Sermon Text: Luke 10:38-42
The existence of a good doesn’t automatically imply the existence of a bad, yet this false dichotomy is often made. If you hand me vanilla ice cream, I’ll eat it gladly. If you hand me a decadent sundae with chunks of cheesecake and brownies, I’m over the moon. Is one of those bad? No, both are delicious, but we come to think one’s worse. We pit things against each other when we shouldn’t. Is it more important to know and live the Commandments or to embody the Beatitudes? Yes. Let’s do both. Can you love someone and be very close friends while not agreeing with everything they believe and do? Of course, do both in sincerity
Things are seldom mutually exclusive, but such thinking is common in groups of people and, therefore, groups of Christians. What often happens when we pit things against each other we shouldn’t is pietism, an overblown sense that we’re doing the having faith thing better, and contribute to God’s kingdom in more meaningful ways. Pietism ignores the scriptural truth that the Holy Spirit gives his gifts to each as he knows best. Pietism says, “I have more biblical head knowledge than that guy! I’m better,” and is often counted with, “Who cares? I actually live my faith. I’m better.” Who’s right? Who won the battle raging silently between believers? When God’s people think this way, both lose.
Who was better: Martha who acted or Mary who listened? Instead of comparing these sisters when they shouldn’t be, let’s be like both, shall we? As Jesus and the disciples were traveling about, “He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” (Luke 10:38). Putting her faith in action, Martha lived her love for her Lord through hospitality. Romans 12:13 says, “Practice hospitality.” Martha did. She knew God’s will, to be hospitable to anyone, so she was. Mindful of this proverb among the dozens of passages and instructions in the Law and Prophets and Proverbs to be generous to all and care for the needy, she acted, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” (Proverbs 31:20) Jesus was poor and Martha was a Proverbs 31 kinda woman who opened her arms and home to Jesus. Hospitality wasn’t merely a social nicety, but across many ancient cultures was a revered sacred act. Because of these things, Martha likely had a deeper understanding of Scriptural hospitality than we do. She lived her understanding.
For Martha, it was a necessity to put into action with her hands the faith that was in her heart because to not is to have a dead faith and such faith is no faith. “You have faith? Okay,” says James almost sarcastically. “Me too, but I’ll show you my faith by what I do.” Live what you believe. Martha embodied this decades before James wrote this powerful line!
And there is such power in Scripture! The words of Jesus captivating, aren’t they?! The believers who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus certainly thought so saying his words were like fire in their hearts. We feel that too! When we read or listen to Jesus’ words, we’re receiving God’s words of mercy for our eternal life we’re transfixed, attention captivated! When Jesus explains that we’re saved for certain by his self-sacrifice on the cross, we feel the authoritative love of the Most High God and we listen – sometimes! Mary blocked out everything else! We don’t often listen like that. We space out for whole portions of a service, daydream during the sermon. Count dots on the ceiling… Mary was totally absorbed listening to and pondering what Jesus was saying. Let’s do that!
Martha had to have been listening while she was getting things ready and on other occasions. When her brother died, she told Jesus what she believed from Scripture and his words, explaining her confidence in the resurrection. We see Martha lives her faith by acting on the love which must accompany it. Knowing Jesus is our resurrection and our eternal life is peace and the power to live a life of godly good. Martha knew that even though she was a sinner, by God’s grace given to her through the man in her living room, she’d be glorified forever. Martha lived her faith. Let’s do that!
Do you enjoy the sensation of running out of air under water? No?! Martha didn’t either and that’s how she was feeling with all that was going on – including the added pressure of entertaining the Lord, even though Jesus would have been content with a PB&J. Martha wanted things to be right and wanted help. Understandable. Relatable. Exasperated, she said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40) Jesus doesn’t scold her. Instead, he consoles, encourages, acknowledges he sees how she’s feeling, and redirects, “‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things.’” (Luke 10:41)
We say the same kind of things to Jesus, too. “Don’t you care??” Jesus sees our apprehensions, he understands what’s on our hearts troubling us. He cares deeply. “Joe, Joe, all the time I care for you! You worry about all kinds of things, but where do you find peace? Don’t you always tell people to read psalms?? Do that, too, man! You find peace in my Word because I’m there.” Jesus says the same to you, repeating your name with all the care and love in creation behind it, “I am your peace, your rest. I am your sin, you are my righteousness. I am your relief and eternity. My death on the cross killed sin and death for you. My resurrection is your life.” We need to hear Jesus say this all the time. Mary listened and Martha, in that moment, needed Jesus to give her this eternal perspective and a reinvigorated appreciation for the Word which alone works saving faith. “Few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
Here we have two kinds of good, two kinds of service: both active. One with hands, one with attention. One soaking in, one responding. Both serving Jesus and neighbor and listening to Jesus are good and they shouldn’t be pitted against each other. Mary wasn’t good for listening to Jesus. Martha wasn’t bad for making preparations. Nothing in Jesus’s words indicate disappointment in Martha or her request, neither were wrong. What Martha was doing was beautiful, it was love. And still, Jesus says one thing truly is best: hearing and believing the Words of eternal life. This is the one thing needful, Jesus says, and it’ll never be taken away.
NOTE WELL: Hearing Jesus’ words with Mary’s attention doesn’t mean God wants us to forego other responsibilities because, well, I was studying Scripture, you see! Bah! We can’t sit in church all the time at the expense of going and doing what we hear in church, but we fall into this! Or, we think, “I just need to read one more book on this, listen to one more podcast, do a Bible study so everyone else will get it too and then we can do it!” God calls us to not think this way, but to listen then act in the next instant. The Bible makes you better able to carry out your vocations when you live the guidance of Jesus’ word. It’s a both and. What was the strong foundation, the bedrock, in Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders?? Hearing the Word of God and doing it!
So, let your faith in the Word shine out by what you do. Listen to Jesus’ words with attention undivided because his words are eternal life! Ponder passages throughout the day so you’re sitting in spellbound in appreciation close to Christ all the time while you offer a hand to your neighbor, to the stranger, with love and warmth. Let’s not play Mary and Martha against one another. Let’s not pit listening and doing against each other either. Let’s just do both, shall we? Amen.