CONFLICTED PURPOSE
Luke 10:38-42
"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."
I have always had issues and concerns with this text from the gospel of Luke. The words that Jesus speaks to Martha just seem so harsh and uncaring. After all Martha and Mary have opened their home to Jesus. And we know from other stories in the New Testament, that Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus are prominent leaders in the early church.
Jesus does not seem to appreciate how hard Martha is working. (I will address the issue of work in a moment.) One of the many things that strike me in this passage is the fact that Jesus must rely on the kindness and hospitality of his followers. For all practical purposes Jesus is homeless, without a job, traveling from place to place usually with a group of people and always looking for food and lodging.
I agree with the theologian William Willimon, who states that this reading from Luke "reveals much about Jesus' nature and his mission." Mary and Martha welcome Jesus into their home, which breaks with traditional convention that a single man and his followers would stay in the home of two unmarried women. All involved are risking a lot. To be a disciple of Jesus means you must be willing to risk, to open your home, invite Jesus in and to spend time with Jesus.
Obviously, Mary and Martha are friends of Jesus, that is one of the reasons that Jesus stays in their house. They are also respected leaders in the church in Bethany. All of chapter 11 and most of chapter 12 in the gospel of John tell of the deep relationship that Jesus had with Mary, Martha and Lazarus from the raising of Lazarus from the dead to Martha's proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah to Mary anointing Jesus feet before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Mary, Martha and Lazarus knew all too well the mission and ministry of Jesus. They recognized him as the Messiah and I believe the anointing by Mary was a preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus.
All of this brings us back to the story before us this morning. Here is Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to what he is saying while Martha is distracted by her many tasks. When Martha expresses her concern that Mary is not helping her, Jesus answers, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many thing; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part; which will not be taken away from her."
I do think they are harsh words. Obviously, Martha thought the work that she was doing was important and that Mary too, should be engaged in that work.
Many of us are familiar with this story. I know it is one that I have heard over and over during my life in the church. I know the interpretation that I grew up with--Martha is in the kitchen frantically preparing a meal for Jesus and his followers while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus listening to his teachings, an interpretation that has always bothered me along with the harsh words of Jesus. I know this is a pretty common interpretation of the story.
I spent some time this week searching the Internet and reading exegetical articles, commentaries and sermons on this text. Not to my surprise, everything I read put Martha in the kitchen cooking a meal. The ensuing conflict that arose between Mary and Martha was about cooking and cleaning the kitchen even though that scenario is never mentioned in the text. All it says in the text is that "Martha was distracted by her many tasks...."
At a conference this year, I heard another interpretation of the text that really intrigued me and it comes from Dr. Frances Taylor Gench, Professor of New Testament at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Gench notes that the Greek word in this passage from Luke translated as "many tasks" is "diakonian" and that every other instance when this word is translated from Greek to English in the New Testament, it is translated as "ministry tasks" not "many tasks."
Now how was is it that a passage dealing with two women would have a different translation of the word, "diakonian" as "many tasks" rather than "ministry tasks?" And when we translate it that way, I believe we denying the powerful and radical statement that Jesus was making with his ministry.
Of course, this deep and abiding relationship that Jesus had with Mary, Martha and Lazarus should make us realize that they were all leaders in the church community in Bethany. This was the household that welcomed Jesus and was probably the center of ministry activity for the community. I believe Martha was distracted by the tasks of ministry, which could have ranged from feeding the homeless to providing enough space in the house for people to come and hear Jesus preach.
So these seemingly harsh words, "...you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing...." What was Jesus implying with these words to Martha? Are not the tasks of ministry important? Don't the tasks of ministry have purpose in the life of the church? Don't we feel our lives have purpose when we are involved in the ministry of the church?
Most of us have an intuitive sense that life has a purpose and we spend a great deal of our lives trying to identify that purpose. For many of us our work has a lot to do with our purpose in life. Our lives are filled with work. We pass our days on earth doing stuff: raising kids, developing careers, achieving goals, maintaining houses, building communities. "Purpose" is not about who we are or what we are to be, but what we are to do. It is about our life's work.
Some people live great portions of their lives without any clear purpose. Sometimes we stumble into our true calling, when some unusual event occurs. We get a new job that really clicks or we fall in love or perhaps a tragedy occurs and one's purpose in life becomes perfectly clear.
I believe that most of us, especially those of us connected to a faith community, determine our purpose in life partly by examining our gifts, talents and attributes. Those, who have a gift for music or art or sports, conclude that this must be a sign that their purpose in life is in those respective areas. We assume a Creator who gave each of us certain gifts obviously intending those gifts to be used to fulfill a purpose.
"Purpose" can be and is a spiritual concept for many us. In the church, we usually say, "God has a plan for your life" and we trust that God will reveal that plan and we will find guidance for our purpose or our calling in life.
In this story of Mary and Martha, I believe the concept of purpose or calling in life is being played out. Martha is busy with the "ministry tasks" of a faith community. And they are tasks that are very important to the life and health of the community. Mary is also busy with "ministry tasks."
I like to look at this story through the concept of time. In the Bible, time usually falls into two categories. The first category usually is the word "chronos," from which we get the word chronology. The second category is the word "kairos."
"Chronos" describes time that is measured by the ticking of the clock. This type of time is best described as everyday time. It is the time that fills our days and it is important. It is the time spent waiting for the person to come and install our cable, waiting in the doctor's office, going to the grocery store, cooking dinner, coming to church, making tea for fellowship time, visiting in the hospital, watching our children play, talking with friends, brushing our teeth. I have heard "chronos" time referred to as empty time, meaningless time, and humdrum time. And sometimes it does seem that way. But it is important time. It is the time by which we live in the present reality of life.
The other Biblical example for time is "kairos" time. "Kairos" time represents those rich, extra-special, significant, dramatic moments in life, which are packed with meaning. Those moments that stand out and stay with us for a lifetime, forever inspiring and instructing us. "Kairos" time is full time, vital time, decision time, God's time--those moments when God seems to be speaking directly to you. "Kairos" time is a moment of revelation.
I think we see "chronos" and "kairos" represented in Martha and Mary. We know that the visit of Jesus is a significant event for Martha, Mary and that emerging faith community in Bethany. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to his every word. Martha attends to the ministry tasks. The meeting between Mary and Jesus becomes a "kairos" moment for her. It is assumed by most scholars that Jesus was probably teaching part of the Torah to her which was almost unthinkable for that time. But as so often happens in the New Testament, Jesus is breaking with conventional religious wisdom. He is bringing a "kairos" moment in a "chronos" world. He is bringing life and hope.
Inside the house of Mary and Martha something startling and strange is going on. Jesus is treating Mary with dignity and honor, almost unknown to that moment in the life of Israel. However, Martha missed out completely on this special time. She was so caught up in her "chronos" time, so that this special moment passed her by. She hadn't chosen the good portion.
Sound familiar? I know it is that way for me at times. How many "kairos" moments do we miss because we are too focused on "chronos" time? How often does the possibility of a God-shaped moment slip by in our preoccupation with the present?
We have about 86,400 seconds in a day, when we wake each morning. The way we deal with time affects how much wealth we discover in human existence. If we greet each new day as a treasure to be discovered, the journey turns into an exciting and exhilarating experience. No matter who we are, where we live or what we do, life is impacted most drastically by what we do with time. Every day gives us 86,400 seconds and we must use every one of them as they come, for they will never be seen again.
"Kairos" time allows us to measure how much abundance we will find in life. "Kairos" time is beyond the world's time, it is God's time.
We need to learn how to tell one kind of time from the other. We must know when to wait and we must know when to move. An awareness of time should cause us to place a proper value on the use of time in our lives. We must be careful to choose what we are going to do, for time does not allow us to do everything.
Like Mary, we need to know when to nourish and nurture the part of us, which will trade "chronos" time for "kairos" time. This alone can open our lives to a new perspective, a new attitude and a deeper sense of the presence of God in our lives.
Time is how God gives us the opportunity to discover God's presence and to exchange our "chronos" time for "kairos" time.
Let us be devoted to Christ, to serve Christ, just as Mary and Martha did that day in Bethany. Let's us take the "chronos" time to live our lives in the presence of God and not miss the opportunity when God calls us to experience "kairos" time. Amen.
July 22, 2007
Mary Alice Lyman
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