7/20/25 Sermon

Last week, we explored one of Jesus’ most powerful teachings—the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In that well-known parable, Jesus dramatically expanded the traditional understanding of neighborliness, breaking through ethnic, religious, and cultural barriers to challenge listeners to a deeper compassion. As we move forward in Luke's gospel today, we find that Jesus now shifts from the public road and the teaching of crowds to a quiet, intimate scene in the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary.

Historically, hospitality in first-century Judea was a core value—not just social etiquette, but an expectation deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and cultural norms. Welcoming a guest, especially a respected rabbi or teacher, carried significant responsibilities and pressures. Martha, as the likely head of the household, faced immense social expectations to provide generously, making her frantic preparations understandable.

On the other hand, Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet was equally significant—culturally and traditionally, the posture of sitting at a rabbi’s feet was reserved for disciples, typically men. Mary's actions thus represent a radical, boundary-crossing devotion, redefining what it means to learn from and be present with Christ.

Literarily, Luke deliberately places this intimate household story immediately after the Good Samaritan parable, continuing his exploration of what it means to truly follow Jesus. If last week's story invited us to reconsider outward service and compassion toward our neighbor, this week invites us to reflect on the inward life—challenging us to balance our outward actions of service with a deep, inner devotion to God.

With these perspectives in mind, listen now as Luke draws us into the home of Martha and Mary, inviting us to reflect on the rhythm between action and contemplation, doing and being, duty and devotion.

Hear now God’s Word from Luke’s Gospel:

While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.”

WORD OF LORD

People love this story and people love to hate this story.   And it’s all for the same reason.  Those of us who are type A personalities hate it and the slackers like me love it.  I use this story as a biblical excuse as to why my office is so messy.  I can think of “better” things to do than to clean my office.  I’m too busy sitting at Jesus’ feet to clean it.  Now, is that a good use of the Bible?  No.  Not at all.  I don’t even think that’s what this story is talking about but it sounds good.

What’s funny is that this scene is so easy to picture and imagine in your head.  It’s such a contemporary scene.  And I have to say that despite the criticism Martha takes from all of us and from Jesus here, I’m kind of proud of her because if Martha were like some people I know, she would have been totally passive aggressive about this.  I think we all know that person who you ask if you can help clear the table or wash dishes or just to help out, and they tell you no, sit and enjoy yourself.  Then they complain and grumble that nobody helps them.  I’ve done that.

I also know the guilt that comes from being exhausted and sitting on the couch as someone picks up the mess around me… usually sighing inordinately loudly… I won’t say who it is but her name begins with a B and ends with an Everly… And I know that resentful feeling that rises up when I’m running and running around getting things done, working hard to accomplish a huge checklist while other people are sitting back, laughing, and enjoying each others company.  And I give my own passive-aggressive inordinately loud sighs.

So, in a way I’m proud of Martha because she skips the sighing.  She’s braver than I am.  I think she’s braver than most folks.  She goes straight to the top and right in front of Jesus, and everyone else, she calls out her sister. I feel like that had to be embarrassing for Mary.  And to be honest, I admire her tactics.  I admire her for being so straight forward.  And I totally get why Martha would be so frustrated with Mary.

But on the other hand, I really like Mary because I can relate to her too.  There’s time to pick up the house after the kids have gone to bed, and if not, the mess will be there in the morning waiting to be picked up.  It’s not going anywhere. What’s the point of shoveling if the snow is still coming down?  Why not rake the yard once after all the leaves have fallen rather than raking it every other day?  Why straighten up my office when I’m just going to tear it apart later trying to find the things that I put away?  And you know what?  That conversation after dinner is usually too good to just walk away from,  especially if its an out of town guest.  And For some reason, every time I read this story in my mind it takes place in my parents house during thanksgiving.  Jesus and Mary are with the disciples around the same dining room table I grew up at and Martha is in the kitchen.  I just picture this at my house where I grew up and the scene looks a lot like Thanksgiving.

For some reason, My dad usually is the one who cleans up after Thanksgiving dinner and its one of the few times where my mom and I really sit down and talk-talk to each other.  When I was younger and didn’t know much, I couldn’t care less about that after dinner time.  I just wanted to get away from the table and do my own thing.  But Now, that’s precious time.  The opportunities to really sit and talk with my parents are fewer and farther between than I’d like.  And I know all too well that there’ll be a time one day when those after dinner conversations can’t be had because they’ll be gone.  So no, I don’t even offer to help pick up after thanksgiving dinner anymore.  I sit there and talk.  I understand Mary.  I get where she’s coming from.

But I wonder if we’d hold up Mary as the hero of the story if Jesus hadn’t sided with her.  First of all, Jesus is also way braver than I am for not only stepping in the middle of a sister fight but also for choosing sides.  I wouldn’t get in the middle of that.  You’d find me trying to diplomatically find a way to be Switzerland - which is why Jesus is Jesus and Quincy is Quincy.  But what if Jesus had taken Martha’s side?  What if he’d told Mary to help her sister?  This story takes place right after the story of the Good Samaritan and thinking through who your neighbor is and what it means to be a good neighbor.  What if Jesus had said, “Mary, loving your neighbor means getting up and helping your sister?”  To be honest, that seems to be just as a legitimate side to take as well.  If both sides have a legitimate point, why did Jesus take Mary’s side over Martha’s?  That meal wasn’t going to cook itself after all...

Here’s what I think:  I’m tired of sermons that try to tell us how to be Marys in a Martha world.  I have four kids.   I‘ve spend an inordinate amount of time and money in my life either running people different places or ensuring they have a way to get there.  I get it. This world is busy.  Life is busy and things need to get done and it’s totally unrealistic to pretend that they don’t.  And it sounds nice to remind people to schedule time for themselves or others but then it just becomes one more thing I have to do.  And that’s the problem.  I really don’t need another thing to do. If you’re like me, we don’t need more obligations even if that obligation is to ourselves.   And so then sermons that tell me that I need to be more like Mary in a Martha world, I take as aspirational and often unrealistic, because things have to get done.

But I also remember distinctly this time when I was in New York City.  I climbed to the top of a rock in Central Park, turned off my phone, and just sat there thinking for 2 glorious uninterrupted hours and it was the best two hours of my life.  It’s not that I don’t want to be like Mary.  It’s not that I don’t understand the importance of being like Mary.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy the times where I get to be like Mary. It’s that time is limited, we only get one go at this life, and I don’t want to waste my time when there’s so much to do, see, and experience.  And things have to get done.

But here’s something else I’ve noticed.  Jesus, who arguably could be busy 24/7 doing super important things - healing, teaching, and leading people to God, building the kingdom, all that stuff - the guy could be going nonstop if he wanted to.  But Jesus models what he’s talking about here. When we read the gospels, we find Jesus going out and doing ministry, getting involved in the crowds, traveling from place to place, but then from time to time he walks away, goes off by himself, prays and connects to God or makes time to go to a friend’s house for dinner and relax.  Jesus doesn’t model a life of strictly doing.  He models a life of being.  Of finding a balance.  He models a life of rhythm and balance between work and rest, between action and presence, between doing and being, between Martha and Mary.  And for Jesus that’s what being fully human is about.  He’s a human being, not a human doing.

Sometimes we lead ourselves to believe that Mary is probably a slacker; that her default mode is to sit around and not help her sister Martha.  But Martha is frustrated here and even though we’re not told this,  I think part of the reason she’s frustrated is that Martha is used to Mary helping her. And suddenly when its really important, Mary isn’t helping her.  I mean, imagine if Jesus was coming to your house for dinner.  My mom gets stressed out when I come to visit and wants things to be perfect and I’m just her son.  I love her regardless of what the house looks like or what the food tastes like.  Imagine if it were Jesus coming over.  I think that would give my poor mother a heart-attack.

So, imagine you have a super special guest coming and usually you have a second person who’s always by your side helping you do things - preparing the meal, cleaning the house, making sure everything is just perfect.  But this time when a super important guest is there, one you really want to make a good impression on, and the person you usually rely on is off chatting it up with the guest instead of helping you out.  If you’re used to doing it by yourself, no big deal.  If you’re used to that person helping you and you need the help, that can be frustrating.

And I think why Jesus chooses to side with Mary when he could have just as easily sided with Martha is because what he sees is Mary modeling something closer to what Jesus himself does.  Maybe if Mary really were a slacker who never really helped out her sister, Jesus would have told Mary to get up and start helping.  But Jesus sees Mary trying to find the rhythm and balance of being a human being rather than a human doing.

I actually think Jesus would be one of the last people to suggest that it’s a better, more noble life to go off into the woods, stare at your navel, and “Connect to God” all the time.  I think he would suggest that there’s certainly a time and a place for that, but we need to also be working to build the kingdom, act in society, and really do things.  I don’t think that Jesus is suggesting here that work and the daily minutia of life isn’t important.  I think what he’s trying to say here is that there’s a time and place for everything.  And it’s important to really take time to remember WHY we do what we do.

I can get so caught up in the schedule of my kids’ lives and running them place to place and trying to do things with them because that’s what a good father does that I forget to BE with them even though I’m right there. I forget that attending to their schedule isn’t necessarily attending to them. I can get so busy reading and studying for sermons and bible studies that I forget WHY I’m doing it.  It becomes a task instead of a meditation.  I can get so caught up in trying to do things for people and giving actions that I think reflect my love that I can forget to actually love them and to be present with them.  I can make the mistake of thinking that I’m only being productive if I’m doing something that has some greater meaning and greater  plan that I can forget that sometimes God still says that meaning can come from simply being still and knowing that God is God. I can get so busy serving God that I forget to spend time with God.  And I can forget that I’m a human being and not a human doing.

Jesus doesn’t tell Martha she’s wrong for trying to make a nice meal or for being a good host.  Jesus tells Martha that she’s too worried and distracted by what needs to be done that she’s missing the point of why she’s doing it.  She’s too caught up in what she’s doing that she’s forgetting why she’s doing it.  You ever throw a party and are so distracted by making sure you’re a good host and that everything’s perfect that before you know it, the party’s over, you’ve barely talked to anyone, and you’re so exhausted that you don’t even really remember who was there?  That’s what Jesus is talking about.  You throw a party usually so you can enjoy yourself with people you like to be around.  Not so everyone can have fun while you work your tail off.  And sometimes we can get so caught up in serving God that we forget to spend time with God.

Jesus doesn’t scold Martha for working hard. He doesn’t say hosting is unimportant.
What he points out is that Martha is so distracted by what she’s doing, she’s missing the meaning behind it all.  She’s forgotten why she’s doing what she’s doing.

And isn’t that easy for all of us to do?

We get so busy preparing, producing, providing— we lose sight of what really matters.
We forget that presence can be more powerful than productivity.

That sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is to stop, to breathe, and to be.

There’s a time to do like Martha, and there’s a time to be like Mary.
There’s a time to serve and a time to sit.
A time to act and a time to listen.
A time to build the kingdom—
and a time to simply live in it.

Jesus shows us how to do both.
Not frantically, not perfectly,
but with intention.
With rhythm.
With grace.

Because in the end, Jesus doesn’t just want our effort— He wants us.
Not our hustle, but our hearts.
Not just our work, but our presence.
Because we are not human doings.
We are human beings.
And that is a holy thing to be.