Word and Sacrament

Luke 10:38-41

Pentecost 6, July 20, 2025

Holy Trinity Cathedral

“Word and Sacrament”

What are we to do with Martha and Mary? The story of Jesus’ encounter with the sisters from the Luke chapter 10 often gets a less than satisfactory treatment. Their actions are contrasted with each other to model which is the better of the two.  We are then asked to choose between them in our own lives of discipleship.  The “Marthas” of the world are looked upon with fond pity as they labour away resentfully for others.  The quiet, attentive Maries are held up as examples of good women who are submissive to the Lord’s will.  Neither is quite right.  Although the two responses to Jesus’ presence are often pitted against each other, this is not an either/or scenario for followers of Jesus.  We need some of Martha and some of Mary in order to serve the Lord well.   Above all, we are asked to choose the better part in how we respond to God.

Jesus is in the business of making disciples. He invites people to follow him to learn about how to love God and neighbour.  From his circle, he has appointed first twelve individuals to be his closest disciples, and then a larger group of seventy to begin sharing the good news of the kingdom in every town and place.  When the disciples return from their missionary tours, they bring him back stories of success.  They also bring him back more questions.  So Jesus continues his teaching and travelling with an entourage.  And as anyone who has ever been travelling knows, sooner or later you have to stop for the night, find a place to sleep, and feed everyone.  Both men and women accompanied Jesus, and some of them had to be the sort who could make arrangements and rustle up provisions.  It comes about that Jesus and his friends land on the doorstep of a woman named Martha. And Martha welcomes them in.

The very fact that Martha opens her door to them points to her being a follower of Jesus.  In this story there is no mention of a brother, but her sister Mary is present in Martha’s home.  Maybe she lived there too, maybe she lived down the road.  The point is that Martha is the hostess, and she throws herself into the role.  She sees her service to Jesus as taking care of his needs as a guest.  This duty of hospitality runs very deep in her faith.  The word she uses to describe her work is “diakonia”. It’s where we get the word deacon, one who serves.  Martha is trying to be that as a disciple.

Mary is also trying to be a disciple, but she goes about it slightly differently.  Instead of readying the table with her sister, she sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to what he is saying as he teaches in Martha’s home.  Her posture is that of a pupil attending to a master.  She is not an icon of the contemplative life, nor is she the poster girl for women in theological education.  She is simply giving all in the moment to the opportunity to hear the Word of God.  Jesus accepts her attention and honours her place in the circle.  There is a “diakonia” or serving taking place here too as she waits on the Lord.

Both ways of service are important.  So, what goes wrong here?  Discord happens when we see only one or the other as the right thing, like Martha does.  “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work- (the ‘diakonia’)- by myself?” she exclaims.  In trying to get all the tasks that she knows are important done, she fails to see that what Mary offers Jesus is also valuable.  Instead, her resentment comes to the surface.  Her busyness has already pulled her away from her guest; now she wants Jesus to send Mary away to the kitchen too.  Notice that Martha doesn’t approach Mary directly.  Instead, she creates a triangle by requesting Jesus to be judge: “Tell her then to help me.”

Our Lord doesn’t get stuck in the conflict.  He turns the focus back to Martha and addresses her anxieties.  He is not, however, patting her on the head and saying “there, there” in a paternalistic manner.  What he says is, “you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.”  Now some commentators get hung up on what Jesus means by “thing”.  Is he criticizing Martha for planning too elaborate a menu to entertain when all he really needed was a bowl of soup?  ‘Thing’ probably doesn’t refer to a dish of food here.  If the reference is to all the duties of a hostess, perhaps he is reminding her of what the thing behind the things is.  We serve out of love.  And whether that expression of love is through something that is physical, like a meal, or something that is relational, like one’s attention, the focus ought to be on the other person. Love endeavours not to serve resentfully.

Now what if the characters were reversed?  If Martha had been happily puttering away in the kitchen, and Mary had piped up, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is running around banging pots while I am trying to listen to you?  Tell her to shut up and sit down!”  My bet is that Jesus would have addressed Mary with the same loving corrective.  “Mary, you are worried and distracted by other things.  Martha has chosen the better part in her service.” 

We don’t hear what happens next that evening.  I like to imagine that Martha pulls off her apron and sits down to hear Jesus teaching.  Then Mary and Martha get up together and call the other (male) disciples to please set the table and bring in the bread and wine.  And as they gather around their Lord to bless the loaf and the cup, word and sacrament are brought together.  They are strengthened in the fellowship of the disciples to do the work of the gospel.  The better part is chosen by all present.

The scriptures gives us this encounter with Jesus, Mary, and Martha as a teachable moment for all who would be disciples.  Service, or diakonia- from which we get the word deacon- is both word and sacrament.  We are called to listen to God’s voice and show that in loving service.  One can’t happen without the other.  If we are to avoid being useless academics or depressed humanists, we have to resist choosing Mary over Martha, or Mary over Martha.  The deeper service is to welcome Jesus Christ in our midst.  In this service we listen for the Word of God and we receive the gifts of His presence at the table.  As we go out from this gathering, we ask the blessing of God in our daily life and work.  May we show the best of both Mary and Martha, for then the better part will not be taken away.  Amen.