A Right Heart
Pentecost 6, Proper 11
Fr. Tim Nunez
May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
This morning’s Gospel immediately brings to mind the hundreds of holidays, birthdays and other celebrations, even regular family meals, where my wife and/or my mother sacrificed hours of preparation to make sure that everyone was fed well and having a joyful time.
That makes this Gospel feel like dangerous ground, so we must stipulate up front that there is nothing in this Gospel that dishonors that very loving gift of hospitality. It’s central to our bonds of family, friendships and the life of our church.
The keys to understanding this passage begin with the context in which Luke recalls it. We are immediately after the summary of the Law, loving God and our neighbors as ourselves, followed immediately by the parable of the Good Samaritan which describes loving our neighbor, and clarifying who our neighbor is. This brief story reminds us of how to love the Lord.
Jesus has come to the home of Martha, whose sister Mary is also there. The same sisters in John, chapter 11, when Jesus raises their brother Lazarus from the dead. Recall also that Jesus staying at her home implies that “his spirit rested there,” just as he instructed the 70 when he sent them out to preach the Good News.
Nevertheless, Martha is “distracted.” Other translations say she is preoccupied, or frantic, with her many tasks. It’s one thing to be busy. It’s another to be distracted, preoccupied or frantic. That sounds like trouble and reminds us of another pair of siblings, Cain and Abel (page 3 in your pew Bibles.)
(Reminder: There are 5 major stories in Genesis before Abraham. The Creation, Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, the Tower of Babel and Noah. These stories are remembered because they are foundational to who we are as people.)
4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten] a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:1-7)
What is wrong with Cain’s offering? It’s subtle, but it is “an offering” of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on the other hand, brings “the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.”
Cain did not bring the first fruits or the best fruits of his labor. He did not love the Lord nearly well enough. He did not put the Lord first. He just did what he was supposed to do. Then he grew resentful when God did not “regard” his offering. The Lord explains to him that if he “will do well,” if he will have the right heart for the Lord and show it in his offering, then he will be accepted. If he doesn’t, the Lord cautions him that, “sin is crouching at your door.”
Indeed, it was. Cain’s resentment leads him to murder his brother. Instead of bringing first fruits from the ground, Abel’s “blood cries from the ground.” That’s terrible. The state of our heart truly matters.
Turning back to Martha and Mary, consider why Martha is so distracted. Jesus has arrived at her home. She is responding to social conventions for an important visitor, so much so that she’s distracted from him.
Meg and I had a long discussion about this because she, like many of you, very much identifies with Martha’s busy-ness. She has made sure our Thanksgivings, Christmases, Easters, birthdays and everything else have been filled with great food and great decorations – all of it expressing her profound love of our family and friends.
But Meg isn’t a Martha, she’s a Mary. Literally. Her actual name is Mary Margaret. And hosting family and friends is not the same as hosting Jesus. She said, and I quote with her permission, “I think the issue is making this work for us today. But if Jesus came into my house, I hope I’d know it and I wouldn’t leave him for anything in the world. I wouldn’t want to miss anything. Every person I know needs some taking care of. Jesus doesn’t. He came to care for me.”
We see that care in Jesus’s response to Martha. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” That’s not a rebuke. It is a loving call to her heart, just as the Lord called to Cain’s heart. As Meg put it, “He’s providing her rest, teaching and love.”
We could easily flip the story. What if Martha were doing all her tasks with joy and Mary was sitting at Jesus’s feet just to get out of helping her? I think Jesus would accept Martha’s offering and correct Mary. “Mary, Mary, you appear to be listening but it’s just an act. Your sister is showing true love, be true as well.” It’s all about the heart behind what we do.
Our challenge, then, is to take an honest inventory. What distracts you from Jesus? What preoccupies your mind from Jesus? Do you have anything going on in your life right now that is making you frantic? Stop. He is with you. He loves you. He cares for you. Be with him.
Listen to him. “There is need of only one thing.” Choose “the better part.”
Amen!