Reflection by The Rev'd Dr Deborah Broome

Now as they went on their way, [Jesus] entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” But the Lord answered 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 away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

I remember it as if it was yesterday: a group looking at this Gospel reading, Jesus visiting Martha and Mary. It was one of the most gendered discussions I’ve encountered: all of the men went “Mary has chosen the better part” while all of the women were coming out with variations on “whoa, why didn’t they send out for pizza,” or “Jesus would have helped with the dishes.” All of the women, in other words, sided with Martha. And in a reading of the story that puts the sisters in opposition with one another, I’m very much in team Martha. After all, someone had to get the meal ready.

But let’s avoid the binary route: any reading of this story that relies on pitting the sisters against each other is a mistake. Because it’s led for centuries to women having to justify how they live out their faith as following either Mary or Martha. The stereotypical distinction is between cloistered nuns on the one hand, or wives and mothers running households on the other. It’s set up active and contemplative discipleship in opposition to one another. Which is nuts – as if there’s only two ways for women (or anyone else for that matter) to follow Jesus. Any reading of Scripture that relies on stereotyping people or on setting two women in opposition to one another (Martha and Mary of Bethany, or for that matter Eve and Mary of Nazareth) isn’t helpful.

Martha, as the host, has welcomed Jesus into her home. And Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him as he teaches. That’s a surprise, as back when Luke’s Gospel was being written, women didn’t study Torah alongside men. What Mary’s doing is counter-cultural, and it’s lovely how Jesus commends her. On the other hand, Martha is offering hospitality – and her practical attention reminds us of last Sunday’s parable and the hands-on caring of the Samaritan.

So here’s a better way to read this: Martha and Mary are both involved in ministry, and they have different ways to serve. Later in Luke’s sequel the Book of Acts we see a distinction between the social service ministry of the deacons alongside the teaching role of the elders – some scholars have seen a foreshadowing of that in this story. Certainly what Martha is doing is described as diakonia (service, the word from which we get “deacon”). The problem isn’t with what Martha’s doing – her actions are right and good, and much needed – but with what’s happening inside her. She’s distracted by everything she feels is on her plate, and her worry and agitation is making her resent her sister. Being focused on what someone else is doing is

stopping her from being truly present with Jesus, stopping her from being hospitable with her heart as well as with her cooking.

Maybe the “only one thing” that Martha needed, and that we all need, is simply Jesus. Maybe we need to learn to stop, to listen to him, to focus on him – instead of worrying about what

other people are doing or not doing. What do you think?