“In Between Faith and Works”

 Luke 10:38-42

Many years ago, during a session retreat, I remember one of the church staff being in the kitchen, helping to clean up after a wonderful lunch, while the rest of us sat down to continue our planning meeting with a time to worship. Her name happened to be “Martha.” The rest of us had cleaned up with her, but were now ready to move on to the afternoon session. While we sat there, waiting, we all began to chant “Martha! Martha! Come sit at Jesus’ feet!”- reminding her of the need to follow Jesus’ call to sit and worship. 

Martha gets a bad rap in today’s Bible passage. From all we can see in this scripture, Mary is sitting at Jesus’s feet, the laid back or type “B” personality, while type “A” Martha is furiously in the kitchen trying to whip something up for Jesus, the 12 disciples who have come along with him, and possibly some of the 70 mentioned in the beginning of this chapter. Many theologians have made Martha the poor example, one up to her eyeballs in food preparation and dirty dishes, whilst Mary is the good example, sitting attentively at Jesus’ feet. Translations can cause us to view people in scripture through one lens. However, in the original Greek, instead of Mary “choosing the better part”, it translates closer to Mary “choosing the good portion,” and Martha’s “tasks” are really “ministry.” Perhaps the intent of this Gospel story is Mary representing contemplative faith, while Martha represents good works? Or, is there a place between faith and works?

To understand this passage as best we can, so that we can apply it to our faith, consider that Jesus, in the passage just prior, met a teacher of Moses’ law and told him to go and DO, to be active with his faith in how he treated others, not to sit down and relax. Jesus, in looking at what this man needed, understood he needed to go and serve to work out his own salvation. But that seems like a polar opposite of today’s message about being a Mary. Theologian Fred Craddock says, “To the Teacher of the Law, he said, go and do; to the woman Martha, Jesus said to sit down, listen and learn.” So then, what are we supposed to do, be active and busy in our faith or sit and be contemplative?

To fully understand this passage, we need to dig a bit deeper into other sections of the gospels to understand Jesus’ relationship with Mary and Martha. Now, only Luke relates this particular episode, but the gospel of John joins Luke in speaking of Martha and Mary. John knows them as the sisters of Lazarus, and places their home in Bethany, near Jerusalem. In the two stories John tells us in his gospel, the behavior of the two women corresponds to Luke’s description: In John 11:20, Martha goes out to meet Jesus, while Mary sits in the house. Martha serves the food at dinner, while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and anoints them with costly lotion. (John 12:1-13) In both John and Luke, Martha is the active doer; Mary, on the other hand, is the contemplative soul. Yet, besides their contrasting personalities, there is more to the story.

Martha fulfilled the expected role of any female in her day: The roles of men and women were well established in the ancient world. Women were meant to serve the men in their homes and lives. Mary breaks the social structures by listening to Jesus’ teachings while her sister does all the domestic work for the guests. In Jesus’ action, by allowing Mary to sit at his feet, and inviting Martha to do the same, he once again shatters the societal expectations of the day. Here Jesus is received into the home of a woman (no mention of a husband or brother) and he teaches a woman. Mary is right in the middle of the circle, listening to Jesus. To sit at someone’s feet is to be that rabbi’s student. Women in those days were not allowed to be students. As people wander through the kitchen, Martha hears them whispering, "Look where Mary is. What is that girl thinking? Mary knows she doesn’t belong there!"

At the time of Jesus, teaching a woman to read was illegal. Women were viewed as property. The rabbis taught that daughters were a curse, that the purpose of women was to bear sons. Divorce could be initiated only by the man. In the temple, women were excluded from the inner courts. Men did not speak to their wives in public, yet Mary is at Jesus’ feet, being taught as a disciple by her rabbi. Everyone in Martha’s home thinks that Mary should be in the kitchen.

Everyone, except Jesus. In this act of acceptance, Mary takes on the role of a disciple. This message is consistent with Luke’s gospel. In chapter 8:1-3, women are counted among the disciples. That Jesus commends Mary and corrects Martha turns expectations upside down. His encouragement of Martha not to be "worried and distracted by many things" is a radical challenge to the established order, as radical as picturing a Samaritan or a tax collector as good. Doing what she is supposed to do in that culture is now a ‘distraction.’ What Mary is doing, not serving the men around her,  is correct. In God’s kindom, women and men are on equal ground.

And yet, the true nugget for us today is not that Jesus sees no distinction between women and men, or that we are to mimic Mary and shun Martha.  Theologian Fred Craddock says that we must be careful in today’s passage with whom we identify or vilify. “ If we censure Martha too harshly, she may abandon serving altogether, and if we commend Mary too profusely, she may sit there forever.” Our role in the church is to both do AND be. At times, we are to act like Mary and at times, like Martha. There is a place between these two women, a place of balance. There is a time to go and do in our faith, a hands-on time when we work out our faith with our hands, heart, and feet.  Clearly, our congregation has moments of taking on Martha’s role in our service to others through community events like the Advent Fair, Easter Brunch, Octoberfest, Little Free Pantry, building with Habitat for Humanity, our Safe Parking Program, etc.

Theologian Michel Quoist said, “Tomorrow, God isn’t going to ask, ‘what did you dream? What did you think? What did you plan? What did you preach?’ Instead, God will ask, ‘What did you DO?” In the book of James, clearly James wants us to be active in our faith. He says, “It is by action and not faith alone that one is justified.” (James 2:24) Then just two verses later, James tells us, “ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith without works, that is without action, is also dead.” (James 2:26) The whole of scripture tells us that at times indeed we are to be Martha.