It was an ordinary day when Jesus came to the house of his friends Mary and Martha of Bethany. Ordinary, just like the days of the Season of Pentecost. As school preparations start, and the new school year begins, a new routine and new daily ordinary fall into place. Perhaps that’s what really happened in Bethany 2000 years ago.
We hear that Jesus arrived and a woman named Martha
welcomed him into her home. That, in itself, is noteworthy. Martha is the
head of the household and welcomes Jesus and his friends. It wasn’t her brother
Lazarus or their parents. Then something even more extraordinary happens. Her
sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. (Luke
10:38-39) That a woman would dare to sit in the company of men, and be taught
by the rabbi was really counter-cultural. Mary was ushering in a new norm. She
was setting the stage for a new ordinary. We talked about expectations earlier this month. The cultural expectation for Mary was to be a silent observer
in the background, serving the men but not participating in their discussions.
Perhaps that is what makes her sister so sharp-tongued.
Perhaps Martha is concerned about ‘what the neighbors will think.’ We’ll talk
more about Martha next week. Today, we are looking at Mary’s actions and Jesus’
response to them.
Instead of sending Mary off to do ‘women’s work,’ he tacitly
allows her to join the disciples by telling Martha There is only one thing
worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken
away from her. (Luke 10:42)
Often the comparison is drawn between being contemplative
and sitting at Jesus feet, vs. doing work. Mary was doing more than just
sitting and adoring. She was listening and learning from Jesus. That gave her
the ability to share the Gospel along with the men. A medieval French legend
says that after the Resurrection, Mary and Martha arrive in southern France
where they evangelize the population with Mary teaching, and Martha defeating a
dragon with a cross and holy water!
Mary of Bethany is a woman of courage who can inspire us to
step outside our normal, ordinary lives and take a step of faith. She heard and
was inspired by Jesus. She set a new norm for her family.
What old normal, ordinary habits of study, prayer, work,
life do you think have finished their useful life? Is God calling you into a
new normal, even if it’s just a different prayer habit or taking a walk each
day? Who knows where it will lead?
