As good as it is to follow the example Jesus, it is even better to listen to the words of Jesus.
At first, she did not mind. She enjoyed serving. It gave her a sense of purpose. It was, as they say, her “love language.” But serving can be tiresome work. At some point, even if you like to serve, it wears you out. She would have been happy to take a break. She would have appreciated it if they acknowledged how hard she was working. But they did not notice, and there was no offer to help. So, Martha started making a little more noise as she continued serving. Finally, when that did not work, she had enough. She stopped in her tracks and stared at them until it got awkward. She complained about Mary, but she was also upset with Jesus: “Do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?!”
Anyone who has ever served others without much help, like a parent, a teacher, a VBS director, or a busboy, can empathize with Martha. The fact is serving is not easy. It is only fair for everyone to do their part. We all know this. Just think of our sayings. “Many hands make light work.” “Pull your own weight.” “There is no such thing as a free ride.” “Teamwork makes the dream work.” “He who does not work, neither shall he eat” (that one is even in the Bible). We can all relate to Martha.
Which is why this text can be hard to preach on. It may be tempting to suggest that serving is not important, necessary, or good. Therefore, rather than minimizing the role of loving service, your sermon should locate serving rightly.
One way to do this is to recognize where this seemingly isolated event appears in Luke’s narrative. Luke places it immediately on the heels of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end of that teaching, Jesus was clear, serving those who are in need is neither optional nor unimportant. So, we should not read Jesus as saying one thing in verse 37 and the opposite in verse 42.
It might be more helpful to back up even further. Recall how Jesus answered the lawyer’s question about the Law in Luke 10:27: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” These are the two great commandments (see Matthew 22:34-40). It seems Mary and Martha each focused on one of them. Rather than pitting service against study or love of God against love of the neighbor, perhaps the problem in this text is not so much Martha’s misplaced priorities as it is that each of us is finite. We are incapable of doing everything at once. Mary chose something good, and so did Martha.
Rather than pitting service against study or love of God against love of the neighbor, perhaps the problem in this text is not so much Martha’s misplaced priorities as it is that each of us is finite.
I suggest this approach, in part, because of what Jesus says to Martha. He does not criticize her for serving. He does not discipline her for failing to sit beside Mary at His feet. In fact, He does not scold Martha at all. There are a few ambiguities in the translation. In verse 40, Luke describes Martha as “περιεσπᾶτο,” which is only used once in the New Testament. BDAG (The Greek-English Lexicon authored by Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich) says it could also mean “quite busy” or “overburdened.” In that case, Luke would simply be noting she was working hard. When Jesus responds to her complaint, He similarly states the obvious: She was anxious and worried about a lot of things. Notice how He is still not rebuking her. His only word to her is about the goodness of what Mary is doing. He seems to be saying to Martha that, while her serving is worthwhile, Mary is doing something even better.
The better option is listening to Jesus. If we back up just a little farther in Luke’s gospel, we see the importance of Jesus’ words. After the seventy-two returned from their successful mission, Jesus “rejoiced in the Holy Spirit” (10:21) and then described the gracious will of the Father. God wills that no one knows Him “except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (10:22). In listening to Jesus, Mary was getting to know the Father through the Son. Such things the prophets and kings of old longed to see and hear. In the end, the first great commandment must be the starting point for the second.
But the second flows from the first, which is why Martha should be commended. She welcomed Jesus into her home (10:38b). She followed the example of Jesus as loving service to her neighbor. She got a little cranky at Mary, which is where things started to go slightly awry, but not enough to get her in trouble. Mary’s portion, listening to Jesus, was not better than something bad, but better than something good. And because it is better, it will not be taken away from Mary.
The good news for your listeners is that the better will not be taken away from them either. As good as it is to follow the example Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 1:11), it is even better to listen to the words of Jesus. For in the words of Jesus we hear the gracious promises of the Father. These promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation enliven us, transform us, and empower our good works of loving service. It is your privilege to speak these promises again this week as servants of the Word.
And what about those people in your congregation who, like Martha, are generous in their service toward others? Do not beat them up. Affirm their good works. But even more, affirm their posture as students and disciples of Jesus.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Luke 10:38-42.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Luke 10:38-42.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
