I have to admit, I thought Jesus was a little bit harsh!

I guess because I would have done the same thing, I always struggled with how Mary was the bad guy, bad woman if you will, in Luke 10:38-42.  Martha and Mary opened their home to Jesus, and Martha got busy making dinner.  I can see her in the kitchen, maybe separating a chicken from its head and doing all the other unpleasant chores necessary to prepare a company dinner. 

And all the while, Mary sits in the other room, right there at Jesus' feet hanging on His every word.  It never quite seemed fair to me that Jesus took Martha to task, pointing out how Mary made the right choice.  Just not fair!!  Didn't He want some dinner?  Isn't that why He stopped there?  And didn't someone have to do all that work?  I am afraid I would have been right there beside Martha, whining away.

Then this week, Dahlia Orth, one of my students made a presentation on this passage pointing out that the issue was not the wrong choice Martha made, but her motivation.  And Mary's motivation.  Dahlia suggested that Martha was motivated by fear.  What would people think of her if she did not put on a good table for Jesus of all people?  And to make sure that everything turned out well, to meet her standards, she needed help, Mary's help.

But Mary, what was her motivation for sitting at Jesus' feet?  I wonder if she was not motivated by love for Jesus.  She loved Him, and furthermore, she understood He loved her.  Martha, perhaps, was so accustomed to conditional love that she could not understand that Jesus did not care about a fancy dinner, that His love for her did not depend on savory chicken and the good dishes.  He only cared about giving them what He had for them, His love and His message.

One sister driven by a fear of a lack of appreciation and acceptance, the other fully confident of Jesus' love and loving Him back.  One found her identity in performance, the other in faith.  Finally, I got it, at least I think I did.  Finally it made sense to me.  And I have to admit, it is much easier for me to fall into the Martha trap that to just rest in His presence, to soak up His Word, His message and His love, to be a Mary.

So thanks Dahlia, for a thought-provoking presentation and challenge.