Seeking the Best in Relationships

Seeking the Best in Relationships

Luke 10:38-42

            “There are three forms of relationship.  We move away from people, against people, or towards people.” (Eva Burrows) Among the three characters in this short story from Luke’s gospel we find all three movements. 

            Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, two sisters and a brother, lived in Bethany, a village near the Mount of Olives, and near Jerusalem.  We don’t know how they became followers of Jesus, but the few mentions the evangelists make of them tell us they were very close to him.  He apparently counted them not only among his disciples, but also among his close friends.  Lazarus isn’t part of this story, but Mary and Martha are front and center.

            Jesus was visiting in the home of his friends.  We don’t know who was present beside Mary, Martha, and Jesus, but we can assume the three were not alone.  There were most likely others gathered around, listening to Jesus’ teaching.

            Among the listeners was Mary.  This was a bit unusual, since women in that culture were seldom allowed to associate with men to whom they were not related either by blood or by marriage.  Jesus’ attitude was different.  Luke makes it clear that he welcomed women as followers.  Mary would have felt perfectly at ease sitting at Jesus’ feet in a gathering of men.

            Martha, on the other hand, was busily serving those who had gathered to hear Jesus.  We’re not told specifically what she was doing, but it’s a good possibility that she was preparing food. 

            Luke tells us that Martha was “distracted with much serving,” and we can see her in our mind’s eye, moving quickly from one part of the room to another, checking on this dish, preparing a bowl for that dish, trying to make sure everything was perfect so the meal could be enjoyed.  We might even picture her looking busier than was absolutely necessary, calling attention to herself.

            Finally, she’s had enough.  “Lord,” she says, “do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me.” 

            A reasonable request.  It’s difficult for one person to prepare a meal and get it on the table alone.  Help is always appreciated, and often desperately needed.  We could expect Jesus to say, “Okay, Mary, your sister is overworked.  Time to get up and help her.”

            But that’s not what Jesus did.  Instead he told Martha that the preparation of the meal should not be her primary concern.  Listening to his teaching and learning from him was the “good portion,” the portion Mary had chosen.

            At the beginning of the story we see Mary moving towards Jesus, and Martha moving away from both of them.  She has chosen a path that, if followed to the end, will take her far from both her sister and her Lord.  When Martha reaches the height of her frustration, she moves against Mary, and, more subtly, against Jesus.  Jesus, however, moves toward her, trying to bring her into closer relationship with him, and attempting to be the mediator to bring her closer to her sister.

            We don’t know if Martha ever moves towards Mary and Jesus.  The storyteller has made his point, and moves on.  Perhaps this is on purpose.  We’re left with two opposing positions.  Which one will we choose?  Will we choose busyness—perhaps even busyness within the church—that will take us far from Jesus, or will we choose the better part, and allow ourselves to learn from him.  The choice is ours.  In which direction will we move?