Every now and then a new word comes into the English language, which makes me wonder what took so long for it to be “invented.” Once such brilliant word is “hangry.” Do you know what it means to be “hangry”? It’s the anger you feel because you’re so hungry that you can’t think straight. Couples should never try to have an important discussion on an empty stomach. Nor should parents ever try to reason with their children when they’re hungry. Everyone is just going to end up “hangry” with each other.
Our sermon text today records an example of someone who was hangry—only her hanger (if that’s a word) didn’t stem from the lack of food. She was hangry because she was missing something even more important: God’s Word, which points us to the Bread of Life, Jesus. Who was this hangry person? It was Martha, a follower of Jesus who was just trying her best to be a good hostess. But this Martha was no Martha Stewart, polished and polite. While I was always feel strange assuming the role of a woman, allow me to deliver this sermon as a message from Martha, who says to you: “Don’t get hangry like I did. Keep devouring the one thing needful!”
As your pastor explained, I am Martha. I lived with my sister Mary and brother Lazarus in the little town of Bethany not too far away from Jerusalem. When I heard that Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem with his disciples, I invited him to stop in for a meal. By this time in his ministry Jesus was quite famous. Wherever he went, people flocked to hear Jesus speak and to have him heal their sick. It was an honor to have Jesus in my home so I wanted to go all out in my preparations for him.
I hope that’s the way you feel about Jesus—that he is deserving of your best. I mean he did so much for us! He opened the way to heaven by opening himself up to taunts and ridicule and finally to death because he took the blame for our sins. How can we ever treat him as if he’s a pet for whom our leftovers will do?
I’m sorry to get so worked up. In fact that was my problem on the day Jesus came to visit. I got so involved in my meal preparations for Jesus that I started to feel, what did your pastor call it, hangry! I was stressed and upset that my flat bread was getting singed, while my carefully prepared stew lacked its usual zing. And my dessert wasn’t even started. What I needed was a helper. Of course my sister Mary was in the house, but what was she doing? She was sitting at Jesus’ feet—just sitting there listening to Jesus as if she had nothing better do in the world.
And of course she had nothing better to do at that moment as there is nothing better to do in this world than listen to Jesus. I understand that now, but because I was hangry at the time I let my feelings be known. I said to Jesus, not my sister, but to Jesus: “Don’t you care that I’m running around getting everything ready for dinner and my sister Mary is doing nothing but sitting there? Tell her to help me!”
Ugh. It makes me embarrassed to have to repeat those words. But it’s important for you to understand what happens when you’re hangry: your relationship with others suffer. First of all I was angry and upset with Jesus and accused him of not caring about me. But the problem was all mine. Consider how Jesus had taken time out of his schedule to be with us. Of all the people he could have been spending that afternoon with, he chose to spend it with Mary and me. And what was I doing? I had locked myself in my kitchen thinking that it was more important to serve Jesus, than to be served by him. Jesus made that abundantly clear when he gently said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”
How could I have been so foolish to accuse Jesus of not caring about me? If I would have been sitting at his feet listening to him like Mary was, I would have been reminded of how much he cared for me. You see, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. He was going to suffer and die there. We, his followers, needed to be prepared for that. We needed to be reminded that Jesus hadn’t come to drive out the Romans and to make our earthly lives easy. I was in danger of missing out on a valuable lesson Jesus would teach about that to get us ready.
And there was another traumatic event in our future for which Jesus no doubt wanted to prepare us. You remember that I said I had a brother, Lazarus? His name should be familiar to you because he’s the one Jesus raised from the dead. But that hadn’t happened yet. Lazarus was just fine when Jesus came to visit, but it wasn’t long afterwards that he became sick. We sent word to Jesus, but he didn’t come until after Lazarus died. If I would not have bothered to listen to Jesus at all that day when he stopped at my house for dinner, I might have given up on him later when my brother died. I might have concluded that he was another fake Messiah. But his words gave us confidence even in the face of death so that I was able to say: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, the promised Savior who has come into this world. And I know that even now God can do whatever you ask.” I knew that because Jesus was there everything was going to be OK. And I wasn’t disappointed because that’s when Jesus said those words that still bring comfort today: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies.” And then Jesus went on to show how those words are true. He brought my brother back to life out of the grave simply by saying: “Lazarus come out!”
Although you haven’t seen Jesus like I have, you do have his Word. You have his promise that he remains the resurrection and the life. Are you taking the time to regularly listen to his words so that when tragedy strikes, you will still be filled with comfort and confidence as I was? Oh, I know how busy life can get. You need to keep food on the table for the kids. There’s the career that you want to build. And there’s also so many things you want to see and do. But don’t forget about the one thing needful: God’s Word! Don’t forget to sit often at Jesus’ feet and listen to him. Time spent at Jesus’ feet is never time wasted.
You see, there’s a temptation to view God’s Word like a gold bar that you can stash somewhere safe and forget about it until you need it again. While God’s Word is a treasure it’s really more like food. You can’t just stash it away and forget about it. If you do, you’ll end becoming hangry like me. When challenges come into your life you’ll think that this means God doesn’t care about you, instead of realizing how God uses those challenges to rub away your rough edges and get you to rely on him more. You’ll also become hangry at the people around especially when they’re not doing what you want them to do. But others are not our servants. We are to be servants to them. That’s what I failed to see about my sister that afternoon. I didn’t see her as someone I could love and serve. Since God’s Word is more like food. You need to keep shoveling it in so that it continues to sustain you. Another reason you need to continue to shovel it in is because your sinful heart, egged on by this sinful materialistic world, shovels it out as quickly as it comes in!
That’s why I’m glad to see you here in church this morning. Right now you’re devouring the one thing needful. But keep doing that during the week as well with Bible reading and devotions at home with your family. Remember, Jesus doesn’t need you to do this for him. You’re not the host when you devour God’s Word, you’re the guest and the one who benefits the most. Just like you do when you come to Holy Communion. You don’t give Jesus anything when you come up receive the bread and wine and his body and blood do you? Actually let me take that back. You do give Jesus something. You give him your sins, your worries, your fears. And he takes them all away. That’s why time spent at Jesus’ feet listening to his Word is never time wasted. Sure the lawn won’t get cut, the laundry folded, and your games will be put on hold when you’re sitting at Jesus’ feet, but nothing else prepares you for life now and for life hereafter.
I’m glad Jesus rebuked me that day. When he pointed out how Mary had chosen to do what was more important it made me realize how, when it comes to hearing God’s Word, everything else can wait. In fact everything else must wait otherwise we will easily become hangry at God, and at others. And there’s no need. Because Jesus will always give us what we need. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
Write down at least three facts about the Martha in our text.
Jesus did rebuke Martha, but what did she do that’s worth emulating?
Mary pursued the “one thing needful.” What is that? How can you pursue it better?
Look up Matthew 6:28-34. How could those words help you respond to someone who says: “I’m just too busy to have devotions and to come to church more often”?
