Sermon Notes for Proper 11C

Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;

there is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.

 

Jesus traveling to Jerusalem is  – welcomed into Martha’s house.

• Martha does what any good Jewish woman of the time would:
• Gets busy preparing a meal
• Basic and expected act of hospitality, then and now:
• Practical act of caring
• Martha does simple love of neighbor
• Like Good Samaritan in last week’s Gospel
• Jesus recipient of this gift:
• Had told disciples to depend on such hospitality [1]
• He benefits from Martha’s busyness
• Sister Mary, meanwhile..
• Doesn’t help
• Just sits @ Jesus’ feet and listens to him
• Martha not happy!
• Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me!
• Reasonable complaint – we’d feel the same
• In social context, even more so:
• Mary’s behavior shameful in 1^st century Judaism
• Good rabbi should correct her!
• So why does Jesus:
• Chide Martha and her active, useful, proper work
• Praise her “lazy” sister for having chosen “better part”?

Mary

·       Sitting at Jesus feet,  listening

o      Posture of a student/disciple at the time

§       Disciples were men, not women

§       Rabbinic text from the period:

·       Let your house be a meeting-place for the Sages & sit amid the dust at their feet & drink in their words with thirst… [but] talk not much w/womankind.”  [2]

o      Mary violates this social boundaries

§       Takes place of male disciple

§        “Leaves” her “proper” woman’s role to sit at Jesus’ feet:

·       As male disciples left homes & jobs to follow J. [3]

·       As (later) Apostles choose not to leave preaching Word of God to “wait on tables.” [4]

§       Leaving of “proper” role part of Martha’s objection

§       Jesus – as usual – supports breaking social norms.

·       Mary does what disciples do:

o      Puts Jesus first

o      Listens to God’s word from him.

o      Keeps first of 2 Great Commandments

§       Loves God with all her heart, soul strength and mind.

o      As reading from Colossians says:

§       She “[lives so that Jesus] might have first place in everything.” [5]

·       Jesus: she’s got her priorities right

o      Discipleship

o      Following

o      Learning

o      Loving God

·       Putting these first is better part.

Martha

• Stuck in her societal role
• Glad to welcome the traveling rabbi
• As a good woman should
• Offer good hospitality
• Cook a good meal
• Distracted by/anxious about her work – maybe…
• Caught up in for own sake
• Sense of satisfaction it brings
• Proving her value – in traditional context
• But in so doing misses that:
• Jesus is more than another rabbi:
• Image of the invisible God… in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell [6]
• Might act differently if she saw that!
• Jesus about more than being welcomed and fed:
• Sent to enact the Reign of God where breaking of norms is normal:
• Eats with tax collectors and sinners [7]
• Praises woman who washes his feet w/her hair[8]
• Proclaims good news to the poor, freedom for the oppressed [9]
• Martha missing out on:
• Presence of Incarnate God in her house!
• Freedom he offers
• To break out of accustomed role
• To become disciple
• Deepen relationship w/him, w/God.
• Jesus to Martha:
• Martha, Martha…
• Gently chiding her..
• Sadness, maybe, on what she is missing out on..
• Implied invitation to join Mary at his feet.

·       Rest a while

·       Do what women didn’t get to do

o      Listen to God’s Word

o      Be a disciple

o      Deepen relationship w/God.

§       Jesus wants this better part for Martha as well as Mary  -- and for us.

Us in the Church

·       Many of Marthas in churches, including me.

o      Some male, still mostly female

§       Folks who work to get stuff done.

§       Place couldn’t run with out them.

§       Maybe God’s work couldn’t get done without them.

§       Supported by cultural norms:

·       Being busy is valuable

·       Accomplishing stuff is good

·       But do we miss out on “better part” Jesus wants for us as we work?

o      Freedom from culturally prescribed roles.

o      Listening, learning, being fed

o      Becoming not kitchen workers, but mature disciples

o      Building relationship w/Jesus, God

·       In rest of our lives know need to put aside a task or project when:

o      Child comes home from school and says,

§       “Mom can I talk to you?”

o      Spouse:

§        “Honey – I need to spend some time with you.”

o      At best, we recognize priority of relationship over work

·       So, too, in relationship with Jesus

o      Get Priorities in order:  first things first:

§       Be w/One in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell [10]

·       Prayer > than cleaning up parish data base.

·       Worship > than getting budget in order

·       Reading Bible > than writing Vestry reports

o      Challenging priority shift to make:

§       As much for me as for anyone else

§       Contrary to our cultural norms

§       Results harder  to see than physical accomplishments

·       Done email more obvious than 20 minutes silence

o      But without right priority at center of life (parish/individual)

§       All we do just busyness in God’s name.

§       We miss out on “better part” Jesus wants for us:

·       Freedom from culturally prescribed roles.

·       Listening, learning, being fed

·       Becoming mature disciples

·       Deeper relationship w/ God

o      So, my fellow Marthas, hard and faithful workers all:

§       Hear Jesus’ words

§       Choose better part.

§       Sit and listen

·       Pray

·       Worship

·       Read Scripture

·       Be silent

§       Receive gifts Jesus wants to give;

·       Freedom from culturally prescribed role of being busy

·       Listen, learn be fed

·       Become mature disciples

·       Deeper relationship w/ God

§       Become free disciples our Lord and Master wants us to be.

 

The Rev. Jack Zamboni

July 18^th, 2010