Mary and Martha, The Good Portion Sisters

 A Sermon Delivered to St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Charleston, WV, on July 21 2013, a and based on Luke 10:38-42:

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (ESV)

So here's my impression of Martha:

I can just see her bustling around with total focus and intensity, preparing for Jesus to come to dinner. While she's occupied running the sweeper, Jesus and Mary slip quietly into the room and sit down. Martha doesn't seem them and she eventually works her way over to where Jesus is, seated on the couch. She sweeps furiously and when she comes to Jesus, she doesn't even recognize him, but tells him to lift his legs so she can get under the couch!

He asks her, “Whatcha doin'?”, and she replies brusquely, “Can't talk now, I'm getting' ready to have Jesus over for dinner!”

Nothin' and nobody was gonna get in the way of preparing for Jesus - even Jesus!

In today's Gospel reading, we have a contrast between one busy, noisy sister and another who sat at the feet of Jesus. I call them the 'Good Portion Sisters because Jesus tells Martha that she is anxious and worried about many things, but that Mary has chosen the good portion by quietly sitting at his feet. On the surface this looks like a categorical endorsement of a reflective temperament over against a more activist one.

On the slide we can see how a clever artist has portrayed the sisters contending with one another. But while Jesus admonished Martha, I don't think that He was categorically saying that active people are inherently less spiritual than contemplative people – that it is possible for a Martha to chose the Good Portion as well. Consider the example of a Martha type person, Brother Lawrence. 

Brother Lawrence

Brother Lawrence was a French 'Discalced' or 'barefoot' Carmelite monk who lived between about 1614 and 1691. As a monk, he would have reverently prayed several formal 'offices' during the day. These offices are known as the “Opus Dei” or “Work of God” proper. Brother Lawrence's genius was in taking a spirit of reverence into his everyday activities. In his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, he writes about this experience:

“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament.”

He knew that you can practice the Presence of God by getting meals and washing plates ... It all depends on what kind of an attitude you bring to your work. The activities of our daily occupations can be made into a prayer through a simple intention to praise God in all our works.

Here's a A poem written in by a 19 year old girl in domestic service in England which expresses this very attitude:

  Lord of All Pots and Pans

Lord of all pots and pans and things
Since I’ve no time to be
A saint by doing lovely things
Or watching late with Thee
Or dreaming in the sweet dawn light
Or storming Heaven’s gates,
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates.

Although I must have Martha’s hands,
I have a Mary mind,
And when I black the boots and shoes,
Thy sandals, Lord, I find.
I think of how they trod the earth,
What time I scrub the floor:
Accept this meditation, Lord.
I haven’t time for more.

Warm all the kitchen with Thy love
And light it with Thy peace;
Forgive me all my worrying,
And make all grumbling cease.
Thou who didst love to give men food,
In room or by the sea,
Accept this service that I do–
I do it unto Thee

I do it unto Thee... it's an echo of our lesson last week about how the Good Samaritan was really doing a service to his neighbor, Jesus, in disguise.

So you see, our individual temperaments, and preferences in prayer are all acceptable to God - as long as we offer them up in humility.

There's really no room for Mary to sneer at Martha and say, "See...he likes me best!"

But there is something else going on in this Gospel story -

something that we don't hear in the selected passage. And that is the context of Jesus' visit to Mary and Martha.

Remember, in Luke Chapter 9, Jesus had been Transfigured and counseled by Moses and Elijah about his earthly mission. Jesus then warns his disciples that "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (v.21) He repeats the warning in 9:44: "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men."

Jesus' focus as he came to the town of Bethany was on his death!

Therefore, it's likely that he was pensive and may have needed some peace and quiet to collect his thoughts. Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus were his good friends of his, so he may have gone to their home looking for some calm before the coming storm.

But Martha didn't know that. All she knew was that Jesus had come to her home and that the most important thing was entertaining him in a suitable style! She was trying to be kind to Jesus by rushin' and fussin' - but that was precisely what Jesus did not want!

William Barclay comments on this passage:

"With the cross before him and with the inner tension in his heart, he had turned aside to Bethany to find an oasis of calm away from the demanding crowds if only for an hour or two, and that is what Mary gave him and what Martha, in her kindness, did her best to destroy!" (Barclay, pg.142).

Yow! That hurts!

Mary understood - and Martha did not. Martha made a self-centered fuss over Jesus, while Mary understood him and gave him what he needed – her presence!

In a personal letter to a friend, Francis de Sales points out that ...”many courtiers go ... into the presence of the king, not to hear him or speak to him, but simply to be seen by him, and to testify ...that they are his servants”... (In 'Thy Will be Done, pg 26)

Have you ever placed yourself in the Presence of King Jesus - simply to be seen by Him? Did you know that your presence ministers to Him?

Just as we seek the presence of a friend to minister to us when we're in times of crisis – so too, Jesus sought out the presence of His friends to minister a brief respite to him – by their presence!

In order to do this ministry, Mary minimized the noise in her life so that she could focus on Jesus. She listened to Him. … But her attentive listening was, most likely, not merely wordless.

Likely she had a conversation with Jesus. Mary might well have asked questions or made comments. Even if she didn't speak, there was, no doubt, an active engagement with the words Jesus spoke. Her silence of heart fostered a dialog and communion with Jesus that Martha missed because she was so intent on accomplishing her agenda!

The Spirit of Silence and listening is illustrated in the old RCA Victor logo:

'Nipper' the dog sits and listens inquisitively to the Victrola. Underneath the picture is the caption, “His Master's Voice.” This is an almost perfect picture of a concept that carries a lot of baggage, but is little understood – to 'obey'.

The word itself comes from the Latin: OB: 'towards' and AUDIRE: 'to listen', hear, or Accept...

Put them together and you get the literal meaning: 'to listen towards...'

To 'Obey' means 'to Listen'! - Just like Nipper, listening attentively for the voice of his master. The understanding is that I will DO what I HEAR.

In fact, I haven't heard until I have done, or put into practice what I heard!

And so it is that if we truly want to hear God, we must draw apart in silence on a regular basis in order to have space and time to converse and commune with Him.

Thomas Merton, in his book Springs of Contemplation, reminds his Christian readers that 'it is terribly important for us to be clear about our silence,' ... 'The tyranny of noise always has a will behind it... There is a note of supreme injustice in noisemaking; the noise made by one person can compel another person to listen."

Anyone who has ever heard the insistent thump-thump of a car's subwoofer coming down the street knows the truth of that statement.

Speaking of his own context as a Trappist, Merton says that "the monastery's service to the world might simply be to keep a place where ...people might be silent together."

But I wonder whether this actually may be the birthright of all Christians, exemplified by Mary sitting at Jesus' feet?

God delights in our presence. As Christians, we have his ear and his heart before we even open our mouths. We can come to Him any time and ask whatever we will in His Name – that is 'according to His will”... and He is much more willing to give than we are to receive.

Why then are we so reluctant to cultivate silence – the very practice we need in order to Know His will? Could it be because we know we will hear Something? - and that Something may make us uncomfortable. It may compel us to face an unpleasant truth about ourselves; may demand that we take actions that challenge our easy illusion of being in control of our lives!

Silence is dangerous! But if it's true that God speaks to us in silence, then it's also true that what he speaks is Truth and Life - even if we perceive the Word to be hard or difficult.

I think we know this inwardly and seek out Silence as a balm to our souls – even when we don't label it a 'Quiet Time' with God.

I've spoken to many hunters who say, “I love to go out into the woods, just to enjoy the quiet and watch the animals...”

I've also spoken to many business managers who say they go into the office early so that they can work in silence and peace, without any interruptions.

Such examples indicate that we actually need quiet in order to hear ourselves think – and hear God speak to us. We need silence in order to actually be WELL mentally and spiritually.

I encourage you then to practice silence regularly - not only exterior silence - turning off the radio or TV, but active inner silence as well - becoming aware of the interior noise and learning to silence this as we release the distractions into the Great Silence who is God himself.

The difficulty is that as soon as I sit down to quiet myself and listen to God, distracting thoughts come: “I'm hungry,” or “I forgot to call someone”, etc.!

Then, instead of feeling spiritual or close to God, I feel guilty because I'm so easily distracted! And I know it's not just me.

This is the common experience of anyone who begins to practice silence. Brother Lawrence knew it well and practiced for years before he came to the place of peace in the midst of the pots and pans.

The trick is to somehow attend to these distracting thoughts, but not give in to them - not to reprimand myself for having the thought, but to release it into Christ and cease to let it disturb me. Many spiritual masters have recognized the wisdom of taking those thoughts and 'dashing them against Christ, the Rock (Psalm 137:9). In so doing, we take these thoughts 'captive to the obedience of Christ' (2Cor. 10:5)

It's definitely work - but it's definitely worth it!

It is, as Jesus says, 'the good portion', 'the better part', the 'one thing needful' in our lives.

All of us have numerous distractions, numerous time commitments. And we all feel lost and alone at times. We fear the future and we fear listening to God in silence - And we often feel as if we're going backwards instead of forwards in our spiritual lives! This too, is a common experience of growth in the life of prayer. The more we progress, the less we know!

The practice of silence both highlights this experience, but reassures us as well.

I'm reminded of a prayer by Thomas Merton and I'd like to close with it now because every time I encounter it, I'm reminded about how clueless I am, but how loving our heavenly Father is. Try to hear this prayerfully...

From Thomas Merton, A Prayer

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think that I am following your will

does not mean I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though

I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and will never leave me to face my perils alone...

Try to enter into interior Silence and face the uncertainty of your life, but then also pay attention to the hope and trust that arises at the end. And remember that you are never alone - that as you choose the Good Portion at the feet of Jesus he will protect and guide you.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.