen to these people, if I do nothing?” Scripture tells us that Jesus and the disciples have come to this town and that they arrive at the house of Martha. I imagine the mix of emotions – the pride, the fear, and the anxiety that hit Martha when she opened the door to see Jesus and the disciples standing there and heard him say “Martha – will you welcome us this evening?”
Friends, I want you to take a moment and remember the last time you hosted anyone at your house. The time you spent cleaning the house, finding all the places for the things that seem to never be put away, taking the time to plan the meal, making sure that you have enough and that everything is just so – and then when the evening is underway, all the work of preparing and cooking and serving the food and making sure that the drinks are filled and everyone is having a good time. There is a particular joy in hosting, but it is alway a lot of work and it is a lot more work than some people expect it to be. It is fair to say that being the host is both physically and emotionally challenging and that is when you are prepared for it.
This does not begin to account for the level of stress if you are not prepared or when you are not expecting to be the host and all of a sudden someone drops in and you find yourself to be the center of attention – and now Martha is the host for Jesus and all the disciples.
I am sure that some of you can imagine the uproar the house went into. I am sure behind the scenes it was chaos – all of a sudden what would have been a small dinner for the family has turned into an event. Dinner must be prepared, tea and drinks procured and placed out, fruits and noshes assembled, rooms cleared to ensure there are enough places to sit and that everyone feels welcome. Martha has to drop into host mode immediately – she gets all of the chaos of a dinner party with none of the preplanning.
Scripture tells us that Martha went straight to work but that instead of helping, her sister Mary sat at Jesus’s feet and listened. Martha, overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being the host and all the chaos of an unexpected gathering, begins to resent Mary’s actions. I get it. Martha was working overtime to make sure that everyone was having a good time, that the demands of being a good host were met. I understand why Martha was upset. Mary lives there too. Her help would be appreciated and it would certainly make the evening easier – after all, many hands make light work.
Finally Martha is fed up enough to break the bounds propriety and say 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.”
I admit that this action leaves me a bit incredulous. In the same situation I might have pulled Mary to the side and asked for help or reminded her that she too lived in this house. I might have reminded her that it would reflect on both of us if the evening went badly. Perhaps, Martha has tried, but Mary has not gotten up and now Martha is so frustrated that she feels there is no other option but to ask Jesus for help. I think in her frustration, she asks Jesus to tell her sister to share the work, instead of just talking to Mary directly.
This is a classic example of triangulation. Triangulation is defined as a relational dynamic where two people disagree, and a third person gets pulled into the disagreement; thus forming a triangle. In our scripture – Martha asks someone else, in this case Jesus, to tell her sister to do the work instead of just talking to her directly. Instead of being pulled into the triangle – Jesus responds with a reminder and I think an invitation.
He says to her “ Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” On its face this passage seems like a reprimand issued to Martha – that all of her work being the host and getting everything done and preparing for this evening has been worthless. At this moment, I feel for Martha – she’s trying to do what is right and good, and what society expects, and is told maybe be more like your sister. I can begin to imagine the embarrassment Martha might have felt.
I think that there is a reminder in these words that is intended for Martha and perhaps for many of us. The words might seem harsh but at their core, I think Jesus is trying to drive home a point. Remember why we are doing this. Don’t lose sight of the goal.
In a culture of hectic schedules and the relentless pursuit of productivity, I know that I have felt the pressure to measure my worth by how busy I am or have been, by how much I have been able to accomplish, or by how well I have met the expectations of others. Like Martha, I have found myself in the unenviable position of trying to do it all and being mad when no one helped. I had to hear those uncomfortable words from someone I trusted to remind me – ask for help. Remember why we are doing this. Don’t lose sight of the goal.
I believe that much of our busyness and distraction stems from the noblest of intentions. We want to provide for our families, we want to give our children and our friends every opportunity to enrich their lives; we want to serve our neighbors, and yes, it is true that we want to serve the Lord. If we look at the church, where would we be without our “Marthas,” those faithful members who perform the tasks of hospitality and service so vital to making the church a welcoming and well-functioning community?
Yet if all our activities, our busy calendars – leave us with no time to be still in the Lord’s presence and hear God’s word, we are likely to end up anxious and troubled. We are likely to end up with a kind of service that is devoid of love and joy and is instead resentful of others. We are likely to end up in a place where we begin to resent those who we think could be doing more, or sharing the load.
Friends, I think we have all been Martha – I know that I have. I know that I have found myself frustrated that no one seems to be helping. I have been Martha – asking someone else to make people help me. In those moments where I am frustrated and have lost sight of the purpose of the work, I needed to hear Jesus’ words as an invitation rather than a rebuke. Beloved, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is only one thing that is essential. The one thing that we all need – whether we are Martha or Mary or any one of the disciples – the one thing we all need is to receive the gracious presence of Jesus, to listen to his words, to know that we are valued not for what we do or how well we do it. To truly know that we are valued for who we are as children of God.
In that moment when we are being reminded, it might sound like a rebuke; it might feel like a rebuke; but it is a correction that we probably need. I think we all need to be reminded – that each and every one of us – is beloved. We are valued for who we are. We are children of God. We are God’s people – every one of us.
This is in no way saying that it is not good to serve others. It is good to serve, and there is joy in serving, but may we always remember that the one we follow invites all of us who are worried and who are distracted by many things to sit and rest in his presence, to hear his words of grace and truth, and to know that we are loved and valued as children of God. We are invited to sit with him and to be renewed in faith and strengthened for service. Through it all, there is only one essential thing: that is attention to our guest. As it turns out, our guest is also our host, who has abundant gifts to give.
Amen.
Matthew Messenger 