The Martha/Mary Switcheroo

Let me start off with an apology. I must confess that for several decades whenever I hear the Martha/Mary scripture wafting through the ether be it live or electronic my brain switches to another channel. Not that I don’t appreciate the oft expressed sentiments concerning these two emanating from those with much more spiritual wisdom than me. It’s just that I feel a sense of homiletic deja-vu and sermonized sameness in the presence of most Martha/Mary preaching.

Nearly everyone has heard the story of Martha and Mary from the Gospel according to St. Luke. And if they encountered it in a church service, it is likely they received a lesson concerning the contemplative vs. the active expression of one’s spirituality, contrasting the secular and spiritual pursuits displayed in this vignette. On the surface, it seems that Jesus is endorsing the less active and more meditative Mary over the seemingly overactive and worldly-oriented Martha. So, while enjoying the comforts provided by the one, our Lord appears to affirm the behavior of the sister less concerned with his material well-being.

Most who pontificate on this passage walk the tightrope between the two, explaining that we must strike a balance between the active and reflective, so that neither is neglected at the expense of the other. It’s too bad that Lazarus didn’t have a third sister who personified this more divine ideal so that we could actually see it in action with the Master.

For just a moment, let’s take the focus away from the sisters and put it on Jesus. What was the essence of what He said concerning these two? About Martha: “…you are anxious and worried about many things [Luke 11:41 NABRE]. About Mary: “Mary has chosen the better part [Luke 11:42b NABRE].” So, we have the two sisters one at his head, one at his feet—the former “anxious and worried” and the latter probably at peace where it is “better.” So is Jesus taking a stand on agitation vs. meditation or is He talking about their disposition in mind and heart? If it is the latter, then we can pull a little switcheroo in the story and Jesus’ words should still be apt.

I beg forgiveness from the Good God, and from the folks who produced the New American Bible Revised Edition with which I have taken the following liberties in this new Martha/Mary narrative:

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha was busy serving the Lord and others who were gathered there. Mary, very anxious to hear Jesus speak, and very disturbed by all the activity around him said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is distracting me with all the setting up and serving she is doing? Tell her to go away so that I can better hear and understand what is being said. The Lord said to her in reply, “Mary, Mary, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Martha has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Perhaps this reversal helps us get to the real heart of the teaching Jesus was trying to get across when he referred to “the better part.” Let’s get some help from St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, chapter 3, verse 23: “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others…” Could it be that Jesus was referring not to altitude, but to attitude? Not that the balance between contemplative and active expressions of our faith is not important. But whether we are running or reposing, we must find peace in how we choose to serve to be compassionate and useful to those around us.

Let’s add the 24th verse to St. Paul quotation cited above:
Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.

If we are resentful servants, it doesn’t matter where we position ourselves in relation to the one who we serve. We will be ineffective and do little good to ourselves or others.

So, when we serve, wherever we serve, let us remember who we serve: the one who loved us and showed His concern for us whether his feet were being anointed with oil or nailed to a cross. True compassion and service is other-oriented. It doesn’t matter where we stand among the rest of the world if we serve with true love and devotion, always keeping in mind the one who served and still serves us so well in life, death, and beyond.