C:\Documents and Settings\darndt\Desktop\pz\2004-07-18 The Vision Thing.doc - Page 2 of 2
But Mary - like Martha - has heard Jesus; and Mary has caught a vision. She has seen in
Jesus that power that draws her to him. And so, Mary does the unthinkable: she sits down and
begins to listen to the word of Jesus.
Again, that vision, that pearl of great price, and Mary reaches for it, forgetting about
everything that stands in the way. It is courageous, and it is bizarre. People will talk.
So – both Mary and Martha are real people. Courageous, interesting women with
chutzpah who are willing to risk a lot for the chance to be with Jesus. And this might put some
light on the little spat between them. Let’s watch.
As no doubt Jesus has been doing. He’s watched as Martha and Mary, each in turn,
makes her choice - her radical choice. He knows what it means. He supports them in their
choices, too, first by accepting the invitation of a single woman, then by continuing to teach as
Mary sits at his feet and listens. And, in doing both of these things, Jesus himself isn’t acting as a
respectable rabbi would have. He’s rather outrageous himself.
And now Martha comes to Jesus with her little complaint that there is work to be done.
It’s appropriate, and it’s right for Mary to help - as she always has. “And, Jesus, you really
should tell her to help - and now.”
Well, Jesus’ answer to Martha is really kind – probably the most gentle response Jesus
ever gave to someone who is acting like a hypocrite: "One thing is needful," he says to Martha.
Which Martha knows. She has gone to great lengths, and she has taken great risks for that
one thing, that vision she caught, the presence of Jesus in her life. Mary is doing the same thing
(in a different way), and Martha is whining because it’s inconvenient.
So, the real issue isn’t who cooks the meal and sets the table. The real issue is that when
Jesus enters your life, when you catch that vision, it all changes. Life is different. Once you let
him in, some of the old rules and the old patterns don’t work any more. And, along with all the
good that Jesus brings comes the inconvenience – the need to question and reevaluate and
restructure.
And Martha’s mistake is very human. She either assumes that she can invite Jesus into
her home and into her life – and then return to business as usual, with nothing else any different;
or that she will be the one to decide what changes and what doesn’t. I can relate. Maybe you can
too.
But Jesus is clear: it doesn’t work that way. Once we invite him into our lives, once he
becomes a part of things, then - sooner or later - it’s all different. And when we expect, or even
demand, otherwise, as Martha did, we don’t quite get what Jesus is all about. Jesus can be messy.
He’s not like a missing piece of the puzzle that’s otherwise all put together. It’s more like he’s
the piece around which all the others will change.
For Mary and Martha, the way their household works is going to be different. But you
can be pretty sure that more is coming. They are different now. Jesus has been there.
And there is that vision thing.
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