July 22, 2007   Luke 10:38-42
16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

"THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS"

Many of you know that I am an insomniac. I have struggled with insomnia for many years. It goes in cycles. Sometimes it is worse than others. My younger brother is also an insomniac, so maybe it is genetic.

I know from the print media and the broadcast media that there are a lot of medications available now that are designed to help alleviate insomnia. But because I do not like taking prescription medication, I have steered away from those drugs. When I can’t sleep I try to restore myself in other ways, by praying or reading.

So, as someone who would welcome sleep, you can understand my surprise when I recently read that drug companies are competing to develop a pill that will keep people awake—for 24 hours or longer at a time! Why would anyone want to stay awake for 24 hours or more at one time?

Well, evidently, the military, which has a keen interest in the development of this drug. It is my understanding that Blackhawk pilots, for example, work shifts of 17 hours or more. This pill would keep them awake and alert for a longer time. Residents in the medical field, who are known to work long shifts, would also benefit from this new product. People who suffer from narcolepsy would gladly welcome such a medication.

But the fact is, many people in all walks of life would embrace such a medicine, for we are a 24/7 society. We are always busy and always on the go. We work longer hours, and when we finish work, we run errands at stores that are opened 24-hours a day. And even with all of the technological advances, we still end the day feeling that there is still so much more to do. And so we resolve to work even harder and accomplish even more the next day. And so our work-load simply gets greater and greater, and we try to do more and more.

But, although we seem busier today than ever, the fact is that busy-ness is not a modern problem. We see in our New Testament lesson today that this problem goes all the way back to biblical times.

The scene is simple enough. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem when he is invited to visit the home of Martha. Jesus accepts Martha’s gracious invitation. Martha’s sister Mary was also at Martha’s house when Jesus arrived. Now, Martha was probably the older of the two. She is the one in charge of arrangements. She is the one concerned with making sure the house is clean, the food is prepared, and everything is in order. Mary, on the other hand, is in charge of guest relations. She sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to all that he has to say.

Mary and Martha offer a portrait of two kinds of people, both of whom host Jesus in their lives. Martha is the hard-working, detail-focused, and goal-oriented person, who knows how to get the job done. She throws herself into her work and devotes all of her time and energy into accomplishing her tasks. But these tasks take a toll on Martha. She gets exhausted and a bit frazzled. And finally, Martha complains to Jesus that Mary "has left me to do all the work by myself" (Luke 10:40b).

And Martha seems to have a point. Mary is simply sitting around enjoying Jesus’ presence. Mary is not concerned about the condition of the house or the readiness of the meal or any of the other details that plague Martha. Unlike her sister, Mary is not goal-oriented. Mary, is the less practical, more impulsive, and demonstrative sister. She is in the present moment; she doesn’t live in the past or in the future. She recognizes the present opportunity, and wants to take full advantage of it. So she sits and listens intently, hanging on every word Jesus says.

Now both sisters practice hospitality. Both go to great lengths to make Jesus feel "at home." And Jesus is surely thankful for all of the hospitality that he receives.

But what strikes me in this passage is Luke’s comment that Martha "was distracted by her many tasks" (Luke 10:40a). Martha was so consumed with completing all of her preparations that she fails to enjoy the presence of her guest. And Jesus recognizes this. So rather than defend Martha Jesus commends Mary. He says, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42).

I have some problems with Jesus’ response, because it seems like he is a bit harsh with Martha. After all, she is doing what is expected of her. She is practicing good Middle Eastern hospitality, which involved considerable cooking, cleaning, and making the guest feel at home. And I also think that under other circumstances, Mary would have been doing what Martha expected of her, that is, helping with the preparations. But for some reason, on this occasion Mary does not help her sister as was expected and was her normal practice. Instead she chooses to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to what he had to say.

What made this situation different for Mary? We don’t know for sure, because the text does not tell us. What I think is that Mary—somehow, someway--sensed that this visit by Jesus on this particular afternoon was different than other visits. Perhaps today she sensed an urgency that was different from the other times they had been together. Perhaps she recognized what Luke tells us, and that is that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem where he would meet with his death. Perhaps she sensed that this was Jesus’ last visit to their home. So she acted boldly. Not only did she not assume her traditional place in the kitchen, she assumed the position of a disciple by sitting at Jesus’ feet.

In any event, Mary acted in an extraordinary way, because she sensed that this was an extraordinary visit. Martha, on the other hand, was "distracted" by all of her preparations, so she did not recognize the significance of this visit. Where Martha really failed, however, was in her attempt to host Jesus. Martha treated Jesus as an honored guest. What Mary realizes is that Jesus is the true host, and Martha and Mary are his guests. He is the one who has something to offer, and they are the recipients of his honored presence.