Gospel for July 17, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 10:38-42
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the move.  He has already passed through Samaria, and now he draws closer to his true objective — Jerusalem.  In the previous chapter, we are told:

his face was set toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:53).

But where is this certain village that Jesus now enters with his disciples?  A little detective work suggests that he has arrived in Bethany, probably 2 miles from Jerusalem.  We deduce that from the fact that this is the hometown of Martha and Mary — and we know from the Gospel of John that these two sisters lived in Bethany with their brother Lazarus (John 11-12).  However, Lazarus doesn’t appear in Luke’s Gospel except as the character in a parable (Luke 16:19-31).

What Jesus encounters here is a domestic scene, seasoned with a little sibling tension.  Martha is mentioned first as the hostess.  The home is described as her home, suggesting her preeminence in the home.  She appears to be the matriarch.

After Mary welcomes this distinguished guest into her home, the sibling tension begins pretty quickly.  Mary sits at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching, while Martha is:

distracted by her many tasks.

We can only imagine the rising tension as Martha is busy — perhaps trying to supervise the preparation of a meal for Jesus and his hungry disciples.  The word distracted used to describe Martha can be translated to wheel violently around.  This suggests that she is wheeling around in circles trying to take care of many things.  And anyone who has ever lived in a family might imagine the rising frustration as Martha is rushing about, and casting dirty looks at her sister sitting at Jesus’ feet!

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.”

When we view this incident from a first-century Jewish perspective, what Mary is doing is really quite astounding.  Sitting at the feet of a rabbi was the posture of a disciple.  As a woman, according to the male-dominated culture of the day, she had no business sitting at Jesus’ feet with the men!  Her place, literally, was in the kitchen, according to the mores of the day.

And Jesus defends Mary!

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus makes it very clear that Mary is quite welcome to sit at his feet as a disciple.  In a sense, he is making a statement about the equality of women with men. According to some sources, no woman was allowed to even learn the Torah.  Rabbi Eliezer wrote in the 1st century AD:

“Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than entrusted to a woman…Whoever teaches his daughter the Torah is like one who teaches her obscenity.”

Jesus is inviting Martha to simplify her life and focus on the one thing needed — a relationship with Jesus.

APPLY:  

We must be careful not to over-allegorize this passage, which is a real temptation.  We are tempted to make Martha the symbol of a busy, type-A person who is constantly hurrying, stressed out, and impatient with others.  And to make Mary the symbol of the quiet, contemplative soul who spends much time in prayer and Bible study.  That would be an oversimplification.

Martha’s problem is not that she is task-oriented, but that she resents the choice of her sister.  Philo, the ancient Jewish philosopher, spoke of the balance of the active life and the contemplative life.  He suggested that the active person who is engaged in good works and public life can also have a kind of stillness in the soul even in the midst of busyness.

And, yes, Mary does sit quietly at Jesus’ feet, learning his teachings.  But, like the other disciples, she is getting to know the nature of her Lord so that one day soon she will be able to put her faith into practice.  According to the Gospel of John, it is Mary who recognizes that Jesus is on his way to death and burial.  When he comes to their house again, she knows what will minister to him at that moment — she anoints his feet with oil (John 12:1-8).

Martha tried to serve Jesus according to her own preconceived notions; Mary served Jesus according to his needs because she had spent time with him.

One more thing — we see in this account an example of the trajectory of the gospel in relation to women.  Women in first century Judaism, as well as in the Greco-Roman world, were little more than property.  Equality was unthinkable.

Jesus consistently elevates the status of women throughout the Gospels.  By declaring that Mary, sitting at his feet as a disiciple, has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her, Jesus has declared that a woman’s soul is as important as a man’s soul.

RESPOND: 

There are so many responses that can be made to this account.  What is the one thing needed?  The obvious answer — to spend time with Jesus.  When we do that — through worship, prayer, searching the Scriptures, fasting, and the Lord’s Supper — we can discern how we are to serve him in witness and service.

But there is also another aspect to this story that is fascinating, in addition to what it tells us about the spiritual life and gender equality.  A family systems therapist might have a field day with this account when examining the relationships of Mary and Martha and Jesus.

Obviously, Martha is the dominant matriarch in this story.  And she asserts her authority with many tasks.  Sometimes “busyness” is an instrument that is used for the purpose of manipulating power.  I’m not suggesting that this was Martha’s motive.  But we can track the rise of her resentment toward her sister Mary.

And finally Martha turns on Jesus with her resentments!

Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.

A student of family systems theory recognizes exactly what she is doing — this is called “triangling.”  Rather than addressing her concern directly with her sister Mary, Martha seems to blame Jesus for Mary’s supposed “irresponsibility.”

Is this a psychological ploy to draw attention to herself as the “virtuous, hard-working sister?”  That might be going too far.

Jesus’ response is to “de-triangle.”  He not only tells Martha that she is too obsessed with many things and needs to simplify; he actually praises Mary for choosing more wisely.

It might be said that we need both Marthas and Marys in our churches and communities and families.  Of course we need houses cleaned and meals on the table — as well as cars maintained and roofs fixed and teeth cleaned.  In other words, there are tasks that must be done every day.  But our priority must be to do all that we do as though we have first been sitting at the feet of Jesus — then we know how to serve him and to serve others effectively and with true love.

Lord, it is so easy to be busy with many tasks that distract us from you.  We pray that we may spiritually sit at your feet so that when the time comes to serve we know what you would have us do.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Johannes (Jan) Vermeer is in the public domain.

Gospel for July 21, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 10:38-42
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the move.  He has already passed through Samaria, and now he draws closer to his true objective — Jerusalem.  In the previous chapter, we are told:

his face was set toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:53).

But where is this certain village that Jesus now enters with his disciples?  A little detective work suggests that he has arrived in Bethany, probably 2 miles from Jerusalem.  We deduce that from the fact that this is the hometown of Martha and Mary — and we know from the Gospel of John that these two sisters lived in Bethany with their brother Lazarus (John 11-12).  However,  Lazarus doesn’t appear in Luke’s Gospel except as the character in a parable (Luke 16:19-31).

What Jesus encounters here is a domestic scene, seasoned with a little sibling tension.  Martha is mentioned first as the hostess.  The home is described as her home, suggesting her preeminence in the home.  She appears to be the matriarch.

After Mary welcomes this distinguished guest into her home, the sibling tension begins pretty quickly.  Mary sits at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching, while Martha is:

distracted by her many tasks.

We can only imagine the rising tension as Martha is busy — perhaps trying to supervise the preparation of a meal for Jesus and his hungry disciples.  The word distracted used to describe Martha can be translated to wheel violently around.  This suggests that she is wheeling around in circles trying to take care of many things.  And anyone who has ever lived in a family might imagine the rising frustration as Martha is rushing about, and casting dirty looks at her sister sitting at Jesus’ feet!

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.”

When we view this incident from a first-century Jewish perspective, what Mary is doing is really quite astounding.  Sitting at the feet of a rabbi was the posture of a disciple.  As a woman, according to the male-dominated culture of the day, she had no business sitting at Jesus’ feet with the men!  Her place, literally, was in the kitchen,  according to the mores of the day.

And Jesus defends Mary!

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus makes it very clear that Mary is quite welcome to sit at his feet as a disciple.  In a sense, he is making a statement about the equality of women with men. According to some sources,  no woman was allowed to even learn the Torah.  Rabbi Eliezer wrote in the 1st century AD:

“Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than entrusted to a woman…Whoever teaches his daughter the Torah is like one who teaches her obscenity.”

Jesus is inviting Martha to simplify her life, and focus on the one thing needed — a relationship with Jesus.

APPLY:  

We must be careful not to over-allegorize this passage, which is a real temptation.  We are tempted to make Martha  the symbol of a busy, type-A person who is constantly hurrying, stressed out, and impatient with others.  And to make Mary the symbol of the quiet, contemplative soul who spends much time in prayer and Bible study.  That would be an oversimplification.

Martha’s problem is not that she is task-oriented, but that she resents the choice of her sister.  Philo, the ancient Jewish philosopher, spoke of the balance of the active life and the contemplative life.  He suggested that the active person who is engaged in good works and public life can also have a kind of stillness in the soul even in the midst of busyness.

And, yes, Mary does sit quietly at Jesus’ feet, learning his teachings.  But, like the other disciples, she is getting to know the nature of her Lord so that one day soon she will be able to put her faith into practice.  According to the Gospel of John, it is Mary who recognizes that Jesus is on his way to death and burial.  When he comes to their house again, she knows what will minister to him at that moment — she anoints his feet with oil (John 12:1-8).

Martha tried to serve Jesus according to her own preconceived notions; Mary served Jesus according to his needs because she had spent time with him.

One more thing — we see in this account an example of the trajectory of the gospel in relation to women.  Women in first century Judaism, as well as in the Greco-Roman world, were little more than property.  Equality was unthinkable.

Jesus consistently elevates the status of women throughout the Gospels.  By declaring that Mary, sitting at his feet as a disiciple, has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her, Jesus has declared that a woman’s soul is as important as a man’s soul.

RESPOND: 

There are so many responses that can be made to this account.  What is the one thing needed?  The obvious answer — to spend time with Jesus.  When we do that —  through worship, prayer, searching the Scriptures, fasting, and the Lord’s Supper —  we can discern how we are to serve him in witness and service.

But there is also another aspect to this story that is fascinating, in addition to what it tells us about the spiritual life and gender equality.  A family systems therapist might have a field day with this account when examining the relationships of Mary and Martha and Jesus.

Obviously, Martha is the dominant matriarch in this story.  And she asserts her authority with many tasks.  Sometimes “busyness” is an instrument that is used for the purpose of manipulating power.  I’m not suggesting that this was Martha’s motive.  But we can track the rise of her resentment toward her sister Mary.

And finally Martha turns on  Jesus with her resentments!

Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.

A student of family systems theory recognizes exactly what she is doing — this is called “triangling.”  Rather than addressing her concern directly with her sister Mary, Martha seems to blame Jesus for Mary’s supposed “irresponsibility.”

Is this a psychological ploy to draw attention to herself as the “virtuous, hard-working sister?”  That might be going too far.

Jesus’ response is to “de-triangle.”  He not only tells Martha that she is too obsessed with many things, and needs to simplify; he actually praises Mary for choosing more wisely.

It might be said that we need both Marthas and Marys in our churches and communities and families.  Of course we need houses cleaned and meals on the table — as well as cars maintained and roofs fixed and teeth cleaned.  In other words, there are tasks that must be done every day.  But our priority must be to do all that we do as though we have first been sitting at the feet of Jesus — then we know how to serve him and to serve others effectively and with true love.

Lord, it is so easy to be busy with many tasks that distract us from you.  We pray that we may spiritually sit at your feet so that when the time comes to serve we know what you would have us do.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Johannes (Jan) Vermeer is in the public domain.

Gospel for July 17, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Luke 10:38-42

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus is on the move.  He has already passed through Samaria, and now he draws closer to his true objective — Jerusalem.  In the previous chapter, we are told:

his face was set toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:53).

But where is this certain village that Jesus now enters with his disciples?  A little detective work suggests that he has arrived in Bethany, probably 2 miles from Jerusalem.  We deduce that from the fact that this is the hometown of Martha and Mary — and we know from the Gospel of John that these two sisters lived in Bethany with their brother Lazarus (John 11-12).  However,  Lazarus doesn’t appear in Luke’s Gospel except as the character in a parable (Luke 16:19-31).

What Jesus encounters here is a domestic scene, seasoned with a little sibling tension.  Martha is mentioned first as the hostess.  The home is described as her home, suggesting her preeminence in the home.  She appears to be the matriarch.

After Mary welcomes this distinguished guest into her home, the sibling tension begins pretty quickly.  Mary sits at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching, while Martha is:

distracted by her many tasks.

We can only imagine the rising tension as Martha is busy — perhaps trying to supervise the preparation of a meal for Jesus and his hungry disciples.  The word distracted used to describe Martha can be translated to wheel violently around.  This suggests that she is wheeling around in circles trying to take care of many things.  And anyone who has ever lived in a family might imagine the rising frustration as Martha is rushing about, and casting dirty looks at her sister sitting at Jesus’ feet!

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.”

When we view this incident from a first-century Jewish perspective, what Mary is doing is really quite astounding.  Sitting at the feet of a rabbi was the posture of a disciple.  As a woman, according to the male-dominated culture of the day, she had no business sitting at Jesus’ feet with the men!  Her place, literally, was in the kitchen,  according to the mores of the day.

And Jesus defends Mary!

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus makes it very clear that Mary is quite welcome to sit at his feet as a disciple.  In a sense, he is making a statement about the equality of women with men. According to some sources,  no woman was allowed to even learn the Torah.  Rabbi Eliezer wrote in the 1st century AD:

“Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than entrusted to a woman…Whoever teaches his daughter the Torah is like one who teaches her obscenity.”

Jesus is inviting Martha to simplify her life, and focus on the one thing needed — a relationship with Jesus.

APPLY:  

We must be careful not to over-allegorize this passage, which is a real temptation.  We are tempted to make Martha  the symbol of a busy, type-A person who is constantly hurrying, stressed out, and impatient with others.  And to make Mary the symbol of the quiet, contemplative soul who spends much time in prayer and Bible study.  That would be an oversimplification.

Martha’s problem is not that she is task-oriented, but that she resents the choice of her sister.  Philo, the ancient Jewish philosopher, spoke of the balance of the active life and the contemplative life.  He suggested that the active person who is engaged in good works and public life can also have a kind of stillness in the soul even in the midst of busyness.

And, yes, Mary does sit quietly at Jesus’ feet, learning his teachings.  But, like the other disciples, she is getting to know the nature of her Lord so that one day soon she will be able to put her faith into practice.  According to the Gospel of John, it is Mary who recognizes that Jesus is on his way to death and burial.  When he comes to their house again, she knows what will minister to him at that moment — she anoints his feet with oil (John 12:1-8).

Martha tried to serve Jesus according to her own preconceived notions; Mary served Jesus according to his needs because she had spent time with him.

One more thing — we see in this account an example of the trajectory of the gospel in relation to women.  Women in first century Judaism, as well as in the Greco-Roman world, were little more than property.  Equality was unthinkable.

Jesus consistently elevates the status of women throughout the Gospels.  By declaring that Mary, sitting at his feet as a disiciple, has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her, Jesus has declared that a woman’s soul is as important as a man’s soul.

RESPOND: 

There are so many responses that can be made to this account.  What is the one thing needed?  The obvious answer — to spend time with Jesus.  When we do that —  through worship, prayer, searching the Scriptures, fasting, and the Lord’s Supper —  we can discern how we are to serve him in witness and service.

But there is also another aspect to this story that is fascinating, in addition to what it tells us about the spiritual life and gender equality.  A family systems therapist might have a field day with this account when examining the relationships of Mary and Martha and Jesus.

Obviously, Martha is the dominant matriarch in this story.  And she asserts her authority with many tasks.  Sometimes “busyness” is an instrument that is used for the purpose of manipulating power.  I’m not suggesting that this was Martha’s motive.  But we can track the rise of her resentment toward her sister Mary.

And finally Martha turns on  Jesus with her resentments!

Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.

A student of family systems theory recognizes exactly what she is doing — this is called “triangling.”  Rather than addressing her concern directly with her sister Mary, Martha seems to blame Jesus for Mary’s supposed “irresponsibility.”

Is this a psychological ploy to draw attention to herself as the “virtuous, hard-working sister?”  That might be going too far.

Jesus’ response is to “de-triangle.”  He not only tells Martha that she is too obsessed with many things, and needs to simplify; he actually praises Mary for choosing more wisely.

It might be said that we need both Marthas and Marys in our churches and communities and families.  Of course we need houses cleaned and meals on the table — as well as cars maintained and roofs fixed and teeth cleaned.  In other words, there are tasks that must be done every day.  But our priority must be to do all that we do as though we have first been sitting at the feet of Jesus — then we know how to serve him and to serve others effectively and with true love.

Lord, it is so easy to be busy with many tasks that distract us from you.  We pray that we may spiritually sit at your feet so that when the time comes to serve we know what you would have us do.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Johannes (Jan) Vermeer is in the public domain.