Sermon - Pentecost 6 - Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38-42

Martha, Martha

What a great story Luke shares with us today about Jesus with Mary and Martha.  He visits their home and is teaching, but while Mary listens intently to Jesus, Martha is busy and distracted with many things.  We can imagine all the cooking and cleaning as she buzzed around the house, fluffing pillows, checking on the bread in the oven, makings sure the table was set, sorting out all the loose ends to make Jesus’ visit a success.  After all, he is an honored guest.  And she wanted to make everything just right.

But there was a problem for Martha.  That lazy sister of hers.  Mary wasn’t helping.  Instead, she just sat there listening to Jesus.  Martha wasn’t too busy to notice, and to begin to resent her sister for not helping out.  In fact she goes so far as to just about scold Jesus, “don’t you care that my sister isn’t helping me?” and then presumes to tell him what to say to her.  “Tell my sister to get off her duff and help me out!”

Martha, Martha.  You’ve got to love Jesus’ response.  So gentle and kind.  I imagine him sighing before he says it.  By repeating her name it’s like he’s saying, “dear Martha”.  But there is a corrective here, too.  Martha herself needs to be set straight, not Mary.  Mary has chosen the better portion.  Martha is anxious and troubled about many things.

I suppose a very simple treatment of this passage would be something like, “Don’t be a Martha, be a Mary”.  But there’s more to say than just that.  Let’s consider the two sisters in terms of the commandments, in terms of vocation, and also in terms of the sinner/saint tension of the two natures in all of us.

We might consider the comparison of Mary and Martha according to the 10 commandments.

Martha, for her part, gets it wrong.  The very Son of God comes under her roof, and she places other things, many things, in a more prominent place.  She has other gods before him, you might say.  The gods of busy-ness and work.  The false gods, that is.

And here is a good reminder for us.  Notice Jesus does not condemn the things themselves that Martha is about doing.  Rather, he is concerned about her posture toward them.  He’s concerned about her priorities, and the state of her heart.  Work is good.  Even Adam in the garden, before sin, was given work to do – tending the garden.  We can assume that we’ll even have work to do in heaven.  But labor – difficult and troublesome work comes with the fall into sin.  Thorns and thistles.  Pain in childbirth.  And all of the human anxieties and troubles that come with it – work in the home or outside the home.  Work becomes a burden and a chore.  And sin gets it all twisted.  So that a good thing becomes a little god for us, and supplants the place in our life that should be reserved for the true God alone.

And on the other side of the coin is laziness.  When we steal time from our employer for ourselves.  When we don’t give of ourselves as we should.  This breaks the 7^th commandment.  Or perhaps we resent our boss. The 4^th commandment.  The commandments shows us we have problems with our work.

Now Martha thought Mary was being lazy, and not helping out as she should.  But Mary was busy rather fulfilling the commandments.  1^st – She put Jesus first.  Nothing to get in the way, no other gods before him.  And the 3^rd commandment – not despising preaching and God’s word but gladly hearing and learning it at the feet of Christ.  Mary came to this, of course, like all the faithful do – not on her own – but as she was granted the gift of faith by the Spirit.  And Jesus has no intention of taking his good gifts away from her.

And so Martha learns, and we learn, that work, our work – however good a thing it can be – is no substitute for Jesus.  And no amount of our work is worth anything compared to Jesus.  What he gives, what he teaches, is always the better portion. 

Now take a step back, then, and look at these two women through the lens of vocation. 

These women had their callings, their duties, their roles – just as you and I do.  But sinners aren’t always so good at balancing multiple vocations and fulfilling them rightly.  There is a place for Martha to do the cooking and cleaning.  She is called as the hostess to provide for her guests.  She has a vocation to serve, and honor of honors to have Jesus as a houseguest!  And Mary as her sister, also, has a calling to help out, to serve.

But where Martha goes wrong is in this.  The greater calling, the higher calling, is to be a disciple of Jesus.  To sit and learn at his feet.  To hear his word, cherish it, digest it.  He is the one thing needful.  He is the precious treasure above all treasures.  We sinners major in the minors and minor in the majors.  But Jesus sets us straight.

It is of utmost importance for you and me, as Christians, to hear the Word of God regularly, faithfully, intentionally.  It is more important than sports practice.  It is more needful than your Sunday morning shift at Starbucks.  It is more precious than the few extra hours of sleep you might get on Sunday.  It is more pressing than any housework or yardwork or home improvement project on your to-do list this weekend.

All those other things might be good.  But we want to hear from Jesus.  We want to hear his words to us.  We want to sit at his feet and listen with the ears of faith and soak up every last bit of goodness.

Those words of Jesus may convict us at times.  Jesus was never above calling out people who were in the wrong – even as he does so gently here with Martha.  Sometimes he is more bold, even harsh – as he calls out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, or Herod that fox, or promises a millstone to those who lead little ones astray.  But take the gentle word of correction when you can get it.

Jesus can get your attention with his word of law – and when he does – don’t explain it away or deafen yourself to his diagnosis.  Don’t make excuses or shift blame.  Don’t point to other worse sinners to make yourself look good by comparison.  Receive the accusation of the law with humility and in truth.  I have sinned.  I deserve what I get for it.  You’re absolutely right, Jesus.

But hear also the precious Gospel of Jesus.  Sidle up next to Mary and listen with the wonderment of a child again at the old, old, story.  Jesus did it all for you.  He is conceived and born for you.  He grows and learns for you.  He preaches and heals and casts out demons for you.  He goes to Jerusalem for you.  He is arrested, mocked, spat upon, stricken, smitten and afflicted for you.  He dies for you, nailed to a cross with all the sins – the many things – that you’ve done wrong.  And in his work – his perfect work – you are at peace.  You are at rest.  There’s nothing left to do – it is finished. 

So now, what about approaching this Mary/Martha comparison through the lens of our own dual nature.  For all of us Christians are both sinners and saints.  All of us Christians are Martha and all of us are also Mary.

We struggle to get the balance right.  When do I need to listen, and when do I need to speak?  When do I need to hear and receive, and when do I need to work and serve?  Both vocations of hearer and servant are godly.  Both are universal to all Christians.  But how do we strike the right balance, and make sure we are Mary when we ought to be, and Martha when we ought to be?

That, dear Christian, is for you to wrestle with.  I don’t have any great wisdom about it.  It is part of applying the word that we’ve heard and continue to hear in the day-to-day of being a child of God.  And like parenting, and marriage, there is no step-by-step instruction book for balancing your vocations properly.  At times we will get it right, and at times we will fail.  At times our Old Adam will overcome us – and at times the New Adam will win the day.

But we are not without resources.  God gives us his word and Spirit.  He puts teachers and preachers in our lives to help us make sense of it.  He teaches us through our experiences and even our failures and disciplines us as beloved children. 

But the struggle with sin is a daily struggle and one we won’t be free from until we shed this body of death to the grave and rest in paradise with Christ.  And then in the resurrection we will attain to the full measure of perfection in Christ – glorified like him and seeing him as he is. 

When you succeed – give thanks to God, and take no credit for yourself.  Boast in the Lord but only in the Lord. 

And when you fail.  When you get sucked in to the work and worry of worldliness.  When you lose the forest for the trees, and the true God for the many false gods.  When you forget that it’s all about Jesus and it’s not about you.  Then hear again the voice of Jesus:  Martha, Martha.

Martha, Martha, come hear from Jesus.  Come sit at his feet and rest awhile.  Come hear the comfort of his Gospel, the good news that is always for you.  Come know that your sins are forgiven.  Come hear about the place he’s preparing for you in heaven.  Come place your hope and trust in him, for he cares for you.

“Don’t you care?”  That was part of Martha’s question for Jesus.  Sort of like when he was sleeping in the boat and his disciples woke him amidst the storm, “Don’t you care that we are perishing!”  What gives, Jesus!?

Of course he cares.  And this is why he teaches us.  To show us himself.  His work for us, his promises fulfilled.  This is why he sends pastors and teachers today, who continue to bring us to hear from Jesus, by whom we still sit at his feet.  May they always show us the better part – the one thing needful – the one who cares for us and cared not for himself, even unto death, to win for us the crown of life.

And while we can’t see him or touch him – he’s not under our roof the same as when he came to Martha’s home, still he is here with us.  By his word, but also in this meal – that he prepares for us.  Here at his table, we are his guests.  We are fed.  We are made clean.  And this portion will not be taken from us. 

Martha, Martha, choose the better part.  Yes, you have plenty of work to do, we all do.  But never let anything overshadow your faith in Christ, or keep you from humbly hearing his word, receiving his teaching, his gifts.  And when you get off track, when you go all Martha, he’ll always call you back to be Mary, to sit and receive his good gifts.  For in him – the work is done.  May it be so for us all, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Sermon - Pentecost 4 - Luke 10:1-20

 

Last Sunday we heard from Luke’s Gospel how Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem”.  That is to say, he knew his goal – that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world.  We are called, also, to set our face – to never look back – and to follow Christ who has gone before us.

Along the way, Jesus passed through some Samaritan towns, one of which rejected him (because they didn’t like that he was going to Jerusalem).  Here, today, also, we will see that some individuals (and even whole towns and cities) reject Christ and his preachers, and others receive them gladly. 

And all of this the lectionary readings set before us as we say farewell to one vicar and welcome another – the preaching office is very much on our minds.  The same Jesus who calls workers and preachers back then, still provides for his church today – and we are glad to be a part of that.

So Jesus sends out the 72.  He had previously sent out the 12, also in pairs, for a similar sort of mission.  But now the mission expands.  Some have suggested the number 70 or 72 is meant to evoke the table of nations from Genesis – a sign from Jesus that his Gospel is meant for the whole world.  Certainly we will see this take further form in the book of Acts.

But nonetheless, in the midst of the mission at hand, and in the return of the 72, Jesus lays down several axiomatic principles which have a much wider application – they inform the church of all times and places.  Let’s consider each of these statements in turn:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me, rejects him who sent me.”

And concerning the “success” of their preaching, ‘do not rejoice in this, but rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven”

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

I have to tell you that as a pastor, this saying of Jesus doesn’t always seem to match what we observe in the church.  Sometimes, it seems like the opposite is true.  It seems like there’s a lot of workers, and a lot of work being done.  But very little harvest.  Very little pay-off for all your effort.  You spend years patiently teaching and preaching and serving a congregation, and you are disheartened to see very little outward success.  You see young people forsake their confirmation instruction and vows – and go the way of the world.  All our efforts together seem to be frustratingly ineffective. 

The congregation gets older, smaller, less vigorous, to all outward appearances.  Beloved saints depart and enter into rest, and there never seem to be enough to replace them.  People you thought were faithful turn out to be in the church only for shallow reasons, and they quickly depart when circumstances change.  The smallest conflict with other members makes people jump ship, and carry their grudge as an eternal excuse to be separate themselves from Christ’s flock. 

Patrick and Grace, I need to warn you, especially, that the work of the ministry is hard.  It is not for the faint of heart.  And you will see some of that up close and personal this year as you work among us at Messiah.  There will be frustrations and heartbreaks, it will seem at times the harvest is pitiful for all the work being done.

But these words of Jesus, as all the words of Jesus, are, of course true, nonetheless.  The harvest is plentiful.  God’s word produces results – all the results, all the purposes he declares it will.  Sometimes it’s a word of judgment that stands against the wicked – like Chorazin and Bethsaida – who receive a word of woe, to their ultimate condemnation.  But the harvest of the Gospel is plentiful.  The good news of Christ’s death and resurrection to defeat sin and death – brings a plentiful harvest.  We just can’t always see it. 

Perhaps God defines “plentiful harvest” differently than we do.  After all, angels rejoice in heaven when even one sinner repents.  If that’s so, then every Sunday is a harvest.  How many sinners confess and are forgiven, even here?  How many hungry beggars come and are filled with the heavenly meal of his grace – the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood?  The harvest, you see, is not just the one-time, initial coming-to-faith of an unbeliever.  The harvest is ongoing, and leans toward the final harvest when Christ comes again in glory.  You will see this in effect at this congregation as well.  God will work in spite of you and me, and of all of us – to accomplish his good purposes.

Well if there’s so much harvest, why doesn’t God just send more workers?  Why doesn’t he provide for his church?  Of course he does.  And as this congregation participates in the training of church workers – we get a front row seat.  We get to see God answering our prayers in real time.

But he also calls us to pray for what he already intends to provide – just as he calls us to pray for other things promised like forgiveness of sins and daily bread. 

And prayer also teaches us.  When we pray, we also are formed.  When we pray, we are also directed where to work and serve.  When we pray, our own priorities are aligned with God’s own priorities for the church and for us as Christians. 

Now our second saying from Jesus this morning:  “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me, rejects him who sent me.”

This is a valuable statement both for preachers and hearers.  For preachers, it reminds us that if and when we are rejected – it’s not personal.  It’s not really about us.  If we faithfully preach the word of Christ and are rejected – they are really rejecting Christ and ultimately, the Father. 

And for the hearers of the word – there is an important teaching here, too.  When you hear the word of Christ rightly preached and taught by a called and ordained minister of his word – it’s as if you are hearing from Christ himself.  He who hears you, hears me.  When the pastor forgives your sins in the name of Christ, your sins are just as forgiven as if Jesus himself did it.  When the gospel is preached faithfully, it doesn’t matter what humble and lowly mouthpiece God chooses to do it – that word is still the word of Christ, and it’s as if Christ himself is speaking it.

This brings the Christian great comfort.  Our trust is not in any man, no matter how noble or learned, no matter how eloquent or confident.  Who would want to trust in a sinful man, anyway?  How many have been disappointed and disillusioned by placing their trust in this pastor or that holy man – only to find out later he is a scoundrel?  Obviously we want faithful pastors, but in the end our hope is not in the pastor – the laborer in the field.  Rather, we believe in the Lord of the Harvest, and in his Son to whom the harvest belongs. 

We trust not in the word of man, but in the word of God, which endures forever and will never mislead or disappoint.  And wonder of wonders, that Jesus gives his word to be spoken by, preached by, mere sinful men, and yet that gospel still is the power of God for salvation.  He who hears you, hears me, he says.  And what a wonderful promise this is.

Finally, Jesus gives us instruction at the conclusion of the mission of the 72.  “…do not rejoice in this, but rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.”

They come back on top of the world – for they saw the Gospel have great success.  They wondered at the miracles they were able to perform in his name!  Amazed that in Jesus’ name even the demons had to submit.  What power!  What success!  What cause for rejoicing!

And so Jesus throws a little cold water on their joy, or rather, he re-directs it.  It’s not the spectacular, the outwardly amazing, the visible and measurable successes that should be your true cause for rejoicing. 

Don’t get Jesus wrong, here.  The point is not that we care nothing for the blessings that God gives.  Certainly, we, too, can rejoice to see the church have success, for new births and baptisms, confirmations and the like.  We can rejoice when the Lord provides for the work we do here with generous gifts and when hearts are moved to love and service.  And all that happens, of course.  Once in a while we even see a miracle, something extraordinary and unexplainable apart from the work of God.  In all these things, thanks be to God.  In all these things we rejoice.

But Jesus sets us straight.  All of those little successes and blessings pale in comparison to our true cause for rejoicing – that our names are written in heaven – in the book of life.  That we belong to God in Jesus Christ for eternity.  No earthly success can overshadow that.  And no earthly failure or disappointment can take it away.

Thanks be to God for the gifts he gives – workers for the harvest – the harvest itself – that sinners would hear his word even through the mouths of other sinners he calls and sends to preach.  Thanks be to God that through his Gospel the Holy Spirit applies the blessings of Christ and his cross to people such as you and me.