Commentary

I. Theme – Finding True Riches to Enjoy a Happy Life 

“St. Lawrence Delivering the Riches of the Church” –  Master of the Osservanza (1440)

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

First Reading – Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Psalm – Psalm 49:1-11
Epistle – Colossians 3:1-11
Gospel – Luke 12:13-21 

Today’s readings encourage us to discover true riches in order to live a happy life. In Ecclesiastes (Track 2), a Jewish wisdom teacher ponders the vanity of human life. The psalmist invites us to bow in worship and praise before God our Maker. The second reading encourages followers of Christ to focus on the things that are above. In the gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool.

God suffers or celebrates, depending on how we live our lives. Injustice is an affront to God; it literally pains God and leaves in its wake divine sorrow and anger. God is not an amoral force, but God’s energy encompasses us all – believer and atheist, pacifist and terrorist, humankind and the non-human world.

To live for earthly things “is vanity and a striving after wind,” and work that is driven by such vanity “is an unhappy business” (Eccl. 1:13–14). The man who lives like that has nothing to show for “all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun … all his days are full of sorrow” (Eccl. 2:22–23). We can’t take it with us. So why do we worry so much about it?

The foolish live their lives solely for their own pleasures on earth and ignore the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized. The Wisdom Tradition of the Bible tells us this is vanity, a chasing after wind, something that will never be fully realized or satisfied. Life is empty. On the other hand, the foolish also live their lives focused solely on heaven and not caring about this life or the people in this world.

So, too, your “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5), makes a god out of that which cannot give you life or happiness. For “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15)

The wise look to living their lives for God, which means living for others. But “Christ who is your life” (Col. 3:4), in giving you Himself, gives you all the wealth of heaven. Instead of striving to lay up treasures for yourself, be “rich toward God” in Him (Luke 12:21). We are called to love and care for others, but especially the ones in need. With that, we live with the hope of resurrection, knowing that life continues after death, though we may not know what that looks like, we hold on to that hope. We live our lives on earth with the same hope for eternity—to live into God’s ways of love and justice that restores and heals and brings wholeness.

II. Summary

First Reading –  Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

The Book of Ecclesiastes recounts a wisdom teacher’s exploration of the meaning of life. The author is described in 12:9-10 as a teacher and writer. The name of the book, derived from the Greek word ecclesia, is a translation of the Hebrew, Qoheleth, which probably identifies the one who gathers an assembly. This is the only passage from the book anywhere in our Sunday Lectionary. It was probably written at the end of the third century B.C.E. and polemicizes against an understanding of wisdom as the guarantee of a long, successful, and happy life. Another theory is that it is an attempt to profit as much as possible from the Greek understanding of the world, without forcing Israel’s wisdom to give up its status.

The concept of Wisdom Literature is included in 3 books -Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. What Wisdom concerned itself with were the values of a culture and the moral life of society in general. . In the three books we see different approaches and themes. Job is undergirded with a theological sense as the arguments about life are made. Proverbs with its pithy sayings is commentary on daily life, and Ecclesiastes takes a radical approach, twisting standard thought and commentary on life.

The selections from Ecclesiastes, from one of the Wisdom books, shares the Teacher’s (the writer of Ecclesiastes) view that much of human life is a “chasing after wind.” What is often translated as “vanity” in the New Revised Standard Version is more closely related to mist or vapor—something that appears but we can’t grasp it, can’t attain it. The work we do for things, for earthly success—this is vanity, a chasing after wind. Life passes by and the endless grind of work changes nothing . What good is all that effort when the fruit of one’s work and efforts are simply turned over to someone else.

This passage marks a break in our thread of following God’s keeping of the covenant, though the last two verses of chapter 2 show that when we enjoy our work, when we have enjoyment from what we are doing in our lives, there is nothing better than this. Perhaps this is a response of God from the covenant—to those who are faithful, perhaps there is more joy in one’s life, more fulfillment. The old question of if it all turned out to be false, if there was no God or heaven, did we waste our lives can be answered by the Teacher: no. The vanity and chasing after wind is worrying about the question. The joy is found in living one’s life for God.

Psalm –  Psalm 49:1-11

Psalm 49:1-12 sings from the Wisdom tradition about the importance of one’s life, for both the wise and the foolish face the same fate. Fools trust in riches, while the wise trust in God. For us today, with the economy over the past few years, we know the folly of trusting in riches, in stock markets, in corporations and conglomerates. Our trust must be in God, and our work must be for this life for God.

The psalmist proposes to enlighten us about our situation, our life, and our condition. Humanity hangs in the balance between a situation of wealth, which seems to condemn us to a life that cannot respond to the needs of others, and the situation of poverty that is unmet by the resources of the wealthy. The poor person will perish as will the wealthy one. What is common to both is mortality, and all are “fools” in the face of it. This is a most appropriate text to follow the Ecclesiastes reading

This psalm encourages confidence in God’s justice, especially when it seems that evildoers prosper. The psalmist urges his audience to remember that the ungodly and those who rely on their wealth are deluded for they cannot protect themselves from death.

Epistle-  Colossians 3:1-11

This is the end of our tour of Colossians, which Paul wrote to combat certain doctrinal and disciplinary errors afoot in the Christian community at Colossae. Paul’s letters (and letters of those using Paul’s name) often start with doctrinal matters and then end with moral injunctions. The cosmic powers mentioned there have no claim on Christians’ loyalty. The demands of earthly religions (required rituals, dietary restrictions, fasting, etc.) are null and void for those whose allegiance is to the heavenly Christ

Paul now turns to discuss the practical consequences of the believer’s acceptance of Christ as lord. He uses a form of teaching probably developed as a part of baptismal instruction (Ephesians 4:22-5:5). In living out the reality of having been “raised with Christ” (v. 1) the Christian is to exhibit a transcendent quality of life here and now. In baptism those to be baptized put off their old clothes and put on the new white baptismal robe as a token of their having put off the old nature and put on the new.

While Colossians does not forsake personal images of God, it places them in a global – indeed, cosmic – perspective. Christ moves in our lives and Christ is also the moral and spiritual energy moving through the universe, not limited or confined to a particular religion, nation, or planet. God is the circle whose center is everywhere, that is, God is the inner movement and energetic force within all things. God’s circumference is also nowhere, unbounded and unlimited in care and activity. The transpersonal nature of divine omnipresence is the complement to divine presence in this passing moment. It keeps us from absolutizing our relationship to God to the detriment of others’ well-being.

We cannot live in the worldly ways, seeking worldly success, living off of worldly pleasures. We must live a better way, for God, which requires us to become a new person, a new creation that lives for God and not for the foolishness of the world that puts one’s self above others.

This fact must now be lived out in putting to death the old way of life and putting on the new life in Christ (Romans 13:14). They are to show forth the characteristics proclaimed and exhibited in Jesus’ ministry. Being clothed with this “new self,” they experience a continual process of renewal, the goal of which is the knowledge of God. Barriers are broken and all live in Christ as a community of believers.

Gospel –  Luke 12:13-21

Today’s reading comes from a section of the travel narrative (12:1–13:21) that stresses readiness for the coming crisis when a decision for the kingdom must not be delayed. The man who approaches Jesus is presumably a younger brother who wishes his elder brother to divide the inheritance that he was likely given as the oldest son. Jesus rejects the request for arbitration and tells a parable that challenges the greed in us all.

The rules and regulations regarding inheritance can be found in Numbers 27:1-11The point here, however, is not the inheritance itself, but rather the attitude about the inheritance and the wealth that it implies.

Jesus then speaks words of warning about greed . To make certain that his words on greed are heard a parable is offered, Parable of the Rich Fool

Falling into the Wisdom tradition, we hear from Jesus’ own words that storing up treasures on earth is not worth it. The farmer in the parable is wealthy, and product of both work and blessing. The temptation is that these things are enough in and of themselves. It is time for relaxation, a time to send anxiety away. What is forgotten, in Jesus’ telling of his story, is that God and Neighbor (the two focal points of the Law) are forgotten

We are called to live our lives for God, and that requires us to live our lives for others, especially for those who fall through the cracks of life. Jesus tells us that whoever is first must become last of all and servant of all. We cannot become last when we are busy storing up our own treasures in bigger barns. Death comes unexpectedly – ” This very night your life is being demanded of you.”

The parable of the rich fool has many parallels, both in classical literature and in Old Testament Wisdom writing (Sirach 11:18-19; Ecclesiastes 8:15; Wisdom 15:8). The rich man is “a fool,” that is, one who in practice acts as if God does not exist (Psalm 14:1). He has made provision for his own comfort but not for his ultimate destiny because without warning, his “soul” (Greek, psyche), meaning his life or self, is required of him. He illustrates the fate of all who confuse their priorities and rely too confidently on their own power.

The division of the world’s population into the haves and the have-nots is not new. The Bible hammers away at social and economic injustice. The massive volume of ethical legislation in the Pentateuch was meant to become the operating principle of everyday life; it was intended to insure responsible conduct in all phases of human life and relationships. These unparalleled ethical precepts depended on the Israelites’ unique knowledge of the majesty and holiness of God and were binding upon them because God had said, “Be holy: for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45).

When Jesus came, he dramatized God’s infinite mercy toward all creatures–rich, poor, sick, well, religious and non-religious, sinner and righteous. In parable and sermon and in his own life, Jesus put flesh-and-blood on the observance of the law. Imagine the change in world affairs if human beings ordered their lives to honor and glorify God–if everything were done “in the name of the lord Jesus.”

Jesus was no sentimentalist who reduced God’s judgment to kindly indulgence. He knew that a true reflection of God’s mercy could only come from knowing one’s self to be forgiven for offenses against God’s clearly defined standards. In seeking out the lost and the outcasts of society, Jesus embodied God’s absolute love and mercy.

It is clear that God has created all that is necessary for our well-being; God desires that we should prosper and be in good health. There is nothing desirable or uplifting in poverty and sickness. True, adversity may serve to strengthen our faith, but there is no guarantee that trouble makes us into spiritual giants. Nor is it certain that prosperity and health would free us to pursue a godly life.

Neither circumstance is advantageous to us in the kingdom of God. Our real life does not consist in either abundance or the lack of earthly possessions. The proper attitude toward our heavenly treasure in Christ delivers us from false guilt over our abundance and from coveting the good fortune of others. A heart steeped in God’s love can be a trustworthy guide to sharing with others. Stewardship and gratitude to God are directly related.

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I. Theme – Relating to God with Boldness and Persistence 

“Enriched Bread” – Corita Kent 

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

First Reading – Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm – Psalm 138
Epistle – Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)
Gospel – Luke 11:1-13 

Today’s readings encourage us to relate to God with boldness and persistence. The gospel today, Luke 11:1-13, is a collection of Jesus’ sayings about prayer. So the first reading is the story of Abraham’s intercession with God on behalf of some innocent potential victims who live in Sodom. The psalmist gives thanks for God’s strong hand in a time of trouble. Paul warns the Colossians not to exchange the lordship of Christ for human teachings. Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray and illustrates the right attitudes with a story. The readings also present the many faces of God – as challenger, restorer, enemy, parent, and transformer.

The scriptures of the Judeo-Christian faith fully reveal the true character of God. The passage from Genesis is one of the most sublime revelations of the nature of God in the Bible. The extraordinary dialogue between Abraham and God teaches us two vital lessons: first, that God hears the prayers of those whose hearts are in tune with God’s; secondly, that God’s readiness to pardon is an integral factor in God’s justice.

Abraham’s boldness in challenging God came from his firm conviction that the lord could not act contrary to perfect justice by destroying the righteous indiscriminately with the wicked. “Shall not the judge of all earth do right?” This certain and lofty conception of the character of God still has not been fully grasped. For centuries, human societies have continued to truncate and pervert the biblical concept of divine justice, and very often human justice is untempered by mercy.

Abraham’s controversy with God also revealed the noble character of this patriarch whose name means “friend of God.” Abraham went to God in prayer with a conflict in his heart. His own sense of justice—“will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”—stood against his belief that the wicked must pay the penalty for their wickedness. Here, in Abraham, we see the intimations of God’s own dilemma with human creatures. In Christ we see the solution God provided.

God’s justice and righteousness were brought to bear upon sinful humanity through Jesus. Through Jesus, sinners are granted fullness of life with God as if they were perfectly righteous. The bond of wickedness was cancelled and set aside, nailed to the cross.

Punishment is our understanding of the consequences of our own actions when they don’t work out for us. It feels like God has abandoned us. Rather, God has not abandoned us, but the false god that said if we were good enough good things would happen. Instead, Jesus tells us that God sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous. But what happens to those who are faithful is that we experience God’s restoration as justice—God brings down the high and raises up the low, as in the Magnificat.

In the gospel passage, Jesus intends to make only one point in his story about the midnight caller. If we, who are not good, know how to respond to a reasonable or good request, how much more will God fulfill requests that are borne to God in earnest prayer.

Many great devotional teachers have offered guidance in the art of prayer. One thing they all seem to agree on is that we should not give up praying for something until we either receive it or it is made clear that it is not God’s will to grant it. “Praying through” requires more patience than most of us can maintain. We blur our petitions in haste, flitting from this to that, dissipating our energy and concentration. How can we expect God to deal with a list of supplications that lightly changes from day to day?

When we call, God will answer, but we must sincerely ask, seek and knock, until heaven opens in one way or another.

II. Summary

First Reading –  Genesis 18:20-32

Sodeom, along with its sister community, Gomorrah, really serves as a fulcrum that stands between the texts regarding the Visitation at Mamre, and the Bargaining over Sodom, and its eventual Destruction. This truncated selection of verses raises the question of why God wanted to destroy Sodom in the first place. 

The Lord God and two angels have, in disguise, visited Abraham, who welcomed them from last week’s visit (Genesis 18:1-10a). As Abraham gradually discovers their identities, they start a trip to nearby Sodom, and the ever hospitable Abraham accompanies them.

Genesis 18:20-32 is the story of Abraham bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Our second thread in the Hebrew Scriptures this season shares with us the promises of God, how God is faithful to the covenant

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a common example among the prophets for human wickedness that brings God’s just judgment. The specific kind of evil was variously indicated. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah have turned from God and worship other gods, primarily with male temple prostitutes. Isaiah identified it with social and judicial vices (Isaiah 1:9-10, 3:9). Jeremiah associated it with the prophets’ betrayal of their vocation (Jeremiah 23:14). Ezekiel connected it with pride and neglect of the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:46-56).

The “outcry” against the sins of these towns prompts the lord to investigate. God is about to destroy the city completely, near where Abraham’s nephew Lot lives .Because of Abraham’s covenant relationship, he is allowed to know God’s secret thoughts. He begins to bargarin. Suppose there are 50 righteous people—won’t you save the cities for the 50 righteous? God replies that no, God will not. Then Abraham continues to bargain down until, if he can find ten, God will not destroy the cities.

Unfamiliar with the ways of the lord, Abraham intercedes for the innocent who will suffer the same fate as the guilty sinners. Abraham ends with a communal “ten,” and does not mention his family (Lot’s family) as innocents. Abraham returns to his home – a nomad’s tent, and we leave Lot in the midst of a teeming and complicated urban environment. But even though God is willing to bargain, apparently there were not even ten just persons to be found

We know that they are destroyed in the next chapter, but we see that even among Abraham, the idea of total and utter destruction is abhorrent. This is not God’s ways. It happens at times, but this is not what God desires. God’s covenant is about restoration and hope, and as one reads the Bible, the utter destruction of an entire community is never the ultimate plan, but rather, restoration is. But it will take some time for the people to turn from their ways, and for their understanding of God’s justice to change

Abraham ends with a communal “ten,” and does not mention his family (Lot’s family) as innocents. Abraham returns to his home – a nomad’s tent, and we leave Lot in the midst of a teeming and complicated urban environment.

Psalm –  Psalm 138

Psalm 138, a song of thanksgiving, praises God for God’s faithfulness, for God’s care not only for the powerful, but the powerless. God’s love endures forever, and God will not forget

This psalm of thanksgiving has many parallels with the later parts of Isaiah, and was probably written sometime after the return from exile. The “gods” of verse 1 may be the members of the heavenly council or the rulers and gods of other nations. Verses 1-4 give praise for the lord’s help, and verses 5-7 describe the effect of God’s majesty and mercy upon the kings of the earth. The psalm concludes with an expression of the psalmist’s trust that God will personally care for him. Although all creation is under God’s care, the lord’s intimate love is available to each individual.

In this thanksgiving psalm, we see God receiving the praise and thanksgiving of the psalmist despite the presence of the other gods. The following verses recite the reasons for such faithfulness on the part of the psalmist. The most profound of these recitations (especially in light of the first reading, and Abraham’s advocacy) is “When I called, you answered me.” That is the strength and the relationship that the psalmist’s faith is based on. There is an attempted universality in the psalm that sits on a spectrum that ranges from the individual thanksgivings of the psalmist to the “All the kings of the earth” who have heard the words of God. There is a similar dimensionality in the following verse in which God “on high” still cares for the lowly, an arc of comfort and of justice.

Epistle-  Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)

The Christians at Colossae were exposed to a variety of philosophical and theological teachings, many of which were incompatible with the gospel. Two weeks ago, in the first of this series of readings from Colossians, we saw that Paul had to establish that Christ was superior to any other possible mediator between humanity and God. Then in last Sunday’s selection, we saw that Christ in us is our hope of glory.

Colossians 2:6-19 is a warning against falling into the common strain of thoughts in that day—the Greek philosophy that embedded the cultural teachings, and the Greek mythology of the universe.

Paul warns them against “philosophy.” In Paul’s time the word meant, not rational inquiry, but occult speculations and practices. Such teachings were concerned with propitiating “the elemental spirits of the universe,” probably here referring to angels or to the stars and planets conceived of as living beings having influence over our world. In their hierarchically ordered picture of the universe, the “fullness of deity” was thought to emanate from the highest god and be distributed among the heavenly powers.

What Paul is arguing against is the ritual excess of not just Judaism as well as those of the mystery religions, he also warns against those Christians who have adopted strict practices in contravention to the Gospel of Jesus. He alludes to some of the requirements in an argument which he begins with “you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision” and then placing Christ at the center of the concept. In the manner of Paul, the author positions to elements in distinction from the one another – the fleshly circumcision, and that of the spirit. “The substance belongs to Christ”, he declares, acknowledging that Christ is the head of the Body.

Paul reminds the Colossians that they have “received”—a technical term for the handing on of normative tradition (1 Corinthians 11:23, 15:1, 3)—”Chr ist Jesus the lord.” Thus they are to “live in him” as the only foundation for their faith. The writer reminds the listener that our faith is rooted in Christ, not in human ways of thinking. Paul claims that this “fullness” is Christ’s alone, for he is above all these powers.

Today the question is, “How, then, do we get Christ in us?” Paul’s answer is that when we were buried in the waters of baptism, we were united with Jesus in his saving death, and when we emerged from the saturating waters, we were joined to Christ in his resurrection. (Paul assumes that the ritual of baptism obviously simulates burial and resurrection.)

God’s activity changes everything. With Romans 8, Colossians affirms that nothing can separate us from the love of God. In baptism, we share in death and experience new life in Christ. We are truly transformed in the baptismal waters, becoming a truly new creation, liberated from the past and everything that threatens to overwhelm us. Those who were “dead” because of their sins, God has forgiven by canceling the record of indebtedness (a common Judaic figure for sin).

Gospel –  Luke 11:1-13 

Luke 11:1-13 contains Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer and also what it means to persevere. Luke’s forms are spare and simple, perhaps reflecting an earlier form than that in Matthew, which is offered at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-15). 

This lesson on prayer was urged upon Jesus by his disciples who apparently had experienced the disciples of John the Baptist at prayer. In this episode, Jesus discusses three aspects of prayer: the discipline and form of prayer, the need for persistence, and the effectiveness of prayer

This lesson is also offered in the context of Jesus own life of prayer. Indeed, Luke depicts Jesus at prayer often: baptism, choosing of the Twelve, Peter’s confession, the Transfiguration, at the Last Supper, on the Mt. of Olives, and at the Crucifixion. Jesus is the model for a parent whose love is relational, inspiring, supportive, and nurturing. God does not compete with humankind in terms of power, but wants us to claim our power as God’s beloved children.

In this simple Lukan form, the prayer reflects the expectations of the relationship of a benevolent patron (a father of a household, king or master) to his dependents. Luke affirms the loving parenthood of God. God is the best of parents and – in contrast to the vision of God portrayed in Hosea – gives us grace and support long before we ask.

The opening address identifies God as our heavenly father. The first set of petitions indicate how we, as God’s dependents, will fulfill our part of the relationship by respecting the holiness of God’s name (or person) and make our own God’s aim of creating the kingdom community here on earth.

The second set of petitions asks God to fulfill the divine obligations in the relationship by providing food (“our daily bread”), forgiving our offenses (conditioned, of course, on our forgiveness of others), and protecting us from evil.

We are called to persevere in our prayers, asking God for what we need, and that God’s gifts are good. Sometimes our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be, but Jesus reminds us in this prayer that we are to ask for what we need, and that we need forgiveness.

Jesus then illustrates both the nature of our petitions and the response of God in a parable. The parable is a “can you imagine” situation, focusing on the readiness of the friend to help. In the context in which Luke places it, attention is shifted to the “persistence” of the needy friend. On the principle of what applies to smaller things ought to apply even more to greater things, the parable encourages us to believe that the Father’s answer to our prayerful petitions will always be more ready and certain than that of humans.

Thus, in order to receive forgiveness, we must also forgive. In the same way, we must persevere in helping to meet the needs of others, so that our needs may also be met. Our prayers gain power from our motivation and orientation: when we turn to God, we become godlike in our care for others. We forgive as we have been forgiven and live in the spirit of God’s realm. Resonating with the divine vision, we can boldly ask, seek, and knock, and are inspired not only to expect miracles but accept miracles at the hand of a generous God. God gives us the Holy Spirit and with the presence of the Spirit, we receive everything we need to flourish and to serve God.
 

“Christ in the House of Mary and Martha” – Vermeer (1655)

The Gospel reading is here.

Let’s set the scene. We are in the long travel narrative in Luke (9:51 — 19:28). Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (9:51) and instructs those who would follow that the journey must be their first priority (9:57-58). Jesus sends the seventy ahead with no provisions for the journey and insists they depend on the hospitality of those in towns who welcome them (10:1-11).

Immediately preceding the stop at Martha’s home, Jesus tells a story about a man on a journey who is beaten and left to die. He is saved by an unexpected merciful neighbor (10:30-37). The story of “the good Samaritan” confirms that the journey to Jerusalem is dangerous, and that disciples might welcome the compassion of someone who, in other circumstances, would be considered undesirable.

This week we are in a seemingly peaceful setting – Jesus is invited into the home of Mary and Martha who live with their brother Lazarus in Bethany not far from Jerusalem. This is only reference to Mary and Martha in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). The two sisters and their brother, Lazarus, figure prominently in the fourth gospel, but hardly at all in the synoptics.

This is one of 3 mentions of this family:

1. Jesus was their guest – this week. Luke 10:38-42

2. John 11:1-44 When Lazarus had died, Jesus came to Bethany. Martha, upon being told that He was approaching, went out to meet Him, while Mary sat still in the house until He sent for her. It was to Martha that Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

3. John 12:1-8 About a week before the crucifixion, as Jesus reclined at table, Mary poured a flask of expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet. Mary was criticized for wasting what might have been sold to raise money for the poor, and again Jesus spoke on her behalf.

On the basis of these incidents, many Christian writers have seen Mary as representing Contemplation (prayer and devotion), and Martha as representing Action (good works, helping others); or love of God and love of neighbor respectively.

Martha like the Samaritan is welcoming and is doing what women then were supposed to do – getting the house ready for the visitor. However, she is overwhelmed. We don’t how many guests there are. Where Jesus goes there are at least 12 other guys following him…and then the gravity and reality of the invitation comes crashing down on her. She is distracted. By contrast, Mary is sitting at the master’s feet, intent on listening to him but not lifting a finger to help.

Martha wants Jesus to tell Mary “get with it” and help out. Instead Jesus turns the tables and praises Mary saying “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”  

So what’s going on here ?  There are a variety of interpretations 

1. The Kingdom is being brought to all and in particular women

Jesus is crossing Jewish cultural bounds – he is alone with women who are not his relatives;  a woman serves him; and he teaches a woman in her own house.

Women were not supposed to sit with teachers as the disciples did.  Mary is assuming a male role – at the feet of Jesus.

In the first century, rabbis did not teach women. Outside of being instructed in their proper gender roles according to custom and law, women received no education.

Both in the previous story, the Samaritan and this story, they are moving beyond boundaries. The Samaritan for Luke illustrates the second commandment (‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’). Mary exemplifies the fulfillment of the first commandment. ‘You are to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your energy, and with all your mind.’   

2. How do we deal with rivalries ?

The Martha and Mary story is just another in a series of instances of the disciples letting rivalry get in the way. This is similar to James and John and their discussion of  “whom is the greatest?”  in Mark, Chapter 9.

Martha asks Jesus to intervene. “Tell her then to help me.”   Martha has considered by some to be a “control freak.”

Jesus doesn’t mince words in his response. Calling her by name not just once but twice, in a manner that sounds more like a parent than a friend, he describes the situation.

The rivalries that we live in are the things that distract us. Jesus calls us out of these rivalistic relationships and into the Kingdom. Without the rivalry we can still attended to the daily demands of life, but maybe without seeing ourselves as victims of someone. 

3. A further study in hospitality 

Hospitality, sharing a meal in particular, is a prominent theme throughout Luke and how one is received or not.  In the narrative world of Luke, hospitality is multi-dimensional. According to this gospel account, we see hospitality from the perspective of receiving hospitality as well as extending it to another. Hospitality in Luke’s world is not limited to sex, religious preoccupation or county – it is open to all.

In this story, we expect Jesus to affirm the one who welcomes them into her home and prepares all that is needed to make them comfortable.

Yes, serving is encouraged too and follows naturally from following Jesus. This serving, however, is not drudgery, and is not to be accompanied by anxiety, distraction, worry, and trouble.  

This story is a clarification of hospitality in the Samaritan story. Both Mary and Martha are doing.  Doing is not the only thing. Eternal life is not gained in just the doing, but in the receiving – in hearing and believing.

4. Another alternative?

Mary & Martha’s story is a story about priorities and choices.  

It’s about choosing to make God a priority in our lives and not merely the façade of God in our lives a priority.

Often we get consumed with making sure everything is in its place and there is a place for everything.  

What is the most important thing we should be doing in the context of our daily activities ?

It’s about choosing to allow God to shape us into the people God needs us to be and then allowing God to use us to impact those around us in healthy, up-lifting, God-inspired ways.

What God wants for us is to become comfortable at his feet and “engage in the task” of sitting and listening as he reminds us of how really good life can be – even when life is not going as we have planned. And as we sit and remember what God promises, then we can go out and do as God wants. 

In Eugene Peterson’s, The Message, Jesus’ words to Martha are, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

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

What really matters is how these two responded to God’s presence in their midst.

Thinking about God’s word as the “main course” in the feast of Life, however, doesn’t give that immediate sense that listening is better than doing. Instead, it places these two activities in balance. The word calls for us to both sit and listen AND to go and do. 

Since this story is about “turning the tables” one further extension of that is to consider Jesus the host and not Martha. Jesus is the host, not Martha or Mary or anyone of us, and he spreads the word like a banquet to nourish and strengthen us. The word has within it commands both to sit and listen, and to go and do. We “sit on our salvation,” but then scatter into the world and work of daily life. 

We must balance the role of food-preparer with that of friend and listener. Her actions are actually causing separation from Jesus at the same time she is drawing her into the home. 

As with previous weeks, there is an urgency involved.

The key is that there is an urgency to the kingdom. In Chapter 10 we saw several weeks ago, there is no time to rest; no time to bury the dead, even a parent; no time to say goodbye to family; no looking back (10:57-62). it. We might consider Martha’s concern for hospitality as similar to the “distractions” Jesus names at the outset of the journey to Jerusalem. Seeking God’s Kingdom is the first priority above all else, even the common customs of hospitality. 

If you look carefully, Jesus doesn’t say anything about not cleaning house or preparing dinner. He is not saying people should not have “many things” to do. Martha’s issue is not that she is a busy person. She is distracted by her many tasks and missing the fundamentals of having a chance to hear the gospel.  

Like the lawyer last week in the Good Samaritan, Martha is focused on “me.” “Why do I have  to get the house ready, while Mary gets the best role.”  We see this is in many churches. “Why does so and so get to do this while I alway have to wash dishes.”

 The author of the blog “Theological Stew gets the heart of the matter: “But here’s what I see in this. Martha was so busy with her eyes on what Mary was doing that she wasn’t being faithful to her own calling. The interesting thing is that Martha could have been just as close to Jesus doing what she was doing as Mary was sitting at his feet. She just didn’t see it.”