Jesus – The Skilled Councilor
Nobody listens to me; nobody cares about me.
These are the two most common cries of pain. Jesus was a great listener and cared; this is why He was a wise councilor. This passage is short but bursting with caring skill.
As Jesus and His disciples went on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him in her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listening to Him. Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.”
The setting:
The context is that Jesus and his disciples have come to the village and Martha has extended a welcome to her house.
As Martha complains of overwork it is likely there were many more guests than just Jesus. The code of hospitality in Jesus’ times would doubtless have extended to Jesus’ companions as well as friends and family. Probably quite a gathering.
A typical village house was constructed around a central open court with small rooms opening onto it. Cooking would commonly take place in the open central court, and there would be chickens and at least a goat for milk. The dwelling would be occupied by several generations. Middle-eastern people also generally recline on mats and therefore Mary ‘sitting at the feet of the Lord’ would be likely to be kneeling or reclining at the same level as Jesus, rather than below Him seated on a chair.
We are not given any information as to whether Martha and Mary are young or old, married or widows, and whether Jesus was teaching or chatting.
There are many unknowns and we will all have a different picture in our minds as we read this passage.
What were Martha and Mary doing and feeling?
From the passage Martha was busy preparing the meal, and probably making quite a fuss about it. We can imagine much banging and clatter and Martha vents her frustration of being abandoned by her sister. You could cut the air with a knife.
Mary would have been tense as her sister was upset that she was not helping in the preparations. Also given the times she may have been anxious about spending the meal preparation time in the company of the men; somewhat akin to women joining the cigars and port conclusion to Victorian era meals?
What did Jesus HEAR Martha say?
Her words are “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” But what did Jesus hear?
The two most common cries of people in pain are “nobody listens to me” and “nobody cares about me”! And Martha says “Lord, don’t you care …”. Jesus heard Martha complaining about her sister but went beneath the words to hear her cry of PAIN. Don’t you realize how hard done by I am, doesn’t anybody care! And Jesus heard the underlying emotion..
What did Jesus HEAR Mary say?
Mary says nothing in the text. But we express our emotions in multiple ways and Mary’s anxiety and self-doubt would have been evident in her body, in her eyes. When we truely care we can understand without words. And Jesus heard Mary in her silence.
What did Jesus say’?
Jesus says two things to Martha – both critically important.
The first us that He assures Martha that He has heard her – and heard her so well that He has understood her underlying emotion.
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things”. I have heard you and what you are really saying is that you are hurting AND I have seen it – I have not ignored you, I have seen your pain.
The second statement is equally critical. The author CS Lewis coined a term that is so important in coming to an understanding of God; “a severe mercy”. We are familiar with ‘a severe judgement’, ‘a severe punishment’, and similar. We are also familiar with mercy, an opposite of ‘severe’. To link the two is something different – a severe mercy.
There are three understanding about ourselves:
Public knowledge – what we know about ourselves and what others also know about us. For example our gender, where we live, where we work.
Our private knowledge – things we know about ourselves but nobody else does. They are our secrets and some secrets are never shared even with our nearest and closest.
And the problem one – things other people know about us that we don’t know! What people say about us, not to us, because it would be hurtful. We may see ourselves as a great conversationalist and others see us as dominating every conversation and boring. We may see ourselves as helping and others see us as controlling. Or shy and others see us as aloof.
Jesus gave Martha the gift of a severe mercy: “but few things are needed”. Jesus says to Martha that she was in the kitchen for her own benevolence, not her guests; she believed she was helping others by preparing a special meal but she was preparing a special meal for her own self-fulfillment. In today’s world Jesus may well have said ‘why not get take-away?’
“or indeed only one”; get your priorities straight.
We have two options when our faults are presented to us. We can deny and resent what is said. Or we can be shocked and hurt but then to be grateful and change. The ‘severe mercy’ refers to the latter. At some point councilors and psychiatrists need to bring us to a point of understanding faults that are causing us our unhappiness. And Jesus was skilled and may have given Martha the wonderful gift of self-understanding.
Jesus had also understood Mary’s pain and what she needed most was comfort and reassurance. And Jesus gives this to her:
“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
One final question
Are we as good as Jesus?
Is that even a question? With intensive training we can achieve wonders in restoring deeply unhappy people. But without this training, or indeed with training, we can take humble comfort in the words of God through the Bible. One of many examples is God’s assurance to Moses at the burning bush:
But Moses said, “No, Lord, don’t send me. I have never been a good speaker, and I haven’t become one since you began to speak to me. I am a poor speaker, slow and hesitant.”
The Lord said to him, “Who gives man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or dumb? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? It is I, the Lord. Now, go! I will help you to speak, and I will tell you what to say.” Exodus 4:10-12
image from Catholicsustas http://www.catholicsistas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/martha-292×300.jpg
