"martha, The Energizer Bunny"

In Jesus Holy Name July 21, 2019

Text: Luke 10:38-39 Redeemer

“Martha, The Energizer Bunny”

Martha’s are the energizer bunnies of the church. They keep going and going and going. They store strength like a camel stores water. Because of Martha’s, the church budget gets balanced, the church babies get bounced, bathrooms get redone, walls get painted, closets get organized. You don’t appreciate Marthas until a Martha is missing and then all the Marys and Lazaruses are scrambling around looking for the keys and how to set the thermostats.

In the Gospel of Luke we find that the parables and teachings of Jesus were written for Christians in the 1st and 21st Century. Today we come to the story of Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha. This visit was chosen by Luke to be placed after the story of the Good Samaritan.

Luke has chosen stories and parables to answer this question… What is discipleship? What does discipleship look like? Last week the parable of the Good Samaritan emphasized “care and mercy for one’s neighbor. This week Luke reminds us to listen and look to Jesus as the answer for “how can I obtain eternal life.” Through Mary and Martha Luke reminds us that the most important thing is Jesus. He is the answer.

If you’ve never met Martha, allow me to make the introduction. Martha, with her sister Mary and brother Lazarus lived about 2000 years ago, in the small Judean town of Bethany, a few miles from Jerusalem. When Jesus was near Jerusalem, He would often stop and pay the trio a visit. They would ask Him to stay the night. If He had to keep moving on, at least He and His disciples would have a good meal and a place to sleep. It was a wonderful arrangement.

Jesus loved Martha’s cooking and hospitality. It was Mary who poured expensive perfumed oil over his head when the disciples thought it should have been sold and the money given to the poor.

Martha knew a lot had to be done and she wanted to make sure

everything was just right. She began flying around the house putting everything in order for the Lord and his disciples. She didn’t have a micro wave. No ice box….hadn’t been invented yet. A quick run down to the farmer’s market was required. A fire had to be started. No electric ovens. House had to be cleaned…. Refreshing drinks had to be prepared.

Martha, the mistress of the house, rushes around trying to make sure everything is perfect. Martha is like some first century Martha Stewart. She is focused on the food, the house, the drink, the flowers for the table. Martha is so busy serving she completely forgets whom she truly serves.

Naturally, she expected her sister Mary to lend a hand with the preparations, but Mary is sitting with the men and listening to Jesus tell stories that speak about God. “To sit at the feet of Rabbi, meant that you were a disciple of that rabbi.” Mary is a disciple. Ahhh! “Jesus was a master teacher. People were amazed and often said…He speaks with authority like no other…rabbi we know. Followers were drawn by the magnetic power of his words.

(The Jesus I never Knew Philip Yancy p. 94)

He tells of a scolding woman who wears down the patience of a judge, to receive justice deserved. A king plunges into an ill planned war or a fool who built his house on a sandy foundation. A man mugged and left for dead by robbers. A single woman who loses a penny and acts as if she has lost everything. Everyone likes a good story. To explain the boundless love of God Jesus tells of a heartsick father who scans the horizon every night for a wayward son.

A traditional story in the first century tells of an owner of a farm who went into town to hire temporary workers for the harvest. The day wore on, and as late as the eleventh hour he recruited one last batch of workers. They had a mere hour remaining before sunset, to prove their worth. In the familiar story of the culture, the latecomers made up for lost time by working so hard that the foreman decided to reward them with a whole day’s pay.

Jesus takes the same story and says nothing about the work ethic. Rather he tells about the generosity of the employer…God…. who lavishes his grace on all far beyond what they deserve.

As the day worn on….Martha simply had no choice. Finally, she said to herself, “this job would be a lot easier if everybody pitched in.” Martha is distracted “from” the teachings of Jesus by her cooking.

“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Here is the real reason Martha frustrated.