The Story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10: 38-42) occurs as Jesus "sets his face to Jerusalem." He sends his seventy disciples out two by two to with no provisions and instructs them to waste no time; to travel lightly, and to depend on the hospitality of anyone who welcomes them on their journey. There is a sense of urgency in his words and his tone. Yet, he does take time on his journey to visit with Mary and Martha.
As if this paradox is not enough, during his visit we are surprised by as Jesus’ admonishing Martha and sides with Mary for not helping in the kitchen. Our initial instinct tell us that Jesus should not take sides as he affirms Mary’s choice to join with the disciples.. After all what is Mary doing in the living room with men? Shouldn’t she be in the kitchen in keeping with her gender’s “pre-ordained” role? A few weeks ago Jesus took Simon to task for being less than attentive to the needs of his “honored” guest (Luke 7:36). His affirmation of Mary and his criticism of Simon seems inconsistent.
So, how can we explain his behavior? We certainly can relate to Martha wanting the meal to go well, especially since we can assume that both sisters were well aware of Jesus’ notoriety as an important religious teacher and they were honored to be able to host him…why else would they risk breaking the law by having a man in the house without the presence of a male relative? After all, isn’t Martha doing what is expected of her as a good hostess?
Last week Jesus took the lawyer’s bait and did not equivocate regarding the question, “who is my neighbor,” and now in this reading, he is likewise resolute…the kingdom of God is our first priority and no earthly tasks should get in the way.
Like the lawyer and Martha, we sometimes need to have our expectations challenged in order to hear…really hear… what Jesus is try to tell us.
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