Balance
Troubled, anxious and distracted. These three English words describe Martha in this Sunday’s Gospel. The Greek words are as follows- troubled at its origin means tumult , outwardly. Anxious is also in Matthew 6:25 denotes inward uneasiness. Distracted is only here in the NT means literally “to draw from around” Martha’s attention instead of centering around Jesus was drawn hither and thither. There are many ways to serve. Tonight we will speak of Andrew from The Great Physician who was one who was behind the scenes yet very active. Jesus commends Mary in this short Scripture passage for having ( Luke 10:38-42) “ chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Many think that Mary did not serve. The word also is in many Greek texts and is left out of the translations yet in the original. Mary “ also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word.” In other words she was serving as well. Martha at other places in Scripture notably John 11:20 was the one who rushed to meet Jesus,“ but Mary was sitting in the house.” It was Martha who had great faith when she said to Jesus about her brother Lazarus who had died, “ I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” But in today’s Gospel we are told not to emulate Martha in her off balance devotion to Jesus.
Certainly the needs of the body must be tended to. We see in Genesis 18 how Abraham refreshed the visitors’ feet and had Sarah make them a meal. In our second reading we heard how the Lord “ has reconciled us to God by the “ body of His flesh through death.”
There needs to be a balance in our work and in our prayer. We live in a culture that does not care about this at all. Many do not pray and seek the will and righteousness of God for they think that having money is all that is to life. The culture of the extreme wrestlers is a crude example, but having steroids in the body 14X the normal was what probably caused a wrestler a while back to go nuts and kill his family and himself.
I think the bottom line of this story of Mary and Martha is that for us we always face the temptation to not seek “ the one thing that is needed.” That is our story ever since the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve hid from God. We all come face to face with God one day and then it will be time to hear what He has to say to us. Why wait?
I am sorry for people that spend their whole life running. Only one thing is needed, and that is the one thing many do not wish to have. Humorously I remember the movie “ City Slickers” where Jack Palance said that the meaning of life is to know the one thing we need, and the other actors spend the whole movie trying to find out what that is. When they get back home, they realize what for them it was, the love of family. The order should be God, family, work. That is our priority. And football is in there somewhere too as my Lutheran pastor friend used to tell me in North Dakota.
We need the one thing that is needed, that intimacy with God where we can look at Him for He looks at us as His children in Christ. We are unafraid because we know that is all we really ever needed or wanted anyway. It isn’t recognition, acknowledgment of our lives or anything else. It is just to know that we are complete in Christ and He cares about us wherever we are and whatever we are doing. We cannot add anything to that. But many of us spend our whole lives trying to find that out. We labor every day trying to prove something about ourselves and how worthy we are. We forget the one thing that we already have through faith ( and that can never be taken away). Jesus says that Mary “ has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.”
Sometimes we too are like Martha, being torn and distracted about many things. We need this lesson today that we should sit at Jesus’ feet to hear His Word, for purpose, direction and wisdom.
Let us pray: Free Church Book of Common Prayer, 1929:”
For Peace of Mind
O GOD, let us never seek beyond thee what we can find only in thee, peace and rest, joy and blessedness. Lift our souls above the round of harassing thoughts to the Eternal Presence, the pure bright atmosphere in which thou art, that there we may breathe freely, there be at rest from ourselves, and from all things that weary us; and thence return, with thy peace within us, to do and to bear whatsoever pleases thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Many think that Mary did not serve. The word also is in many Greek texts and is left out of the translations yet in the original. Mary “ also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word.” In other words she was serving as well. Martha at other places in Scripture notably John 11:20 was the one who rushed to meet Jesus,“ but Mary was sitting in the house.” It was Martha who had great faith when she said to Jesus about her brother Lazarus who had died, “ I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” But in today’s Gospel we are told not to emulate Martha in her off balance devotion to Jesus.
Certainly the needs of the body must be tended to. We see in Genesis 18 how Abraham refreshed the visitors’ feet and had Sarah make them a meal. In our second reading we heard how the Lord “ has reconciled us to God by the “ body of His flesh through death.”
There needs to be a balance in our work and in our prayer. We live in a culture that does not care about this at all. Many do not pray and seek the will and righteousness of God for they think that having money is all that is to life. The culture of the extreme wrestlers is a crude example, but having steroids in the body 14X the normal was what probably caused a wrestler a while back to go nuts and kill his family and himself.
I think the bottom line of this story of Mary and Martha is that for us we always face the temptation to not seek “ the one thing that is needed.” That is our story ever since the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve hid from God. We all come face to face with God one day and then it will be time to hear what He has to say to us. Why wait?
I am sorry for people that spend their whole life running. Only one thing is needed, and that is the one thing many do not wish to have. Humorously I remember the movie “ City Slickers” where Jack Palance said that the meaning of life is to know the one thing we need, and the other actors spend the whole movie trying to find out what that is. When they get back home, they realize what for them it was, the love of family. The order should be God, family, work. That is our priority. And football is in there somewhere too as my Lutheran pastor friend used to tell me in North Dakota.
We need the one thing that is needed, that intimacy with God where we can look at Him for He looks at us as His children in Christ. We are unafraid because we know that is all we really ever needed or wanted anyway. It isn’t recognition, acknowledgment of our lives or anything else. It is just to know that we are complete in Christ and He cares about us wherever we are and whatever we are doing. We cannot add anything to that. But many of us spend our whole lives trying to find that out. We labor every day trying to prove something about ourselves and how worthy we are. We forget the one thing that we already have through faith ( and that can never be taken away). Jesus says that Mary “ has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.”
Sometimes we too are like Martha, being torn and distracted about many things. We need this lesson today that we should sit at Jesus’ feet to hear His Word, for purpose, direction and wisdom.
Let us pray: Free Church Book of Common Prayer, 1929:”
For Peace of Mind
O GOD, let us never seek beyond thee what we can find only in thee, peace and rest, joy and blessedness. Lift our souls above the round of harassing thoughts to the Eternal Presence, the pure bright atmosphere in which thou art, that there we may breathe freely, there be at rest from ourselves, and from all things that weary us; and thence return, with thy peace within us, to do and to bear whatsoever pleases thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
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