Martha and Mary Revisited

Luke 10:38-42

Jesus loved both of them.

In my imagination, Martha is a well to do woman, a feminist in her day, one woman that you don’t mess with much. (Aunt Norma?) Dr. Luke, the writer of this account, says Martha welcomed Jesus into HER home, hosted him, opened space for him to be. Martha was a take-charge woman who saw needs and opportunities and acted. I like Martha.

In St. John’s gospel we read about this family, in which sister Mary is mentioned first in relationship to Jesus (John 11). We hear about the death of their brother, Lazarus. Martha is one who is annoyed with Jesus that he did not come right away before their brother died. Martha has expectations of Jesus, expectations of his action to come when called and his gifts to heal and restore. She has confidence in his power and strength and ability to make things happen.

Jesus’ acceptance of Martha’s hospitality in the gospel reading from Luke, places Jesus at Martha’s disposal for more action. Martha is in charge of the event and she expects help. (We read nothing of Lazarus in this account. I might wonder if he is the lazy younger brother, if he is already ill or recuperating, or if he is just doing what guys did, stay out of the kitchen and the domestic chores.) I imagine this family of siblings living together; no mention of spouses or parents or children, only 2 sisters and a brother. Martha seems to be the matriarch, the vocal one. Martha takes charge in hosting Jesus and everyone waits for her to do it, likely because she does it so well and tends to do it all herself anyway. Maybe they have learned to stay out of her way. This time, however, in her desire to be with Jesus, she is annoyed that all the work of hosting is left up to her. She is jealous of Mary’s taking in Jesus’ presence. Confident of Jesus ability to make things happen she tells Jesus to tell Mary to get off her lazy butt and help.

I imagine Mary to be the younger sister, maybe the “baby” of the family. In the Greek rendering, Mary is “Mariam”, my own name. I know what its like to have a bossy older sister. Mary is sensitive and is moved to action in a different way than Martha. She is the cry-baby, the weeping sister, the one whose tears bring Jesus to tears. (John 11:32-35)

Martha and Mary, yet, Mary seems to take top billing as all refer to them as MARY and Martha, Mary always listed first. Perhaps it is due to this story. Perhaps readers have taken this account as a diminishment of Martha’s busyness and an affirmation of Mary’s contemplative mode of operation. My hunch is that there is a bit of Martha and Mary in each of us, and finding the balance of both their personalities would helpful for each one of us.

I imagine Jesus enjoying this home of siblings, who welcomed him often, who were his supportive friends. He felt at home with them; home enough that Martha and he could “have words”, confront one another, because of the deep love between them. Jesus had to remind this strong woman of action, that relationships were still more important that busyness, being together had great value and perhaps was more precious than food.

We need to be people both of action and contemplation. It would be to our benefit to recognize when our busyness has gone overboard and we need to stop, to sit down and listen for a while, and perhaps regain perspective on all our “doings”. Sometimes we can be so frantic in running and going and doing that relationships suffer and are neglected. We mistake the preparation as the most important thing, when it is the shared meal, the eating and the talking, the sitting together and passing the broken bread, that makes the meal a feast of communion.

We tend to value more highly the visible and tangible realities. We measure and hold them, see them and weigh them. We tend to follow people of action, those who are out front leading the way; the flurry of activity impresses (if not others, at least ourselves). The external journey of changing the world around us for the better is a wonderful and noble pursuit. We need people of action, who take charge, who make decisions, who make things happen. People like Martha.

We need introspection also. The invisible and intangible things are more difficult to assess. Those who are reflective, who are busy changing their internal realm may go unnoticed. They, like Mary, sit down, listen, wonder, cry a lot in response to both suffering and joy. It is harder to define or recognize or value the inward, invisible workings. But neither is this contemplative mode inactivity. It too is busy at changing the world from an inner mode.

We all know people who are action oriented, who must keep busy or go nuts. And we know people who seem to operate more out of their quiet being. Yes “doing” and “being”, the outward action and the inner contemplation both translate into transforming our worlds. We need both Marthas and Marys, people who are in relation to one another and can learn and grow, encourage and yes even annoy and prod one another on occasion. It would be helpful if within ourselves we could recognize how to balance our inward and outward modes of operation; for busy folks to stop in silence and wonder periodically, for reflective folks to get in the mix of the hands on work. All action without reflection may be spinning our wheels. All reflection that never is expressed or shared is selfish. Balance.

Can we value both activity and reflection in ourselves?

Can we value both in one another? and give thanks for the gifts of both the “DO-ers” and “BE-ers”?

Can we recognize and respond in times that call for action?

Can we recognize and respond in times that call for contemplation?

Can Martha and Mary, action and contemplation, we so joined in relationship in and around us that wonderful things happen?

And where is Jesus in all this? After all, Dr. Luke the writer, thought this was an important story to tell for all of us to learn something about gospel truth. Perhaps it is that Jesus loved them both; both the busy, vocal, “don’t mess with me” Martha and the quiet, sensitive Mary, whose action in John’s gospel was one of extravagance that came from deep love (John 12:1ff). Perhaps gospel truth is that both action and contemplation are part of the story, both are needed and both are valued. Maybe the gospel truth is that Jesus himself, as we remember him teaching and healing and going and doing, was also a man who sat down and talked and shared, who crept away alone to pray. Jesus was both Mary and Martha, his inner being, intangible and invisible realm with God was balanced with his outer doings, the tangible and visible changing the world. Perhaps the gospel truth here is that the realm of God, the reign of God, the transforming reality of God is both an inner and an outer reality that we are all invited to honor, within ourselves and among one another. Perhaps the gospel truth is that in our hectic culture today and the frantic programming of our lives, institutions, and the Church -- where more and bigger and better and newer is imposed -- we just might miss the most important underlying reality right in front of us. We might pause and sit and listen to one another a while, enjoying the simple presence, the profound presence, the communion of God-who-is-with-us. And that might be the most important action in which we engage.