St. Paul Lutheran Church, Minden, Nebraska
Sunday Sermon – Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 18, 2010
“Not Either/Or, But Both/And!”
Text: Luke 10:40,41

Most of us are pretty familiar with this Martha/Mary story. Two
sisters, Martha & Mary and their brother Lazarus had a home at
Bethany, a town not far from Jerusalem. On trips up to Jerusalem or
down from Jerusalem, Jesus often was a welcomed guest at their home.
Martha was a great host! Martha was a “doer”, a “go-getter”. Put this
story into our time frame today -- and in church on Sunday morning,
sitting in her church pew, knowing she had company coming for dinner,
with head bowed Martha would be the one to silently pray before
church started: “Dear God, I hope the sermon doesn’t last more than
15 minutes.” Or, “Please Lord, grant that I did turn the oven down.”
Martha didn’t let any grass grow under her feet. Martha also
didn’t let any dishes pile up in the kitchen. When Martha had stuff
to do in the kitchen, bread to bake, meat to watch, table to set,
food to put in dishes, drinks to pour, dishes to wash, she was hard
at it, and she did it! But as the story goes she didn’t think that
she should have to do it alone.
When the Lord Jesus arrived at Bethany with His disciples and with
his face set firmly toward Jerusalem, that means Jesus was on this
final trip to Jerusalem, a trip that would result in Jesus letting
himself be arrested, put on trial, crucified, dead & buried. With all
of that soon to come for Jesus, Martha gladly welcomed Him into her
home and was busy in the kitchen, distracted with much serving while
her sister, Mary, chose to sit in their living room at Jesus’ feet
listening his teaching.
But that was too much for Martha. Visibly upset with Mary for
not helping her in the kitchen, Martha came into the living room,
excused herself for interrupting Jesus, and politely yet earnestly
complained: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to
serve you alone? Tell her then to help me.”
We know what Jesus’ response was. Eugene Peterson in his
contemporary language paraphrase THE MESSAGE puts Jesus’ response
this way:
“Martha, dear Martha, you are fussing far too much and getting
yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and
Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from
her.”
One thing only is essential! One thing is needful! What is
the “one thing needful” that Jesus called “the good portion” that
wouldn’t be taken from Mary?
Was Martha right to be angry with Mary for sitting out in the
living room while she worked hard in the kitchen?
Was Mary right to sit attentively at Jesus feet staying out of

the kitchen and away from all that Martha had going on out there?
What if Jesus had said, “You’re absolutely right, Martha. What
was I thinking? Why don’t we all come into the kitchen and help
with what’s cooking, what needs to be put into dishes and set on the
table, and we can talk while we work?”
As agreeable and workable a solution as that might have been, such
a working & talking & everybody helping in the kitchen would have
missed the point of what’s really going on here. This Martha-Mary
story is not a story about who was right, who was wrong. It’s not
a story about what’s more important, working in the kitchen & doing
what needs to be done or sitting in the living room listening to the
Word of the Lord. In Luke’s Gospel, the way Luke tells his version
of the Good News of Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord, this Martha/Mary
story is a story that goes hand-in-hand with the parable of the Good
Samaritan that comes right before it.
In other words, this is one more good example of how important
context is for seeing, interpreting, and applying the meaning of a
verse or story from the Bible. Keep in mind the context.
Earlier in Luke 10, Luke writes that a lawyer posed a question to
Jesus about eternal life. The lawyer asked, “Teacher, what shall I do
to inherit eternal life?”
When Jesus challenged the lawyer to recall the law, the lawyer
answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all you strength, and with all your
mind; and your neighbor as yourself.
What comes next is the parable of the Good Samaritan which Jesus
told the lawyer to illustrate not who was one’s neighbor but how one
was to be neighbor to others, how one was to love one’s neighbor as
oneself no matter who he/she was. A Samaritan going all out to help
a wounded Jew was a radical example of being a good neighbor to love
someone as yourself no matter who he/she was.
Then comes this Martha-Mary story which serves as an illustration
of how one loves God with all your heart & soul, mind & strength.
For the readers of Luke’s Gospel, Luke is writing to define true
Christian discipleship, and these two stories taken together show
how to love God with heart & soul, mind & strength, and to love
one’s neighbor as oneself are one love. The Samaritan, a foreigner,
an outsider, goes out of his way, goes beyond himself to love his
neighbor who is a Jew.
And Mary a woman puts everything else aside;
tunes out what’s going on around her; doesn’t worry what the living
room looks like, choosing to sit quietly at the feet of Jesus which
is showing love for God to the point that all other important &
necessary things can wait including what’s going on in the kitchen.
This is not to say Mary is right and Martha is wrong.
This is not to say we should be more like Mary & less like Martha.
This is not to say sitting and listening is more important the

going and doing.
What this Martha/Mary story says is that as important as it is
that we take time, set aside time to picture the good Samaritan being
a compassionate, Christ-like person, going & doing, so also it is
important that we take time, set aside time to picture Jesus as being
compassionate toward us, having time for us, time to save us, giving
of Himself to suffer & die for us that we might be reconciled to
God; that we might be at peace with God, empowered & able to live
our lives as good neighbors to others around us near & far because
we also set aside time to recognize & receive Jesus as the “guest
of honor” Who comes to visit us & abide with us – who deserves our
utmost, fullest attention.
For one to inherit eternal life, Jesus is saying, love for God,
love for God’s Word, fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all
things, AND love for one’s neighbor, obeying & doing what pleases God
- both sitting & listening and cooking & cleaning, both are vital,
vibrant expressions of love in the Kingdom of God when the Lord Jesus
Christ is at the heart of self-giving love.
I appeal to you therefore, writes Paul in Romans 12, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
And Paul goes on to explain what is “our spiritual worship.” It’s
not only sitting & listening, worshipping & praising God, it’s going
& doing, not being lazy, showing hospitality.
Let love be genuine, Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is
good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another
in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be
constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek
to show hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)
Following Jesus; loving God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and loving your
neighbor as yourself is no easy assignment, no easy task.
Sometimes it takes energy, resourcefulness, and lots of bold, hard
work, work in the kitchen, work at church, work helping with 4-H at
a County Fair, work helping with a Special Olympics in Lincoln, Ne.
And sometimes to do what we have opportunity to do for others as
Christians means taking a break. If you haven’t read the Portals of
Prayer devotion for this Sunday morning titled “Rest Stop” and by all
means, take a little time, sit down, sit still, sit quietly and catch
your breath, breathe deeply, look out the window, remember who you
are and where you are going as God’s child.
“It’s hard to stop. We want to get where we’re going, and we
don’t want to waste time holding still. But stop, rest, Jesus says
to Martha. Give me this time. Let Me take care of you. Come to me and
I will give you rest.

“What you’re doing in the kitchen, Martha, smells good, Jesus
said. I know it will taste good too, and thank you for working so
hard & doing so much. But enjoying me & my presence is the best
thing , the one thing important & needful for all of us.”
That day Jesus stopped at the home of Martha & Mary, Jesus did
not commend Mary and condemn Martha. He did not talk to one sister
and ignore the other. Jesus loved and blessed both by his presence
with them. Reaching out to both sisters, Jesus blessed them as His
disciples. And may you and I be assured, sitting & listening, going
& doing, we too are blessed by our merciful ever-present Lord. Amen