Few things are needed – indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:42

In today’s gospel reading (Luke 10:38-42), we are introduced to Martha, who just might be the patron saint of this 21^st century. Martha was “worried and distracted by many things,” 2,000 years ago. Before cell phones and televisions. Before social media and the 24/7 news cycle. Before all of the distractions that have become so numerous people sometimes refer to this as the “Age of Distraction.”

In a much simpler world, Martha was worried and distracted by many things. I can only imagine what it would be like for Martha today!

We live in a time of never-ending worries and distractions, don’t we? The distractions are obvious, and include the ones I just mentioned. The worries, I suppose, are equally obvious. They may differ for each of us, but we all have them. To be worried and distracted by many things is to be human, especially in our day and age. 

Perhaps this is why so many of us come to poor Martha’s defense. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, just trying to serve all her guests. And her sister, Mary, wasn’t helping at all – just sitting at the Lord’s feet. 

So why does Jesus tell poor Martha that Mary was choosing the better part? Let’s dig into this story and figure that out. 

Pulled Apart

And I want to start by introducing you to a wonderful Greek word, one that Luke uses in today’s gospel reading to describe Martha’s distractions. The word is: Perispaoumai. And this word literally means “to be pulled away or to be pulled apart.”  

That’s what distractions do, don’t they? They pull us apart. And they pull us away from what really matters. 

What really mattered for Martha was the presence of Jesus in her home. How many have that privilege? The Son of God was sitting in her home. A priceless opportunity. But Martha’s worries and distractions quite literally pulled her away from that amazing experience. 

Distractions, when we let them, can pull us away from what really matters, from what is truly important. And it happens to us all. 

And as I think about this story, it is this being pulled apart that is taking Martha away from being with Jesus. But it is not her serving everyone dinner. There is nothing wrong with what Martha is doing. In fact, Jesus and his friends would not be eating dinner if not for Martha’s hard work!

The Right Attitude

Where Martha goes wrong, it would seem, is that she is pulled apart by what she is doing. Because of her distractions and worries, she loses sight of what really matters. 

Serving another will not be helpful at all if we do it in a distracted way, or if we are resentful about doing it, or feel forced to do it. That is not what God wants. God wants us to do all things with love. Serving a dinner with love can be an act of worship; it can be a time of prayer. Or, it can lead to distraction and anxiety and worry and resentment.  

But here’s the thing: Sitting at Jesus’ feet, as her sister Mary was doing, can also be either of those things. It can be a time of prayer. But it can also be an activity that leads to distraction and worry and resentment.

To show you what I mean, let me re-tell the Mary and Martha story, with a reversal of attitudes:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and tried to listen to what he was saying. But Mary was distracted by many things; so she said to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left us to prepare the meal? Tell her to come and sit with us.” But the Lord answered her, “Mary, Mary, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Martha has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

You see? Mary could just as easily have been the one worried and distracted by many things, even while sitting at Jesus’ feet. And Martha could just as easily have chosen the better part, serving Jesus with joy and love, free from worries and distractions. 

It’s not what Mary and Martha did; it’s the attitude that they did it with. So what matters most, then, is not whether we are sitting at Jesus’ feet or serving Jesus dinner. What matters is why we are doing what we are doing, and the attitude we have while doing it. Are we doing it free from distractions and anxieties and hidden resentments? Are we doing it out of love?

Re-Ligion

Of course, even when we are doing something out of love, as Mary and Martha both were, we can still be pulled apart by the distractions and worries of life. So, what do we do? And how can Jesus help us? Because I certainly believe that he can. 

I have shared with you the word for distraction that literally means pulled apart. There is another word, on the other hand, that means almost the exact opposite. It means to be re-attached. And that word, interestingly enough, is: religion. From the Latin, re-ligare, which literally means to be re-attached. Re-ligare. Re-attached. 

That is what religion does, at its best. It re-attaches us to what truly matters.

So, while distractions pull us away from the things that matter, religion re-attaches us to what is truly important. And, in particular, our religion re-attaches us to Jesus.

Isn’t that Mary’s secret? She simply wanted to be attached to Jesus. To sit at his feet, listen to what he was saying. Like we are doing today. When we stay attached to Jesus, he holds us together. 

That is religion at its best. And it is the invitation from Jesus. Stay attached to Jesus, and we will not be pulled apart by life. 

In Christ All Things Hold Together

In fact, we are told something very similar in today’s second reading, from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Paul tells us that: “In Christ Jesus all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). And isn’t that a wonderful way to think about Jesus? He holds us together. Individually and as a community. He holds all things together. When we are connected to Jesus, we cannot be pulled apart. 

There is a great illustration of this from the world of science that I may have mentioned before, but it is helpful to me that I want to mention it again this morning. And it has to do with a protein molecule called laminin. Laminin is a cell adhesion molecule. Now, I am not a molecular biologist, but I am told that what that means is that laminin is like the glue of the human body – it is what holds our body together. 

But what is so neat about this particular protein molecule is its shape. If you go to Google Images and type in “laminin,” as I did, you get a bunch of drawings and pictures of this cell adhesion molecule. And you know what? They all have the same exact shape – the shape of the cross. Diagrams and pictures taken with powerful microscopes all reveal that the molecule that holds our bodies together is in the exact shape of the cross. 

Imagine that – The stuff that holds our body together is in the exact shape of the cross of our Lord. 

I think that is a powerful reminder to us that Christ Jesus is what holds all things together. Jesus is what holds us together, holds us to what truly matters. Jesus is the glue that we need, especially in times of worry and distractions. And what times do not have their share of worries and distractions? 

Yes, worries and distractions pull us apart. But Jesus can hold us together. His cross. His love. His grace. His mercy. These are the things that hold us together, that keep us close to him. 

Sit or Serve? 

But let me take the next step with this. Because for Jesus to do this, we need to give him our time and attention. We need occasionally to sit at his feet. When the distractions of life threaten to pull us apart, we need to re-attach ourselves to Jesus, by spending time with him in daily prayer, and weekly worship.

We need to re-attach ourselves to Jesus in order to be re-attached to what truly matters in life. Religion is important, and practicing our religion is important, because it keeps us connected to Jesus. That’s what Mary was doing in this reading – re-attaching herself to Jesus. She was sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning from him. 

And so, Jesus tells Martha that Mary chose the better part. And what she chose will not be taken away from her. Because the love of Jesus cannot be taken away from anyone. Not Mary. Not Martha. Not you or me. 

But, we can’t end there. Because Martha was doing something important, after all. If everyone just sat at Jesus’ feet, everyone would have gone hungry! There is a balance that is important.

Last Sunday we heard the story that takes place right before this visit to Mary and Martha’s – the story of the Samaritan who helped a neighbor in need. And in that story, Jesus told the lawyer who initiated the conversation that he should go and do as the Samaritan did, that he should always be ready to help his neighbor in need.

So, think about that: Jesus tells someone to be like the Samaritan and “go and do”, and then right after that, he is happy with Mary when she sits at Jesus’ feet. 

Sometimes, in other words, Jesus asks us to be like the Samaritan, or like Martha. And other times, Jesus invites us to be like Mary.

So which applies to us? Are we being invited to serve or to sit? To do or to be? Both are clearly important. We need them both. As one preacher, Fred Craddock, put it: 

“There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect.  Knowing which is a matter of spiritual discernment.  If we were to ask Jesus which example applies to us, the Samaritan or Mary, his answer would probably be: Yes.”

Yes. Serve and sit. Do and be. Love God and love neighbor. Yes. And no matter what we are doing, stay connected to Jesus, who promises to hold us together, to hold all things together. 

Closing

It is all too easy, in this age of distraction, to find ourselves being pulled apart by this world, and the worries and distractions that are always all around us. 

Today’s gospel reading is a timely reminder to us to make sure that we are staying attached to what truly matters. Stay connected to Jesus. That’s all. That’s the message.

Stay attached to Jesus and we will not be pulled apart from life, from what truly matters:

Love Jesus. Love our neighbor. This is always the better part, and it will not be taken away from us. Jesus, who holds all things together, will make sure of that. Thanks be to God. Amen.