16th Sunday C 2013
Robert VerEecke, S.J.
Let me first tell you what I’m not going to say this afternoon. I’m not going
to say that Martha is the worker-bee and Mary is the attentive disciple and
that Mary gets it right and Martha gets it wrong. I’m sure you’ve heard that
interpretation of the passage hundreds of times. Problem is it’s too black and
white. For a very nuanced and “new” interpretation of this passage you can
listen to Elizabeth Johnson’s exegesis of this passage. As she says in her
book, “Truly Our Sister”:
We are not talking about housework here. Within this text lies
the buried memory that Martha was a deacon in the early
church. Confirmation for this idea comes from John’s Gospel
that depicts Martha as the spokesperson for the Christological
faith of the community. She rather than Peter utters the pivotal
confession of faith that Jesus is “the Christ, the son of God”. ..
Because of Luke’s political concern about outsiders’ perception
of social disorder in the community, Luke attempts in this story
to denigrate Martha’s leadership role, He encourages
respectable women to “choose the better part, which consists in
receptive listening”.
What I’m not going to do is step into the controversy of the exegesis of this
passage or opt for the traditional interpretation that says the Martha should
learn what genuine hospitality is. If you’re the person who does all the meal
preparation while someone else does the entertaining, I’m sure you bristle at
this “One way is better than the other, even if it comes from the lips of
Jesus”.
What I’d ask you to think about is the open and honest relationship that
Martha has with Jesus. She feels completely free to say what she feels. She
doesn’t stand on politeness. She says what she feels. And the nice thing is
that Jesus responds in kind. There is this open communication between
them. You see it in the passage in John’s gospel that Elizabeth Johnson
referred to.
Sometimes I wish we had the “rest of the story”. I wish we could hear Jesus’
tone of voice or see the expression on his face when he responds to Martha.
Could it possibly be that rather than ‘reprimanding” Martha, he’s having fun
with her? Could the next line be, “Only kidding. You know how grateful I
am for all you do for me, Martha. And yes, you need help. So let me help
you.”
Yes, I know this is fanciful but perhaps it is what Jesus would say. The bond
of friendship between Jesus and Martha and Mary and Lazarus is so strong.
He feels so much at home with them that he can be himself. And being
himself means at times being the Teacher as he is for Mary, but also
washing, not the dishes but the feet of the disciples.
So let me just invite you this afternoon to finish the story. What would
Martha say? What would Mary say if she overheard this conversation?
What would Jesus say? He knows them and loves them. The way he knows
and loves us.
If there’s a lesson today, it’s not just “pay attention to the Lord” but “Speak
up.” Tell him what you feel, what you need. You may be surprised at the
answer. For example, I think what Jesus would say to Martha is “Can I help
you with the dishes”?