Reading: Luke 10:38-42

The story of Martha and Mary always raises comments. “I’m on Martha’s side,” or “I don’t think Jesus was fair to Martha.”

It seems to me that both Martha and Mary have significant roles in this story, Martha offers hospitality and service whilst Mary takes the opportunity to be taught by Jesus. Martha is not rebuked by Jesus because she hasn’t taken the time to listen to him as well, but because she has complained about Mary’s perceived indifference to her work in the kitchen. Martha has spoiled her own pleasure and her gift of hospitality and serving by wanting Mary to do and be like her.

Wanting uniformity, conformity, wanting everyone else to think like me, do like I’m doing and be like me, seems to arise from intolerance and prejudice. It goes to the root of many of the world’s problems. We see it with regard to religious identity and sexual identity most profoundly.

Mary chose the better path. Perhaps the better path for us to choose is to celebrate diversity and variety, to offer our thinking, our doing and our being as our contribution to a complex, diverse and, at times, puzzling whole.

Rev. Chris Howard
23rd July, 2007