20 July 2025 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 8.1-12 Psalm 52 Colossians 1.15-29 Luke 10.38-42
We know this story really well, and once again, maybe our familiarity with it has ‘dulled’ our hearing of the message it tries to give us. When Jesus entered the house of Mary and Martha, things were turned upside down. Jesus played with Martha’s expectations, routines and habits. He insisted on costly change. Maybe the mistake Martha made was that she assumed she could invite Jesus into her life and then continue to live it ‘as usual’, keeping her own routines and habits, giving preference to her own agendas and schedules. But Jesus’ response was a definite ‘Nope’. ‘Not on my watch’. That is not how discipleship works.
On the other hand, Mary recognised that Jesus’ presence in her house meant things had to change. A role shift was needed. Wholehearted surrender was called for. From now on, everything that happened, every decision, every priority, would need to be filtered through this new love, this new devotion, this new passion. Jesus was not just a guest. He was the Guest who would be Host. The Host who would provide the bread of life, the living water, the wine that was his own blood to anyone who would sit at his feet and receive his hospitality. The ‘part’ chosen by Mary is not a way of avoiding work, it is simply choosing another kind of work, a more demanding work – the ‘work of God’.
It is easy for us to continue to be Martha, or rather it is easy for us to lose sight of Mary. When we become so ‘focused’ on ‘doing’ or ‘achieving’, it is easy to believe that listening, and pondering, and waiting, and resting, have no value. In our performance driven society, it is easy to argue that we should leave contemplation to the monastics and put all our energies into social engagement. Yes, we are called to work for justice, yes we are called to bring liberty to the oppressed and comfort to the afflicted, but, as Jesus insists, every ‘work’ must begin from ‘one thing only’. It must begin with him. It must begin at his feet.
When we look at these stories in our scriptures, all of the traveling done by Jesus and his followers were supported by an un-named band of women who provided for their daily needs. This same group faithfully followed the body of Jesus when it was taken from the cross. While it is easy to see this group fitting in to the ‘traditional Martha’ pigeonhole, this group were not just ‘doing what they always did’, they were willing to go out, leave their homes and families, extend themselves into ‘places and situations unknown’ so they could fulfil what they saw as faithful service.
Martha was a woman of faith, Mary too was a woman of faith, they were one of the few followers of Jesus who openly confessed faith in him as the Christ during his earthly ministry. This story is not about who ‘did the right thing’, because they both did. It is about whom do we accept and who matters. It is not about who was ‘better’, but when it is better. It is not about what is better but why it is better. If we allow for a more nimble and gracious view of the Kingdom of God, we might just be able to imagine more of the world as part of it – even ourselves. And when we imagine ourselves as part of God’s Kingdom, we are instantly called to bring about its presence here and now.
This story is about commitment, both Martha and Mary were committed to serving and following Jesus. And so, the question this passage asks me, and all of us, is what does my commitment say about me. Are we more like Martha and prefer to ‘keep doing what we have always done’ or are we ready for that ‘role shift’, are we ready to wholeheartedly surrender ourselves to follow. We will soon place our commitment cards in the offertory basket. Yes, the focus is about finances this time, but it is also about a lot more than just finances, it is about what I am willing to give, and do, and listen to and hear, God in God’s kingdom.