A Story of Mary and Martha
16/03/25 02:02
There is a little story in the Bible about two sisters. Since their names are Mary and Martha, many assume they are Lazarus's sisters. The little story nestled in the tenth chapter of Luke is just a snippet, but it is familiar to many Christians. Here is how it goes:
“Now, as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 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.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42 NRSVUE)
It is just five verses after the parable of the Good Samaritan. A little snippet shows that those around Jesus were very human and very much like us. I can remember times when there were little tensions between my siblings and me, and when we were hosting guests, it was often easy for feelings to get out of sort for a few minutes. One sister is worried about all of the tasks necessary to host guests. One sister enjoys the guests but perhaps is not working as hard as the other. It is interesting in the story that instead of going to her sister, Martha chooses to complain to Jesus. He invites her to calm down. “Martha, you worry too much. Let your sister be.”
The story is the gospel reading for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost in year C of the Revised Common Lectionary. I have preached a dozen or more sermons that referred to the text. I’m sure I’ve heard at least a dozen more preached by others. It is a beloved story, and plenty of preachers have put a lot of effort into interpreting the roles of the two sisters and Jesus's response to Martha’s complaint.
However, it is just one small story of a minor incident. There is no evidence that Mary and Martha constantly competed over roles in the household. Martha’s particular anxiety in this story doesn’t appear in other places. However, in the story of the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John, Martha is pretty blunt in her greeting of Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
There is more to feminist theology than a story in which Jesus says the sister who listened to him chose the better part. It is a stretch to say that Jesus preferred one sister over the other. Instead, the story reports that Jesus listened to Martha’s complaint and took it seriously. He offered her a different perspective. He didn’t provide an opinion on what Mary should be doing. He offered Martha some advice on how she might handle the situation.
It is interesting to me how often a few verses of the Bible take on a meaning much more significant than other sections of scripture. This is due, in part, to our use of lectionaries. In worship, we read short passages of scripture, leaving the reading of entire books of the bible to devotional reading. Those whose primary source of bible teaching is worship get a few choice passages. Those passages are interesting and meaningful and offer rich living resources, but when they are the only bits of scripture people get, they give an incomplete picture.
The passage should not be interpreted as a commentary on women's roles. It is possible to see the contrast between the two women as one who listened to Jesus and one who spoke to Jesus. It would be wrong, however, to take from this story that listening is “the better part” rather than talking. This is not a story about Jesus favoring the sister who doesn’t speak up.
The story is a gift of insight into the humanity of Jesus and those who gathered around him. There must be thousands of stories that were not preserved in the Gospel record. Jesus must have said many things in private conversations that were not recorded. Here, we have a little moment recorded in this story, and we’re lucky to have it.
Today, I’ve been invited to share a brief moment with children during worship at our church. It is a role that I used to do regularly and one that I cherish. After I retired, however, I needed to cede that role to others for a while. Today is my first return to the children’s moments, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve gathered supplies to engage the children in helping prepare some things to be served at the fellowship time after worship. I’ve got some pre-packaged bars, so we don’t have to worry about hand washing and gloves. We’ll just be putting the items on plates and the plates on trays to take into the fellowship hall. The children will have already heard a telling of the story, but I’ll remind them of it as we work together. I also plan to make participation in the preparations optional, hoping that at least one of the children will choose not to help. If that is the case, it will allow me to remind the children that Jesus reminded Martha not to worry too much about getting all the work done but to relax and listen like her sister.
I don't need to lead the children to specific conclusions about the story or interpret it for them. I’m comfortable allowing it to be a treasured story that our people have shared for generations. The children can enjoy the story and make of it what they want. I hope it will become familiar enough to them that they’ll share it with their children one day.
“Now, as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 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.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42 NRSVUE)
It is just five verses after the parable of the Good Samaritan. A little snippet shows that those around Jesus were very human and very much like us. I can remember times when there were little tensions between my siblings and me, and when we were hosting guests, it was often easy for feelings to get out of sort for a few minutes. One sister is worried about all of the tasks necessary to host guests. One sister enjoys the guests but perhaps is not working as hard as the other. It is interesting in the story that instead of going to her sister, Martha chooses to complain to Jesus. He invites her to calm down. “Martha, you worry too much. Let your sister be.”
The story is the gospel reading for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost in year C of the Revised Common Lectionary. I have preached a dozen or more sermons that referred to the text. I’m sure I’ve heard at least a dozen more preached by others. It is a beloved story, and plenty of preachers have put a lot of effort into interpreting the roles of the two sisters and Jesus's response to Martha’s complaint.
However, it is just one small story of a minor incident. There is no evidence that Mary and Martha constantly competed over roles in the household. Martha’s particular anxiety in this story doesn’t appear in other places. However, in the story of the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John, Martha is pretty blunt in her greeting of Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
There is more to feminist theology than a story in which Jesus says the sister who listened to him chose the better part. It is a stretch to say that Jesus preferred one sister over the other. Instead, the story reports that Jesus listened to Martha’s complaint and took it seriously. He offered her a different perspective. He didn’t provide an opinion on what Mary should be doing. He offered Martha some advice on how she might handle the situation.
It is interesting to me how often a few verses of the Bible take on a meaning much more significant than other sections of scripture. This is due, in part, to our use of lectionaries. In worship, we read short passages of scripture, leaving the reading of entire books of the bible to devotional reading. Those whose primary source of bible teaching is worship get a few choice passages. Those passages are interesting and meaningful and offer rich living resources, but when they are the only bits of scripture people get, they give an incomplete picture.
The passage should not be interpreted as a commentary on women's roles. It is possible to see the contrast between the two women as one who listened to Jesus and one who spoke to Jesus. It would be wrong, however, to take from this story that listening is “the better part” rather than talking. This is not a story about Jesus favoring the sister who doesn’t speak up.
The story is a gift of insight into the humanity of Jesus and those who gathered around him. There must be thousands of stories that were not preserved in the Gospel record. Jesus must have said many things in private conversations that were not recorded. Here, we have a little moment recorded in this story, and we’re lucky to have it.
Today, I’ve been invited to share a brief moment with children during worship at our church. It is a role that I used to do regularly and one that I cherish. After I retired, however, I needed to cede that role to others for a while. Today is my first return to the children’s moments, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve gathered supplies to engage the children in helping prepare some things to be served at the fellowship time after worship. I’ve got some pre-packaged bars, so we don’t have to worry about hand washing and gloves. We’ll just be putting the items on plates and the plates on trays to take into the fellowship hall. The children will have already heard a telling of the story, but I’ll remind them of it as we work together. I also plan to make participation in the preparations optional, hoping that at least one of the children will choose not to help. If that is the case, it will allow me to remind the children that Jesus reminded Martha not to worry too much about getting all the work done but to relax and listen like her sister.
I don't need to lead the children to specific conclusions about the story or interpret it for them. I’m comfortable allowing it to be a treasured story that our people have shared for generations. The children can enjoy the story and make of it what they want. I hope it will become familiar enough to them that they’ll share it with their children one day.
