When I hear this story I am generally feeling pretty defensive of Martha but two other things we read today made me think again. First was a telling of the 40 years in the wilderness and the statement that it was necessary because the people did not put the Word of God first. Second was a commentary that suggested that Mary had been participating in preparation (how could anyone know, though) and just stopped when Jesus arrived, and that there has to be both for us all - for hearing the Word without then being moved to action is not what Jesus wants, either.
So I guess the message I take away is to live in awareness of the moment and what it calls us to do.
My first thoughts when reading this passage were concerned with the many lessons that are learned when you have siblings. As an only child, the give and take of a sister would have been so valuable. I am most similar to Mary, I think. Work is not my strong point. It's important to note, though, that I need to be reminded that the "main course" is there, always.
I'm writing a day late on this one, but the new thought I got in this lesson was that at the very beginning, Martha welcomed Jesus and made him feel quite at home. What a wonderful thing to do: welcome Jesus into our homes and make him feel welcome. For me that's the big lesson today. Each sister thought she was doing the right thing, the thing that fit her personality. Some are listeners, some are dkithen workers, some are teachers, some are ... back to Romans 12. Of course Jesus tells us that he is the "main course"
When I hear this story I am generally feeling pretty defensive of Martha but two other things we read today made me think again. First was a telling of the 40 years in the wilderness and the statement that it was necessary because the people did not put the Word of God first. Second was a commentary that suggested that Mary had been participating in preparation (how could anyone know, though) and just stopped when Jesus arrived, and that there has to be both for us all - for hearing the Word without then being moved to action is not what Jesus wants, either.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess the message I take away is to live in awareness of the moment and what it calls us to do.
My first thoughts when reading this passage were concerned with the many lessons that are learned when you have siblings. As an only child, the give and take of a sister would have been so valuable. I am most similar to Mary, I think. Work is not my strong point. It's important to note, though, that I need to be reminded that the "main course" is there, always.
ReplyDeleteI'm writing a day late on this one, but the new thought I got in this lesson was that at the very beginning, Martha welcomed Jesus and made him feel quite at home. What a wonderful thing to do: welcome Jesus into our homes and make him feel welcome. For me that's the big lesson today. Each sister thought she was doing the right thing, the thing that fit her personality. Some are listeners, some are dkithen workers, some are teachers, some are ... back to Romans 12. Of course Jesus tells us that he is the "main course"
ReplyDelete