It is a living parable, isn’t it? The story of Mary and Martha. Mary listens at the feet of Jesus, Martha is busy with pretty much everything. So Martha complains to Jesus, “Make Mary help…” The most human moment is how Martha leads into that question, “Jesus, don’t you care that I’m doing everything?”
Who might dismiss that as an attempt by Martha to make Jesus feel guilty? But there is something far more powerful
there. It’s a confession of
vulnerability. She’s feeling overwhelmed. That is hard to own and share. So bury the admission in a
challenge. Add some personal ‘protection’
against vulnerability.
And Jesus response? "There
is only one thing that is important here, and Mary has found it." But, like Martha, he does not just drop the
response and dismiss where Martha ‘is coming from’. He looks right into her heart, she is worried
and distracted by many things; she is working desperately to keep her head above water.
See how this connects to Jesus’ actual parables? A recurring theme is how the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Martha seems to be "one of the few", the epitome of the church ‘busy person’, all churches have them, always doing.
Jesus does not
tell a parable about burnout. Here we cross into real life.
Martha is overwhelmed and overburdened.
She is seeking to serve but at the cost of her basic relationship with
Christ.
Notice her words, “Lord, do you not care that my
sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” Those are words that should be ringing alarm
bells for us. She is SO devoted to the
Lord’s work that the 'work' is displacing Jesus. She is SO close to burning out she is going
after the closest people in her life. If
she has not crossed over as yet, she is on the border of her foundational
relationship with Jesus being built not on love but on resentment.
And Jesus calls her back.
Not only is Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet to listen to him, it IS the
better part. It will not be taken from
her. It is an invitation for Martha to
do the same thing. Come to the feet of
the Lord, sit and be filled with the words and grace of the Messiah.
This is why Sabbath is so important. In the law of Moses, all the prep work is legally moved off that day (look up the gathering of manna in the wilderness) so on the Sabbath, they shall just ‘be’ in the Lord. It is why
sabbaticals are important, times to refresh and renew in the Lord. One of my favorite writers is a Franciscan
monk who talks about the enforced times of Sabbath, where the members of the
Order are taken off the line and returned to be immersed in the love and
community of Christ Jesus.
We have a word for that in life, that word is “balance”. Mary represents one edge, simple
contemplation, just being in the presence of the Lord, acknowledging that which
is wonderful in the light of the Savior.
Martha is the other edge, service, serving the Lord, doing for Jesus,
doing for others. A full life in Christ
brings the examples of Mary and Martha together.
Peace
pastor pete
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