Troubled?
Pearl Jam sings a song called “The Fixer” and the refrain goes like this: “When somethings lost, I wanna fight to get it back again!” This is Jesus’ heart for you and me…when something’s lost, I wanna fight to get it back again. He’s come to fight to get us back again. Throughout the Gospel accounts we see Jesus engage with two different kinds of characters. The person who is lost, and the person who doesn’t think they are lost, but they still actually are. The person that understands their need, and the one who thinks they are doing it right. The unrighteous and the “righteous” (in quotes because no one is righteous apart from God). The irresponsible person and the dutiful person. The amazing thing is that the reactions to Jesus and the way he presents God to them are always the same. One is automatically attracted to Jesus and the mercy he gives, and the other is annoyed, angry and resentful.
It’s quite astounding really. Jesus turns what we think about goodness and badness on its head. He takes our Santa Clause picture of God and blows it up. The notion of God that makes us think “we better watch out, we better not cry, we better not pout, I’m telling you why”…God is coming to town. Like Big Brother or the Elf on the shelf…God’s watching you and wants you to behave. If you don’t, he is gonna punish you. In theological terms it is called “covenantal conditionalism.” The “if, then” statements. If you do this, then you will be blessed. But then Jesus comes and keeps on telling stories about God loving and accepting the bad guy. Worse than that Jesus himself keeps on hanging out with the sinners and healing the sick and unclean. He keeps on loving the unlovable, and he rebukes the good guys…the people that have been working hard to keep God happy with them…the obedient ones. Jesus destroys this whole paradigm. “When somethings lost, I want to fight to get it back again.” This is who our God is.
In the lectionary’s gospel passage for this Sunday we see two sisters, Martha and Mary. We see Martha doing the right thing, good things. She’s preparing meals for everyone, cleaning, serving the way a good host should when they have a guest especially such a respected guest like Jesus. I am sure you never do this, but it is so easy to go there and work really hard in the name of Jesus or in service…the dutiful person. Ironically, when I’m that place, in the process of working so hard for Jesus, I lose sight of Him.
Now, when I say we lose sight of Jesus Christ I am not simply advocating that we work harder at focusing on the Lord. Instead, I am saying that Martha really did not understand why Jesus had come. She could not see Jesus’ purpose. She was simply focused on her duty and responsibility. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve…(and give his life as a ransom for many)” (Mark 10:45). Martha had it backwards. She was anxious and worried about what she was supposed to be doing…she was trying to do the right thing. She sounds a lot like the older brother from Jesus’ parable of the two brothers (or more commonly known as the Prodigal Son)…doing her duty, being above board, performing according to the law (I am an older brother, by the way). And we see the same result of such behavior that we see in the older brother…she has a sense of self-righteousness that comes out in comparison and judgment against the other person, in this case her sister, Mary. Martha's identity was tied up in serving, working, and performing her duty, and she thought Mary’s should have been as well, instead of being founded on what Jesus came to do for her.
Jesus responds to Martha that “one thing is necessary.” There is only one thing that matters, and that is Jesus himself. Theologian Dr. Steven Paulson says that this is exactly what church is: sinners gathered around Jesus to hear what He has to say. Miraculously, Mary understood this. She knew she needed what he was giving. She simply sat at his feet and listened to his teaching— and in this moment we see her accepted as one of Jesus’ disciples—no small thing considering women were not invited into such relationships with a rabbi. Jesus defends Mary as a disciple here and elevates women to their proper place as equal to men. He’s affirming that all that matters is to be with him. As the disciples said, “[Jesus] alone has the words of life” (John 6:68). He alone is the Lord, the Son of God.
But what did Jesus come to do, what did he come to teach? What were they listening to? Can you imagine if Jesus had said the opposite to Martha? What if he said, “You’re right, Martha. Mary, what are you doing sitting there? Quit being so lazy. Get up and get to work! If you really loved me then you would be worried about serving me and you’d be working harder all the time.” Thank God he did not say that! Thank God he did not respond the way we often handle ourselves—you’re not doing enough…apply yourself, do more, work harder! No. Thankfully, he says, “Only one thing is necessary.” “He came to seek and to save the lost.” He says it a different way in Mark’s Gospel, “He came not to be served, but to serve. And give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45). Martha was so busy worrying about serving Jesus and all her guests, that she could not see that He came to serve her. He came to find her and to save her. He came to give of himself for our sakes. It is a complete role reversal of what most religions including a lot of Christians say about the relationship between God and humanity. Martha was actually very consistent with the Jewish faith and most major religions for that matter: we are supposed to serve God. It is a bottom up sort of thing. BUT, Jesus turns that on its head.
He came for his people. He came to find us who were lost. He is unique amongst all gods, because He is not concerned with our service of Him. Only one thing is necessary – that He came to serve and save His people by living and dying as one of us, taking our sin upon himself on the cross and in return bestowing His righteousness upon us. Only one thing is necessary - to receive from him.
He serves us by becoming sin itself, so that we might become children of God. This is his teaching time and time again – that he must give up his life. That he must be lifted up. That he must wash the feet of his disciples. That he did not come to judge the world but to save the world. That the Father gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – this is what Mary was listening to, this is what Jesus has to say to sinners.
He brings freedom and peace to our troubled hearts. Martha’s focus on what she was supposed to be doing destroyed peace and destroyed relationship just like it did for the older brother and the Pharisees and teachers of the law. It made her resentful just like it did them. How come they get all the attention when I have been busting my butt for you this whole time? BUT Jesus himself is the one thing necessary – He is all that matters.
Martha does end up getting this. Faith is born in her. Later when Martha and Mary’s brother, Lazarus, get sick and dies…it is Martha that runs out to Jesus when he arrives later than they had hoped. She meets Jesus and says to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you” (John 11:21-22). She’s asking Jesus to act, to raise her brother from the dead. And that’s just what Jesus does. His interaction with this one family, with which he was so close, shows the way he had come to serve all of us…to conquer death for us.
One of the best parts about this great news, about Jesus himself, this good portion, is that he will not be taken away from us. I love these reassuring words from our Lord. When we are found by him, when we are served by Him, when we hear His voice and receive from him, it will never be taken away from us. He will never require us to return to a life obsessed with what we should be doing, a life full of comparison and resentment. We get to stop. We get to rest in Him and watch Him lead us every step of the way. As with the two sons, we get to come into the party that he is throwing for us and celebrate. Amen.
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