Making Choices – sermon on July 17, 2016
Luke 10: 38-42 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’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; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Sermon: Making Choices by Rev. Doreen Oughton
In this morning’s story of Martha and Mary, Jesus offers us a teaching, but not through a parable. Like me, he uses a real situation with real people to make a point – though it is worth pointing out that he only offered his thoughts after being dragged into the conversation. Generally, Jesus doesn’t like to mediate between people. I find this story difficult for a few reasons, the primary one being that it seems to pit two women against each other – sisters no less. It seems like the question is which woman is right and which is wrong. But like other attempts to judge dichotomies – stay- at-home or working mom; marry or stay single; put others first or practice good self-care – things are more complex and nuanced than a simple, one-size-fits-all answer. It is also hard for me to believe that Jesus, God incarnate, would regard one type of worship (contemplation) intrinsically better than another (service).
Usually I have a lot of sympathy for Martha who seems to get a scolding. When Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part, is he saying that Martha’s efforts to be a great hostess were the wrong thing to do? Is Jesus like so many men who assume food and drink just magically appear, taking for granted the effort others – usually women – make? It could be that he is saying so – saying that sitting at his feet and listening to him are more important than the food or drink Martha may be preparing; more important than whatever cleaning tasks she has before her; more important than any other foot bath or ritual preparations she is working on. It could well be that the message is to put nothing before listening to Jesus.
There are other things going on here, though. There is of course the detail that Martha is worried and distracted, and I would add that she is angry. Her resentment over Mary’s choice bubbles up in her until she can’t contain it – and she drags her honored guest into the family dynamics. What is this resentment about, do you think? Is it just that she had so much to do and wanted help? Was Mary the only option for help? Yes, right? Women’s roles were fairly rigid in those days, and I wonder if Martha is the only one a bit discombobulated by Mary’s choice to set at the feet of Jesus… like a disciple… like one who had the right to learn from the Rabbi. Some of you might remember that I did a sermon series last summer on gospels that were discovered after the Canon was closed, including the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. In that Gospel, Peter insinuates that Jesus would never trust a woman with teachings he’d not shared with men. What courage did it take Mary to take that spot at Jesus’ feet? How frightened might she have been to have her sister make a big fuss and demand she get back to where everyone else says she belongs?
Can you imagine her relief when Jesus acknowledges that indeed she does have a place at his feet, as a disciple. She is free, in and through him to break cultural norms and expectations and choose her place. So if we move the teaching of this story off the particular question as to whether it is better to be busy serving or in quiet contemplation we might find that Martha wasn’t given a scolding so much as an invitation. She is invited, as are we, to stretch our imaginations as to what our options are, and what the options are for others. Who do we see as worthy? How do we respect the choices of others? Do we want to pigeonhole others, bully or manipulate them into doing what we think they should be doing? Do we constrict ourselves by our wish to keep other people comfortable, to avoid rocking the boat?
David Lose, a seminary president and weekly contributor to lectionary reflections, sees a connection between this story and the tragic events of the past few weeks in this country. He asserts that the Black Lives Matter movement is a plea, a request, a demand to be seen, to be treated equally, to have the same choices available to others. They are not saying that black lives matter more than other lives, but are critiquing a culture that has acted as though some lives matter less than others, that people are not of equal worth. And he says it doesn’t stop there. The massacre in Orlando, the resistance to admitting refugees to our country, the fear-mongering that has plagued this election, these are the fruits of clinging so steadfastly to our own cultural norms and expectations that we refuse to see others as God does. We, like Martha and Peter, cannot see the new possibilities God is still unfolding before us. Even the vicious massacre in Dallas is part and parcel of a world and culture that constantly draws lines between who’s in and who’s out, who counts and who doesn’t, who is worthy of respect and who is not. But here’s the thing: it’s clear from not only Luke’s Gospel but the whole of the New Testament that whenever you draw a line between who’s in and who’s out, you will inevitably find Jesus on the other side. Not against you, but beckoning to you, inviting you to eliminate that dividing line.
Perhaps when you are getting all worked up about the choices other people make, and how their choices put you out, maybe you could do what Martha did and bring it to Jesus. See him beside the one you are so upset with, defending her choice, inviting you to imagine a different possibility for yourself and for others. Perhaps you will join them, or perhaps you will continue in your tasks, but without resentment. Perhaps you continue with love because you know Jesus has heard you, has seen you, and will defend your right to choose your place. There is need for only one thing, and that thing is love. Choose love, and it will not be taken away from you. May it be so.
