On Sunday morning, Dr. Novak talked about a story involving Mary and Martha, sisters spoken of sparingly in the Gospel of Luke, whom Jesus and his Disciples visited (watch full sermon, above). Martha, as the story goes, was busily preparing a meal in her home, making all the preparations; her sister, Mary, seemingly oblivious to the preparation, was sitting and listening to Jesus as he taught his Disciples.
This, on its surface, seems like a perfect visual for the different types of work involved in discipleship:
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10: 38-41
The sisters were doing very different types of work: One is easily understood, accounted for and visible (and which discipleship requires of all of us at a certain level); the other, is not always easy to understand or to demonstrate a record of accomplishment.
About these two types of work, Dr. Novak posed the question: “What matters more to God?”
It’s really the wrong question to ask, he said, because the simple answer is neither.
“Martha’s hospitality is Gospel work. Mary’s work at the feet of Jesus is Gospel work … both are a part of the Kingdom,” Dr. Novak said.
In this passage, Christ is affirming the importance of the qualitative work of Mary — her attentiveness and desire to be taught alongside Christ’s Disciples. Throughout the Gospels, however, there are many affirmations of quantitative work, Martha’s work, that are vital to the sharing of the Good News. For instance, last week, Lisa Horne spoke about the Good Samaritan, a story that is all about Martha work.
The traveler, beaten and bloody, didn’t need sympathy or a listening ear, he needed medical care — and a place to rest and recuperate.
The father of one of my best friends, Gavin Raath, was an incredible disciple of Christ. He was the pastor of Central Church of the Nazarene in Flint Township for many years before passing away while on a missionary trip to South Africa, the country of his birth. Pastor Raath had a passion for missionary work and he understood discipleship intuitively.
I heard a story about him that has stayed with me for nearly two decades.
Pastor Raath took a trip, one of many, to South Africa to help build a church. He went clear-eyed as to his role on the journey: he was there to do Mary work. He understood that the local people knew how to swing a hammer, and that there were many people there younger, and more physically able to do the Martha work of constructing a church.
He was there to listen; he was there to disciple; he was there to share the Good News.
In this passage in Luke, we see two followers of Christ at work building His kingdom in two very different, and equally important, ways. As we grow in our faith, we will be better-equipped to know, like Pastor Raath did, when it’s best to be a Martha and when it’s best to be a Mary.
To God be the glory.
The Pipe 