Scripture focus: As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." Luke 10:38-42 The Message
I once heard a radio preacher teach that the point of this story is Mary’s devotion to Jesus and his word. He used this story to inspire his listening audience to make a greater commitment to scripture study and prayer – both really great spiritual disciplines worthy of our attention. This same message suggested that Martha’s problem was that she cared too much about material things and socializing. In essence, the two girls were compared and one was deemed “less than.”
I am always amazed how each of us can read the same scripture passage and receive a different message. When I study this passage, it doesn’t ring my truth-o-meter to think that Jesus would compare one sister to another for the purpose of shaming. I read the story of the two sisters and hear Jesus as a gentle teacher. I don’t believe Jesus was creating a compare-and-compete sibling holy war. I wonder if Jesus was taking more exception to Martha’s fussing than her commitment to making the perfect fritter (instead of sitting at his feet like Mary).
Getting ourselves all worked up and frustrated is what happens when we lose our focus on essential things – especially if the fretting results in us pointing fingers at others. Could it be that Jesus wasn’t evaluating different expressions of spirituality and finding the gift of hospitality lacking? Maybe he was trying to teach Martha to work her own program, and not concern herself with her sister’s. Jesus may have been gently guiding Martha to see that Mary was living congruently – her insides matched her outsides. Her heart said sit and listen; her body followed her spirit’s call for refreshment.
Martha started out her own race well, with a welcoming spirit. As her frustration mounted, she looked outside herself (“Don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me…”) for the source of her discomfort. Following healthy boundary principles and with a commitment to non-codependent living – Martha would have been better served by consciously taking a good hard look inside herself. This would have freed her to take responsibility for her own emotions instead of asking someone else (both Jesus and Mary) to make her feel better.
That’s one of the insights that came to me as I read this passage. Spiritual renewal is going to require us to take responsibility for our feelings, our choices and even our own spiritual educational process. At some point we may need to consider acquiring a commitment to spiritual disciplines like scripture study and prayer. (I agree with the aforementioned preacher dude.) It will help us grow if we can respect the teachings of others while also taking responsibility for studying on our own. Along the way, we may gain new or different insights into God’s word. Isn’t that cool?
Recommended reading: Isaiah 38 - 40
No comments:
Post a Comment