When you think of the word “contemplation” what first comes to mind? Too often, we associate this spiritual practice with extreme spirituality, as though only the very advanced are able to master such high or lofty activities. In actuality, we all participate in this action daily. Contemplation is one of the ways God made our souls to work. We are reflective people. We all have a contemplative inner being. Yes, that being too often gets overlooked or pushed into a corner out of the way of the busy, active life. One of the great creative tensions for all people is how to better balance the Active Life with the Contemplative Life. One of the beautiful ancient stories from the Gospel of Luke involves this balancing. Here are a few reflections upon this story from Luke 10:38-42.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
- Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, journeying by foot, likely most recently from Jericho.
- He’s just told his famous story of the Good Samaritan, featuring the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
- Now he’s quite near Jerusalem, just a mile and a half southeast from the city in a village of Bethany. He stops for the night with his disciples.
- We have no previous account of Jesus at this house.
- All we hear is that Martha “opened her home to Jesus”.
- Martha welcomed Jesus: Greek—HUPO+DECHOMAI. To receive under.
- “To welcome someone under our roof.”
- The act of inviting someone to come inside from outside, to come under your roof, is a sacred act of faith, for Jesus tells us, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
- My hero, St. Benedict, wrote in his guidebook for believers, “All guests who present themselves are to be received as Christ, for he will say, “ I was a stranger and your welcomed me.”
- Hospitality: literally in Greek is “Love of Stranger”, XENO-PHILIA
- The act of welcoming someone under our roof means that we include them in our personal life, sharing our food, our table, our living space, perhaps our linens/beds/towels/showers with them.
- Hospitality costs us! Not easy work. Some make it look easy.
- Some have the spiritual gift of hospitality.
- All of us are called to actively practice hospitality (Romans 12:13), and to actively offer hospitality without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9). Some of us need to practice more. Some of us need to work on our attitude while we are welcoming others into our heart, under our roof.
- What are the key aspects of a welcoming or hospitable Church?
- What do people look for most when looking for a Church?
- Martha welcomes Jesus at her door, opens her home to Jesus, including most likely the 12 men who are Jesus’ disciples. 13 men in your living room. Imagine the scene!
10:39 Martha had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
- Mary is different than Martha. Mary goes to sit at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. She steps around and past several men who are seated on the floor, along the walls, and goes to right up to the famous Teacher, the Miracle Worker, right up to famous Jesus, and sits down beside Jesus at his feet, in the closest place possible. This is an audacious action by Mary, moving into an all men’s room to be as close as possible to Jesus.
- Mary listens. AKOUO. Acoustics. Taking it all in. Receiving Jesus into her ears/heart. Mary’s heart: being close to Jesus, paying attention, listening, learning.
- What does Mary listen to? To what Jesus is saying. To the LOGOS. The Word!
- How well do you listen? How good are you at listening to Jesus? How often do you “sit at Jesus’ feet listening to what he is saying”?
- Consider what century we are in: in the 1st century, the canyon between men and women was deep and wide. Men and women did not mix much. Men had much more position, place, power than women.
- Jesus shows how amazing his love is by even entering the home of a woman. Luke does not tell us about Lazarus, the other sibling. Luke only tells us that this home is Martha’s home, likely because she is the eldest sibling.
- What are some tasks that are required before inviting a group of 10-15 people over to your home for a dinner?
- Plenty before guests arrive!
- After all the guests arrive, there are plenty more tasks that require attention.
- After guests leave, there’s a whole other set of tasks of cleanup.
- Hospitality is about serving others, laying aside ego, being willing to do lots of tasks to help others have a welcoming experience while with you under your roof.
- What is Mary doing? Sitting—Listening. Hanging out with the Men. Avoiding work. Women’s Work. Neglecting duties. Necessary duties. Women’s duties. In the 1st century Jewish world in which this story occurs, all these things are true.
- Mary should be with her sister, helping to prepare the meal to serve their guests. These guests most likely were unexpected. 13 men requires a lot of food, a lot of expense.
- Not just any guests. At this time, Jesus is at the height of his popularity, with hundreds even thousands of people who seek him out, gather around him.
- Think of what it would be like if your favorite author, your favorite movie star, your favorite living Christian writer, your favorite world leader, decided to drop by your house unexpectedly for a meal, and brought his or her entourage, of a dozen others.
- You’d be scrambling to put on a decent meal, something special.
- Your sister, your brother is nowhere to be seen. Not helping, but rather something like trying to get an autograph, sitting at the feet of this celebrity.
- How would you handle this situation?
- Even between siblings who get along very well, one of these sisters is going to get upset! We can appreciate Martha’s concerns!
10:40-41 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
- Luke tells us that Martha is DISTRACTED by all the preparations that had to be made.
- Where we focus our attention matters! Focus on chopping onions, then our eyes fill up with tears, and we cannot see clearly. Focus on God and God’s Word, then our eyes are unblended and fill up with heavenly light.
- The reality in hospitality is there are ALL THE PREPARATIONS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE. Tasks, details, preparations
- Preparations: Greek DIAKONIA. Service, waiting on tables, serving food to people.
- Deacons: Diakonios—Servant of others.
- Good work to serve others, to wait on tables, food service.
- We need to eat. Those who prepare, serve, clean up food so we can eat. Blessed!
- What Martha is doing is blessed, admirable, needed.
- How Martha’s heart is while she’s serving is the trouble.
- Martha comes to Jesus to appeal to him, asking him:
- “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
- Notice: Lord, don’t your care. Martha is desperate, even troubling Jesus with her concerns about her sister. This question of Martha causes me to believe these sisters already new Jesus, and perhaps had already had him in their home before, though the Gospels do not say so. This is a very intimate question/concern to ask a stranger you’ve never met before, who has lots of religious status.
- This is tender, domestic insight into Jesus in the way he spends time with people. Important for us to listen attentively to the complaints of our sister or brother.
- Don’t you care? Of course Jesus CARES! Jesus invented CARE! Martha is pretty assertive here, deeply distressed by this visit of Jesus and her sisters silly behavior of sitting among the men acting like some big-shot wanna be BIG GIRL ABOUT TOWN, listening in on the Men’s Talk, cosying up to the Master.
- Martha even commands Jesus: SPEAK to Mary, command her to come back to the kitchen and help me.
- Jesus now calls Martha by name, twice.
- “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things.
- Jesus is very tender here. Two names express his tender care, loving affection for this woman.
- Also, truth and accountability, spoken to Martha about her heart condition.
- If you have a close friend who has a heart condition, wouldn’t you as a friend encourage him to see a cardiologist?
- Martha’s heart condition? distracted, worried and upset about many things.
- How many here can identify with Martha? How often are you distracted? How often do you get worried? When was the last time you became upset about a variety of things in your life? Martha is many of us!
10:42 But, only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.
- Too often our minds and hearts get caught up in “MANY THINGS”, divided, distracted, pulled in many directions at once, anxious, unfocused, scattered brained, tense, stressed out, upset, irritable, unsettled…
- Jesus keeps calling us to come back home to our heart’s resting place.
- Psalm 62:1. My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him!
- Only ONE THING is needed/necessary! “Only one thing is needed” (GK: CHREIA- Necessary, Essential, like 10 essentials when backpacking in wilderness, survival depends upon this!)
- In the midst of the MANY (many demands, many stresses, many troubles, many interruptions, many duties) Jesus keeps calling us to refocus on the ONE!
- Mary chose what is better, the good portion. It will not be taken away!
- A+PHEIRO: NOT taken away, NOT seized, NOT cut off, NOT removed. Many forces, temptations, voices, demands will try to take away, seize, cut off, remove this GOOD PORTION, from your life. Jesus does NOT want this intimacy with God, listening to God’s Word to be taken away or seized from you.
- Choose what is better! Choose the ONE, in the midst of the MANY!
Questions from Luke 10:38-42.
- Who are you opening your home to and why?
- How do you relate to your siblings? How has sibling rivalry been dealt with in your family?
- Which character to you most relate to in this story?
- What is your view of household chores, especially when guests are arriving or just after they’ve left? How can you change your focus to see these tasks as ways to spending quality time with the Lord, getting ready for Jesus to be in your home through your guests?
- When do you “sit at the Lord’s feet” to listen? How hard is it for you to sit still and listen to God’s Word?
- What would help you to choose “what is better”, and not have it taken away from you?
- How might you bring Mary Time into your Martha World this week?
- How do you spend time each week in contemplation?
Photos courtesy of Thomas Robinson. See Thomas Robinson’s online nature photo gallery.