July 21, 2013
“The Better Part of Faith”
Rev. Mark R. Miller
Luke 10:38-42
Despite news to the contrary this parable is not for women alone. I find it really strange that when we read biblical stories about men, they become universal statements about all humanity. They become lessons for all people. But, when it comes to the stories about women - Sarah, Rebecca, Ruth, Esther, The woman at the well, or the woman with the lost coin - the message becomes only for or about women.
The story of Mary and Martha is a prime example of this tendency. How many men have been asked: Are you more of a Mary or a Martha? The truth is that we have to resist the impulse to interpret scripture this way. Why can’t the stories about women be universal? When we do this, and I believe we must, then the story of Mary and Martha is teaching us about mindfulness instead of how to classify women. In other words, we must stop asking women; “Are you a Mary or a Martha?” The issue at the heart of this encounter in Martha’s home is mindfulness. And the best way to see this is for us to go back to the text.
Martha welcomes Jesus into her home. It begins with hospitality. Most of Jesus’ ministry occurs in people’s homes and with sharing food. This sort of gathering would have been familiar Jesus. And so, Martha provides space for learning, breaking of bread, and fellowship. But soon, her focus moves from offering hospitality to animosity. Martha is angry because she is doing all the work by herself. Despite being the one who extends hospitality, she is not happy with how it turns out. We all know what happens next. Martha gets angry and asks Jesus to intervene. Instead of involving himself in the family struggle, Jesus names what is really going on. Martha has become distracted by her anger. As a result, Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part. I wish this provided real insight, but Jesus always seem to raise more questions than he answers. Or actually, Jesus invites us into the questions instead of simply providing easy answers. And the two that I think give us the best way forward are: When Jesus says the “better part of faith” what does he mean? Is the point of this story to show that action is not as important as reflection?
So what is the “better part of faith?” What we know about Martha is that she is distracted, and possibly angry. She is working while her sister is not. We have all been in that situation before. And it does not seem fair. Instead of offering hospitality, Mary has taken a position as a disciple, listening and learning. She has taken on a role traditionally reserved for men. She is breaking with tradition and Jesus is not doing anything about it. A more common interpretation of this passage usually goes something like this: the women in the church need to stop worrying about all those details and just relax. And then, you can hear that question coming: “Women, are you more like Mary or Martha?” The problem is that when Jesus is with men who feel entitled to being served he tells them to serve like the women and to the women Jesus invites them to act like men. Jesus is always breaking down traditional gender roles if we only have eyes to see and ears to hear. The issue is about focus. Martha, like all of us, is unable to focus
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