Luke 10: 38-42 Remember and Notice

Luke 10:38-42 Remember and Notice

[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. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
What is happening in this scripture?

What is happening in this scripture? – Jesus and his followers have entered a village where two sisters live. They offer him their hospitality, shelter and food. Martha and Mary live there. Martha busies herself, preparing food for her guests. Mary, on the other hand, sits at the young rabbi’s feet listening to every word Jesus says. Martha gets irritated. She asks Jesus, Don’t you care that my sister has left all the work to me? Jesus tells Martha she is worried and distracted by many things but the one thing that is of need, the most important thing, Mary has chosen, and he will not take that away from her.

How is this happening in the world today? - How did Martha feel hearing Jesus’ answer? Did she ponder what he said, learning from him, or did she just get even more resentful? It is so easy for us, in our fear of not being treated fairly to be resentful of others. I can see Martha’s point. Here she is, doing all the heavy lifting, so to speak, and Mary is just sitting there, mesmerized by the young traveling preacher. Here is the point, I think: Both Mary and Martha know someone really important is in their home. Martha is doing what is expected of a hostess, preparing the necessary. Many caretakers spend each and every day of their lives doing the necessary, most of the time under-appreciated, un-noticed, or without any returned gratitude. Martha was doing the necessary. You can’t share a meal, which is a sacred activity, unless someone prepares it. Mary, on the other hand, is so taken with Jesus, with his words, that she has totally lost her focus in the daily tasks before her. Martha was probably the oldest, don’t you think? She sounds like an eldest child, and Mary like a youngest.
But I think the real point is that Mary chose what she did, and Martha just did what she thought she had to do. I believe that when we choose, intentionally our form of service to God and each other, then whatever we are doing is sacred and important. Nowhere in the story does it say that Martha had to do what she was doing, but her sense of responsibility and duty went before her, and she too was lost in the moment, but in a different way from Mary. Martha was lost in what she thought everyone else expected of her, not in her joy of doing what she was doing. Mary chose; Martha did what she always did, and she resented doing it.
Resentment robs us of the ability to see the sacred, God, right in front of us. As Jacob said at Bethel, "God was in this place, and I, I did not know!"

How is this story my story? – Lord, help me to remember that you give us choices. When I choose to focus on the sacredness of life, in every moment, you turn everything I do into sacred activity, no matter how mundane the rest of the world may think it is. Sometimes a touch heals. Sometimes a kind word, or a "Be careful driving!" is really the voice of God reminding us that I am loved and cared about. Sometimes, "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" or any other expression of hospitality reminds me that God welcomes me to his un-earned grace and love. God help me to notice and remember, no matter what I am doing, that you are in it all, every second.-RSP