Comparisons - 3 December 2009

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"  "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed, Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."    

Luke 10:38-42 [NIV]

Sometimes when reading the Gospels it is worth looking to see what other events are recorded along with the one you are reading.  The Gospels were written, not like a novel or a newspaper account of chronological events but in a way that proves a point, like a lawyer presents a case with evidence set out.

This story comes at the end of a chapter which begins with Jesus send out seventy two disciples to preach and heal the sick, continues with his telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan and then goes on to tell this story of Martha and Mary.

It just shows that humanity hasn’t changed at all in two thousand years; we still believe somehow that serving is not as good as being served and that receiving is somehow better than giving.  We are also very fearful of somehow coming off worse than someone else.  Ask a teenager to help with the washing up, they will immediately remind you that they already did it recently and that it is someone else’s turn.

Martha in this passage had somehow forgotten the value of service.

In this passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul tells the elders of Ephesus of a saying of Jesus which is not recorded in the Gospels:

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35 [NIV]