Sit there and Listen

Jesus while on his way to Jerusalem accepted an invitation to a meal in Martha's home, probably in Bethany.  It was not very far from Jerusalem.  Martha had a younger sister, Mary, but as the head of the house she was in charge.  It was Martha’s decision about who was invited as well as the quality of the hospitality that was offered.  Jesus was invited for dinner and accepted the invitation because it was a place for rest and refreshment. 

At some point Martha was distracted from her guest by having to do so many tasks in preparing the meal.  She asked Jesus to tell her sister Mary to help her.  Jesus, however, pointed out that Martha’s preoccupation with preparing the meal may have caused her to miss what Mary was doing.  He said, “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.”  What Mary had chosen was to listen and learn from her engagement in conversation with Jesus.  Instead of doing something Mary just sat and listened. 

Mary may have been spellbound by what Jesus had to say.  If someone important came to your house wouldn’t you want to spend time in conversation with them?  However, for women in the early days of the first century it was not a socially accepted custom.  Lingering in conversation was a custom only for men.  It was a patriarchal society.  The Mishnah states, "Let thy house be a meeting-house for the Sages and sit amid the dust of their feet and drink in their words with thirst but talk not much with womankind."  What Mary was doing was unthinkable and unacceptable.  There was a social barrier to be respected.  A woman should know her place and that place was in the kitchen! 

The gospels are filled with stories about Jesus overturning many social barriers and customs that were oppressive and demeaned people. We heard in last week’s gospel that Jesus used a foreigner, an outcast, an unclean Samaritan as a model of love of neighbor.  It was not so surprising then that he allowed and encouraged a woman to do what society told her she should not do.

Martha responded to Jesus as she would to any guest in her house.  There was nothing new in his visit.  It may be that Luke, in writing this story, wanted to focus on the impact that Jesus had on the lives of others.  Jesus told Martha that she should let Mary do what she can do well – sit and listen.  Mary is portrayed as a person of patience and loving care.

Martha, on the other hand, was doing exactly what was expected. She was distracted by many tasks in making sure that all was prepared for her guest.  After all, it was not everyday that you had Jesus in your home so she wanted everything to be just right.  In her own way she was showing her love for Jesus but she was getting no help from her little sister!  She wanted Jesus to set Mary straight, to tell Mary where her place was and what her role was, to help out in the kitchen.

Mary’s act of sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to what he was saying could possibly bring shame on their family. The word, "distracted" means in this case to be over-burdened.  Martha was in a stressful situation.  There was so much to do and Jesus, by encouraging Mary's inactivity, wasn’t helping matters.  Jesus said, "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." 

Mary, by sitting, enjoying and listening to Jesus, chose an act that took precedence and priority over everything else.  There are times when we need to hear, "Don't just do something, sit there and listen!"  There are times for being quiet, for sitting down to listen and learn from others.  In this case we, like Mary, are invited to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from him.

There are many people today who are forced to work long hours or overtime in order to earn enough income to pay the bills.  We can easily forget why we chose to accept a particular job or what our goals were before we entered the work force.  The only things that release us are vacations, ill health, or being laid off.

Without finding time for recreation or rejuvenating ourselves we can become depressed or experience burnout.  In today’s stressful environment we need to find room in our busy schedules to relax, to sit and listen.

Mary chose to stay where she was and listen.  But many of us are more like Martha and are distracted by many things. There is also a sense among many religious people who believe they know what God wants them to do.  Christian history is full of examples of charging ahead: the crusades; the inquisition; witch-hunting, slavery, the suppression of women, oppression of homosexual and transgendered persons, economic injustice, systems that perpetuate poverty.  These are all examples of societal ills that result from forging ahead and not taking the time to listen to what Jesus taught.

Jesus cared for Martha who did all the work of preparing and serving him as her guest.  He also cared for Mary who sat at his feet and listened.  Where do we need to direct our energy?  Do we need to “don’t just sit there, do something?”  Or, do we need to “don’t just do something, sit there and listen?”  Amen.