As Jesus and the disciples continue on their
pilgrimage, they move from village to village – presumably along the path
previously scouted by the 72. Thanks to those early efforts, Jesus has a place
to stay here: the house of Martha.
Jesus uses this rare moment of relative privacy
to teach the disciples, many of whom are “sitting at His feet” (a
euphemism for being a disciple), including a recent addition to the group – a
woman (Mary, to be exact). Her participation in the group has raised an
objection from a most unexpected quarter: their hostess, who happens to be Mary's sister.
Now, in Martha’s defense, volunteering her home
to serve as ground zero for this stage of the campaign was a remarkably
generous thing to do. It’s clear, however, that she has bitten off more than
she can chew. Thanks to that, her reputation as a hostess is in serious
jeopardy (family honor is at stake), but she can’t seem to convince anyone to
share her point of view.
Martha feels that because Mary is present, she ought to be in the kitchen. Mary ought to be helping around the house.
Mary ought to be doing the myriad things
that need doing in order to make Jesus’ stay comfortable and admirable in the
eyes of others. But Mary left home a while back (perhaps she sought out Jesus when
the two disciple-scouts visited her village), and she’s only here now as a
member of the larger group. Mary’s just passing through on her way to Jerusalem
along with Jesus and the rest of disciples (scandal!).
Martha appeals directly to Jesus. After all,
everything she is doing is for Him, isn’t it? Shouldn’t her sister be helping
her serve Him? Doesn’t He care that Martha is inconvenienced?
Jesus, however, isn’t buying any of it. He sees
her busy-ness, her desire to impress, to exceed expectations (and gather
praise). He sees that Martha’s insistence on Mary’s assistance is strictly in
her own best interest. In short, Mary’s help will go a long way to making sure that
the little things get taken care of and everything goes smoothly. This, in
turn, will help make Martha look good in the eyes of her guests – and her
community – and allow her the freedom to come out of the kitchen where she can
receive their praise and applause.
“Wow, Martha,” says Jesus. “You’ve certainly got
a lot going on – cake in the oven, lamb on the grill. Is that mint jelly I
smell? There's sweet new wine, and these olives are truly top-notch. You’ve gone to a lot of
trouble to get all these details just right. It pains me to tell you, however,
that none of this is necessary. We just need a quick bite for lunch and we’re
on our way. As for Mary, she has chosen to serve Me by following Me – not feeding Me – and I
will not deprive her of that joy.”
Somewhere in the room a Pharisee is hissing. “Teaching
a woman is a scandal!” he snaps. In fact, according to the Talmud, Anyone
who teaches his daughter Torah teaches her tiflut – a difficult word to
translate (and not a very nice thing to say).
Radical, God-is-for-all Jesus gives the Pharisee
the best possible response by teaching His disciples – including Mary – how to
pray.
Prayer is central to the campaign. Over the
past months, the disciples have faithfully trooped after Jesus from town to
town. They’ve seen a lot of amazing things during this time – exorcisms,
healings, resurrections, etc. And yet for all that, the campaign remains humble
and anchored to reality thanks to one thing: Jesus’ prayer life.
In situation after situation, Jesus has
consistently prepared Himself by praying – most frequently overnight, as Jesus
seems to consider prayer just as important as sleep. Jesus
will often fast from food, sleep and fellowship. He will not,
however, go without prayer.
“Teach us the trick!” the disciples demand (like
a flock of stubborn kids at a magic-themed birthday party). “We want to show our friends and family
what we’ve been learning all this time.”
“It’s not a trick,” says Jesus. “It’s an
attitude of the heart. If your heart is right, the words don’t matter. Follow
the forms, honor and respect the intent, and God will take care of the rest.”
Years later, Paul will tell the church in Rome something very
similar. “The words don’t matter,” Paul will say, “because the Spirit within us
cries out on our behalf.”
“Acknowledge
the Father. He is above all and in all.
He is holy and sovereign. Rejoice that His will be
done – regardless of whether or not you understand it. Ask the Father for your
daily needs, for He is the source of all you have and hold.”
“Realize that God is your greatest need, and draw near to Him by forgiving
others. Release, let go and discard all the bitterness, disappointment, failed
expectations, insults, slights and hurts that you have cataloged against
others. Clear away these obstacles between you and your
neighbor – regardless of who is to blame – and you can ask God to show the same mercy to you.”
“Is that it?” the disciples ask. “Don’t you think
that’s a little basic?”
Jesus chuckles, “It’s all in the wrist. It just takes practice.”
Jesus chuckles, “It’s all in the wrist. It just takes practice.”
“Will you show us? Teach us?”
“Of course I will,” says Jesus. “And I know just
the place in Jerusalem to do it. There’s a little garden there I love to visit.
It’s called Gethsemane.”
