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When I was in 8th grade I had a memorable English teacher – Mr. MacCullough. That year we studied Shakespeare – and he insisted we read the plays, aloud in class. And while 13 year olds aren’t keen on reading lines from Romeo & Juliet aloud… it was some smart pedagogy in my opinion – it’s not the same trying to read a play in your head.
So it came time for Julius Caesar – which was a revelation for me. You’ll recall….Caesar isn’t really the main character – it’s Brutus. Brutus is Caesar’s friend, good friend, and colleague. And Brutus struggles in the play to reconcile his beliefs about Caesar as Emperor and the fact that they are friends. For Brutus fears what Caesar will do as leader – so he decides he has no choice but to join with the group planning Caesar’s assassination. Which inevitably comes to pass – each member of the group taking a turn stabbing Caesar – Brutus being the final one provoking Caesar with his dying breath to utter the infamous line – you too Brutus?
Brutus rocked my conceptual world at age 13. Up until that point – everyone – certainly storybook characters – were classified as either good guy – or bad guy, right or wrong. So I remember raising my hand for our post-play discussion. I was confused, frustrated, a little angry – and asking MacCullough about Brutus – how could Brutus, who seemed like a good guy, with honorable intentions, trying to do the right thing - who defended this horrifying act in a way that made sense to me, but in point of fact he betrayed a friend – gone so far as to end his life - yet believed he was saving a country. I couldn’t understand what category Brutus fit into – was he good? Or was he bad?
Oh I remember MacCullough smiling (Cheshire Cat), “That’s the genius and beauty of Shakespeare!” he said. Shakespeare portrayed life, people as it really is – the good and the bad – always wrestling inside. It’s not black and white – it is so very gray. Context – circumstances – emotions – leading us to our actions and choices – that can’t always easily be put into categories – because people are far too complicated for that.
That black and white, easy categorization is always a temptation when reading (or remembering) stories from the bible – and we have a great example of that today in this brief exchange between Martha, Jesus and Mary. Martha is the “Martha, Martha, Martha!” (Brady Brunch) – the anxiety-filled, busy bee who can’t be bothered being with Jesus because she’s too concerned doing for Jesus. And this lack of understanding makes Martha “bad” – especially if we hear Jesus comparing her with Mary – who filled with the love of God – adoringly sits at the feet of Christ while he speaks pearls of wisdom. We can hear Jesus sounding like he is criticizing Martha’s passive-aggressive question, “don’t you think she should help me” with a “tsk-tsk, Martha – unlike you, Mary is doing the better part.”
But is that what is happening? Is Jesus really saying Mary is better than Martha? My 8th grade self would want to – want to put each of them in a box, to tell me what I’m supposed to do. Scripture though, I think, is even richer than Shakespeare. And as we just heard Paul say – wisdom is from maturing in Christ – so what is the wisdom in this story?
First of all, this moment isn’t out of the blue – there is context. This home visit concludes a significant travel narrative – ch. 10 – built around the verse – love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul – and love your neighbor as yourself. That’s the central teaching of the section. A section that opens with Jesus encouraging plenty of doing. He sends the 70 disciples out to share the good news of God – and they go – then he has that memorable exchange with the lawyer that prompts the memorable Good Samaritan story – which is a story all about doing for others. So obviously Jesus doesn’t think doing for others is wrong. We know, Jesus teaches, we grow in loving God, when we love neighbors. And that love that is more than just a feeling – it is enacted in – taking risks, caring for, crossing streets and being God’s hands and feet in the world.
But, loving action grows out of something.
I think there are two reasons this story comes at the end of the section. Martha is doing exactly what would be expected of her. As a woman of her time – she is tending to the host duties in the appropriate way. And it is natural she’d expect Mary to live into her role of what a woman “should” be doing in that context. Jesus invites her to see herself as more than the role she has been assigned. Mary is doing something radical – she is acting as a disciple. She is sitting at the feet of the teacher.
Her love of God is what gives her permission to consider herself worthy enough to simply be in Christ’s presence. I hear Jesus saying – Martha, Martha – not as a putdown – but as an invitation – Martha, you too are worthy to sit here and listen. Martha, Martha – stop proving yourself. God loves you more for who you are than for what you do.
Do we believe we are worthy of taking the time to simply be and listen for God? Do we think of a million reasons why we don’t have the time for that? Or that’s not what we should be doing? Busyness tends to be in the productive category, hence the “good” category.” We hear Jesus this morning say – let go of the “shoulds”, let go of the busyness – be still and know that I am God.
Secondly, if this chapter is built around the commandment – love your neighbor as you love yourself – loving your self has to include taking time for the one relationship that only you have – yourself and God. And that is definitely the harder part – because to sit and listen to God is to be with yourself. With all that stuff – that you and I are wrestling with all the time. There are a million ways we can distract and avoiding dealing with what’s going on “in here” – some of those distractions include putting all our attention on “doing” for others. The chapter starts with disciples going out to neighbors to share God’s love. And it concludes with a disciple replenishing that well – being with God to listen for the Word that her heart needs to hear.
So – how about you? Are you worthy of simply being with God (and I don’t mean church – way too much taking and busyness here). There are a myriad of ways we can make time to listen for that Word which is so very near to us – on our lips and in our heart for us to observe. Are we avoiding being with God because of all there for us to wrestle with? Can we let go of what we “should” be doing with our time – and make time for the most important relationship in our lives?
All of us are worried and distracted by many things – God knows that. But the word which is very near us – reminds us that loving our self is as important as loving neighbor. God knows we too need to hear that we are worthy – that we are loved – by the one who is love – be still and know God – who knows all that you wrestle with – and longs to tell us what we need to hear. Amen.
The Rev. Arianne R. Weeks
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