Luke 10.38-end (NRSV)

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ ⁴¹But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; ⁴²there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

As usual there are many lessons to be learnt from this passage, but allow me to share just a few thoughts with you.

Firstly, we must be reminded that all people are precious, because God created us. Even though people are different, it is wonderful to realise the God knows us in our uniqueness and also loves us in our uniqueness. This truth is beautifully captured in Psalm 139 (1-6) where we read:

You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting and when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. I can't understand all of this! Such knowledge is far above me.

The Psalmist reminds us of the fact that God knows each individual intimately and personally and that he cares about us.

However, it is only when a person knows the reality of forgiveness that they can also know the peace that controls the way we think and feel. This is why commitment to Christ by faith is so important, because it makes real for us, the love of God in Jesus our Lord as we experience this in reality by the Spirit.

Even though we are all so very different, the fact remains that each one of us is special. You are special. Jesus died for all of us and therefore died also for you. Do you know this? More importantly, is this real in your life or is it just a truth that you understand? Do you know the intimacy with God that the Psalmist wrote about, or does God seem to you to be a distant other-worldly creature separate from your reality?

Just as all people are precious this passage also reminds us secondly that, we should accept all other people, even though they might be very different from us.

Some people are naturally very active while others are naturally quiet. A problem occurs when an active person does not understand a quiet person and vica versa. So often, very active people frown upon those who are quiet and reserved, calling them lazy or other offensive adjectives. The same is often true of the person who is devoted to quiet times and meditation. These people might accuse active people of being shallow and also offend them with unfair judgement.

Mary and Martha provide wonderful examples. Both of them were committed to our Lord, both honoured Jesus, both loved him, but it would be difficult to find two people who were more different. Martha was very active; it appears, also impulsive, not shy to speak her mind. Mary on the other hand, was quiet and thought a great deal before she said anything. When Jesus came to their home, Martha rejoiced to see him and set about making the best possible preparations for his visit. Mary was also delighted that Jesus was coming to see them, but her first thought was for the time she could spend with him, listening to him and learning from him. The one was not totally right and the other totally wrong - they were only different.

The same truth prevails today. We must never expect all Christians to be exactly the same, because they never will be. We must also never judge others just because they are different or because they do things differently. In addition the Scriptures add that we should never be critical of those who differ from us. James writes:

My friends, don't say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God's Law. And if you condemn God's Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey it or God who gave it. God is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. What right do you have to condemn anyone? (11-12 CEV)

Jesus, you will remember, summarised the Law as loving God and our neighbour as we love ourselves. Paul said that in loving our neighbours, we completely satisfy the requirements of the Law. When we fail to love others, we are actually sinning because we are breaking God's Law. One of the commentators writes:

When you're ready to criticise someone, remember God's Law of love and say something good instead. Saying something beneficial to others will cure you of finding fault and increase your ability to obey God's law of love. (Life Application Bible)

Even if you believe a person is sinning, Jesus warns that we need to employ caution. Remember our Lord's teaching in Matthew 7:

You can see the speck in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the log in your own eye. How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don't see the log in your own eye? You're nothing but showoffs! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you can see how to take the speck out of your friends eye. (3-5 CEV)

The fact is that people are different and they always will be. But being different does not mean that those who are different are wrong. If a person has repented of their sin and given their life to the Lord and are striving to serve him faithfully, we have no right to judge them or even criticise them.

Thirdly, when we feel inclined to be critical of others, it is usually because we have not been spending enough time with our Lord. Martha had become excessively occupied with unimportant earthly matters, to the detriment of her soul. So often we too become ensnared by the cares of the world that our spiritual life takes second place, or is even forgotten. How many of us do not have time for prayer, worship, Bible study or Christian service? Many people are only prepared to give one hour each week - and sometimes this is only out of a sense of duty. It seems strange when one compares the amount of time people have for television, sport or other recreation, but they seldom have time for the Church and the things of the Lord.

Martha's problem was not that she was different to Mary, but that she allowed herself to become so entrapped into what she thought was the right thing to do. She became unnecessarily critical of Mary whom she automatically thought was wrong because she saw things differently. So Martha blurted out, thoughtlessly:

"Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!" (40b CEV)

Many of us, as we read this passage find ourselves sympathising with Martha. But, what seems logically and reasonably wrong in others, to us, is not necessarily true. This should teach us to employ caution. To Martha, Mary was obviously in the wrong, but in essence, Martha was the one who needed guidance and direction and so Jesus gently corrected her.

Lastly, notice how important it is to place the nurture of our souls as the first priority in our lives. Jesus said:

"Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things ..."

Martha was overly preoccupied with the things of this world, that she was able to think clearly and discern spiritual truth. She had neglected what was really important - being with Jesus and learning from Him. If we do not spend enough time with the Lord, we too will experience the same problem.

People who are critical of others have very often fallen into the trap because they are in a spiritual desert, having allowed worldly matters to keep them from the nurture of their souls. Husbands and wives tend to be at each other's throats, there is disruption between parents and children, friendships are smashed and people become polarised - believing that they are right and not even able to concede that the other person has a valid point of view.

It might have come as quite a shock to Martha when she understood, as a result of our Lord's gentle rebuke, that in this particular instance, Mary was doing the right thing and that Martha was the one in the wrong because she was thoughtlessly critical of Mary.

It is necessary is for us to realise that our lives are not merely physical and mental, but also spiritual. To neglect the spiritual dimension of our lives is to court disaster. Mary realised that she needed to spend time with Jesus and so was calm and composed and had things in perspective. When we spend time with Jesus, daily sitting at his feat, listening to what He has to say to us from His Word, bringing ourselves and others to him in prayer, that we too will have a sense of balance return to our lives.

To sum this all up: Let us never forget that even though we are different people, God cares for us. He knows us intimately and he loves us deeply. In the same way that God loves us, so too, should we love one another. We need to accept each other even though we are different. We should not insist that people do things our way. Let us banish criticism from our lifestyles and nurture and encourage each other in love. If we are struggling with this, it is most likely because we are not spending enough time with the Lord. It is only when we are found sitting at his feet, daily, that the balance of true peace between ourselves God and others can become real in our lives.