The Struggle; The Balance
Sixty Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 15 and Luke 10:38-42
July 20, 2025
We have another story today that we are all familiar with when Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary.
We have all met those people, and I’m afraid I have often been a Martha also.
I don’t know that we can fault Martha as she seems to be picked up right out of the South with all her gifts of hospitality. After all, most of us are taught to be hospitable.
Jesus comes into the house where Marta welcomes him, and Mary makes the choice to listen to this charismatic, well-spoken man that she has heard so much about. She sits at his feet fully focused on what he has to say. Mary has chosen to stop and listen to the Word of God as spoken by Jesus.
Perhaps Mary, like the Psalmist is interested in hearing what she has to do to abide in her Lord’s tent and dwell among the Holy hill prepared for her.
Martha, on the other hand, busily prepares. I can see her racing around in the kitchen to get things in order so that everything is perfect for this special guest.
Her mind was focused on what to cook, how much to cook, the main course, the sides. Will there be enough? Does she have everything she needs to prepare this special meal?
Martha makes the choice to be worried and distracted while Mary makes the choice to stop and listen to what Jesus is saying.
I can remember inviting people over for dinner, and I would be busy in the kitchen getting everything prepared while I could hear laughter and interesting conversations going on in the living room.
One starts to feel left out, like they are missing the fun, the stories being told, however, the meal must be prepared.
I finally learned to prepare in advance and have most of the work done when guests started to arrive. We don’t know how much of a head’s up Martha had in preparing for Jesus’ arrival, although we do know she was the one who invited him.
We also know that Martha has reached the end of her patience for Mary’s lack of attention in helping her get everything prepared.
You have to think there is a bit of sister rivalry going on here as well.
When Martha, whose blood pressure must be rising to the boiling point, asks Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.”
I’ve often wondered, had Martha already asked Mary for help and was ignored or did Martha speak directly to Jesus from the start?
Also, did Martha ask this question aloud in the room among everyone so as to draw attention to herself and all she was doing while Mary sat unbothered by Martha’s distractions. Did Martha whisper the question in Jesus’ ear as not to make a scene? In either case, Jesus obviously is exasperated with her.
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed. Indeed, ONLY ONE. Mary has chosen the better part which will not be taken from her.”
This is probably not the answer Martha was expecting. She was probably taken aback by this statement from Jesus who has after all become famous for his fairness. Martha imagined him to be on the side of the oppressed and the ones treated unfairly, so why is he taking up for Mary?! Doesn’t he see all the work Martha is doing to get things prepared?
For any of us that have found ourselves in a situation where we are not getting the help with tasks we think we should have, the feeling of unfairness can come upon us rapidly.
Why aren’t the others taking this task seriously? Why don’t the others see the urgency of this matter? Why are they not on the same page with what must get done? Where is my help?!
There is a definite struggle verses a balance in the situation where someone must be in charge to meet the tasks at hand, and who or what group of people are called upon to get the tasks done.
This makes it hard for us to understand why Jesus didn’t say, “Martha, you are correct, Mary go help Martha, and then we can pick up on the stories where Martha can be included also.” Right? I mean this seems like it would have been a helpful solution.
Jesus, though, has another lesson to be taught here, and that is sometimes we just need to slow down and appreciate life. We hear it all the time. Slow down! Rest! Take a break and recharge. You need a vacation, and on and on it goes.
This creates the struggle that we face in finding the balance we need to be able to get tasks completed and not missing what God has set before us to see, listen and/or learn in the moment.
We forget that God is in every moment of our lives, and sometimes we must know when to set the tasks, the worries and distractions aside long enough to grasp the one thing that is needed, and that is God. God brings balance to our chaotic lives.
Is it more important that we have three kinds of wine to drink and five loaves of bread or is it more important to sit at Jesus feet? Is it more important to be worried that there will be enough or sit at Jesus feet? Is it more important that I be the one in charge of getting things done, or sit at Jesus feet?
Do we really think that Jesus would have let the crowd go hungry that was with him if Martha, too had sat down at his feet? Would it be possible that if she had sat down at his feet when Mary did that after hearing what he had to say, everyone would have pitched in to help Martha get everything prepared?
Perhaps, we become worried and distracted because it is important for us to get the accolades of all that we are doing when Jesus just wants us to stop and listen for his voice.
When we have potlucks, there are those from our congregation who find themselves rushing around in the kitchen getting all the tasks done so that we can enjoy a nice meal after worship. I wonder what it would look like if everyone came to church to listen to the worship service, and then everyone pitched in to get everything on the table. I wonder what would that look like? Chaos? Or Christians working together to get tasks done after sitting at the feet of Jesus. We will have to try that sometime.
The important take away from this story is that when we get burdened down with worries and tasks in our lives, we just need to pause and sit at Jesus feet. It doesn’t say how long we must sit. The important thing is that we sit long enough to clear our minds of all the demands that life puts upon us, or perhaps the demands we put upon ourselves, and as we take time to sit at Jesus feet, we find balance and peace. It is the only choice we need to make because few things are needed; indeed only one..
(Silent Reflection)
Jane Shelton, CRE
May the God of love,
The peace of Jesus,
And the Holy Spirit,
Remain with you always.