. They appeared to have no occupation. Javascript is required for this site to function. But whatever the final verdict, her translation and interpretation should, at the very least, reinforce the importance of paying very close attention to biblical texts and exploring multiple possibilities. If we do not, we are sure to find ourselves stressed, overworked and resentful. Staring Lori Frederick as Mary, Cindy Holmstrom as Martha and Jennifer Holmstrom... A modern day version of Mary and Martha found in the Bible in Luke 10:38-41. These 2 sisters lived in Bethany along with their brother Lazarus. As a working woman, wife, mom, sister, friend, Christian and so much more I know your, Worry will cost you more than you want to pay but there is a better way. Martha was worried about a lot and Jesus does not deny this. Jesus addressed her with affection and compassion. She noticed that her sister Mary … In her presentation, Hanson said that: “Sitting at the feet,” as in Acts 22:3, is the traditional vocabulary of discipleship. The phone rings, but she is so engrossed in what she is reading that she fails to notice. The Divine Feminine Version of this passage also made a point of using the word “ministry.” But Hanson goes much further. Martha and I have learned that we can choose trusting God over worry. Mary listens to Jesus. The four weren't just acquaintances; they were close friends. Never mind if there are jelly blobs turning crusty on the … She translates tēn agathēn merida (literally, “the good portion”) not superlatively (as in “the best portion”) but rather positively (as in “a good thing”; cf. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. The Old Interpretation. Revisiting Martha and Mary | And why do we do what we do? : 972-2-2799291. As close to Jesus as possible. Although we meet Martha and Mary in the latter part of Jesus’ ministry, the dialog in this account indicates that a close relationship has already been established. Mary and Martha are two sisters with incredibly different focuses. You see Jesus had stopped by to visit. It was Martha who filled his hungry belly. Tel. So I’m wondering if Martha was just as surprised as I was at Jesus’ response. There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Whether all of Hanson’s arguments will prevail remains to be seen. If I had to choose a character in the Bible that I am the most like it would be Martha. But Martha was constantly torn apart concerning much ministry. (Read the paper online by clicking here.) Mary is already acquainted with Jesus’ teaching and desires to be His student. When Lazarus was sick, the sisters sent word to Jesus, “The one whom you love is sick.” (They don’t directly ask him to come to them.) “Sitting at the feet,” as in Acts 22:3, is the traditional vocabulary of discipleship. Martha comes in and looks at her younger sister and with great disgust picks … Remember those old Motel 6 commercials where they told us the viewer that we are always welcome and that they would leave the light on for us? With a history dating from 1973, we are an international organization of women and men who believe that the Bible supports the equality of the sexes. However, Jesus points out a very important lesson that can turn the worst of worriers into sincere worshippers. You have entered an incorrect email address! Mary knew true hospitality is always in style. Tell her to help me.' Martha then approaches Jesus and points out that Mary is not helping her. His response was one of loving correction. Martha and Mary. After all, if Jesus could feed the 4,000 (Matthew 15:32-39) and the 5,000 (Matthew 14:14-21), then certainly He could handle supper for a house full of people. https://theprayingwoman.com/confessions-of-a-modern-day-martha He is the author of. We are inclusive. 'Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her' Luke x … Mary and Martha. This is a helpful way to help kids relate the lesson to modern life. The Gospels record that Jesus felt comfortable in the home of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. “My dear Martha, you are so upset over these details. Jesus and Nicodemus—Spiritual Direction or Verbal Sparring? All the text explicitly states is that Jesus entered a village and was welcomed by Martha. Jesus’s statement in Luke 10:42 has often struck me as being completely at odds with his own words twelve chapters later. Is The Bible a Divine Revelation or Human Book—or Both? CFT publishes original content. Jesus said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. taking the humanity of the Bible seriously in no way undercuts it message, nor should it result in fear that the Bible will lose its power or meaning if we recognize that people wrote it in specific times and places with specific points of view. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. So she ignores tradition, she breaks social etiquette, and she presses closer. Maybe that’s the problem, Martha thought. Tell her therefore that she may give me a hand.”, But the Lord answered her saying, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and agitated concerning much, but only one thing is needed: For Mary has chosen good and it will not be taken away from her.”. At November’s annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta, Georgia, she read a thought-provoking paper titled “Mary of Bethany: Her Leadership Uncovered”? She wanted to serve Jesus but she wanted to do it her way and we see that leads to stress and worry. Thin air? But I’m among you as one who serves (Luke 22:26,27, DFV). Even the times Mary had actually tried to help, it didn’t seem to be with the same rigor and passion or with the same attention to detail as Martha. Our writer's guidelines are here. She came to Jesus and said, 'Do You see that my sister is not helping me? Martha is concerned that Mary sits and listens to their guest rather than serving. In the same way, I know you have a lot on your plate. Open: Apr-Sep 8-11.25am, 2-6pm, Oct-Mar 8-11.25am, 2-5pm . If I’m honest I have to tell you that worry is probably one of my biggest struggles. Martha wants Jesus to deliver a message to Mary when he encounters her in his travels, asking her to return and assist Martha in the village ministry. The New Perspective, p. 31). Finally, Hanson proposes an alternative translation of verse 42. She cooked and she cleaned. Feeling compassion for Martha, He reassuringly says, “Martha, Martha … you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. They should help us but not enslave us. Martha has developed a comfortable relationship with Jesus, which is evident by the directness of her speech to Him. According to Hanson, since “sitting at the feet” is a figurative description rather than a literal one, Mary is not necessarily physically seated before Jesus’s feet while Martha addresses him. Characters Mary Martha Script Scene 1 (SETTING: A bed and breakfast establishment. (Wipf & Stock), 2013. Christina Patterson is a wife and stay-at-home mom. Martha's openness with Christ seems to indicate a prior acquaintance, but whatever the case, this day Mary chose to let someone else do the serving so she could do some listening. It doesn’t seem fair. MODERN MARY & MARTHA IN DIALOGUE. Only a few things are important, even just one. Jesus was their friend and their guest. This skit takes the Bible story of Mary & Martha and brings it into a contemporary setting. A Provocative Representation of The Divine Feminine: Eric Drooker’s “Crucifixion”, Remembering EEWC-CFT Member Marillia Hinds, The Andrea Yates Tragedy: Three Commentaries, No Longer Trapped: Insights on Spiritual Abuse Recovery. Either way, there are great lessons to learn from these sisters. It isn't every day God visits your house. Please enable it in your browser settings and refresh this page. And yet, in Luke 10:42, it appears that Jesus tells Martha just the opposite. The funny thing is when I first read this text I was cheering Martha on. We welcome you. It was Martha who opened up her home to Jesus, offering the radical hospitality that he talked about. When I Hear “Traditional Family Values” . The crux of Hanson’s argument, however, involves verse 39. While Martha is struggling to keep up with the local village ministry, Mary is traveling around ministering abroad. Furthermore, Martha was wrong in her judgment of Mary. Christian Feminism TodayPO Box 78171 Indianapolis, IN 46278, USA317.721.3660, Mark M. Mattison is an independent writer and scholar. However, by God’s, So trust me when I tell you if God can help me, He can certainly help you. Read what modern writers say about Martha & Mary. If everyone sat around talking all day, where would dinner come from? Mary has already discovered it. Narrator: It started as a typical day at the home of Mary and Martha. Sitting around discussing doctrine is better than doing the dishes. Proverbs 16:9 tells us “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” God is in control of everything. So both Martha and Mary are known as “sitters at the feet” or disciples of Jesus. While Martha busied herself fulfilling the duties of a hostess, her sister Mary sat and listened to the Lord. Can Hagar’s Name for God, El Ro’ee, Help Bring Christians, Jews, and Muslims Together? I’m grateful that in today’s world, we can “have it all”; we can have careers and families—but this also worries me. Jesus loved these three and found warmth and comfort to go to their home and visit. Martha … Martha asked Jesus to tell her sister to get busy helping her, but Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen wisely, reflecting her love for Jesus. . Martha provides the ministry of making space. Such words in front of other guests were certain to humiliate Mary. But, this has been and continues to be the dividing line among contemporary Christians. Martha was worried about a lot and Jesus does not deny this. July 22, 2007. by Pastor Laura Gentry. The primary takeaway from the traditional interpretation of Mary and Martha is the importance of putting “first things first.” In other words, crumbs under the sofa cushions are a sign of correct priorities. Martha addresses Jesus directly in Luke 10:40 because Mary, again according to Hanson, isn’t even there. Everyone is welcome to pursue biblical studies, women as well as men. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to all He said. But this reading seems to fly in the face of common sense, not to mention Jesus’s own teaching. Maybe Martha had already asked Mary to help, and she ignored her. Worry will cost you more than you want to pay but there is a better way. Martha was working hard getting the supper ready. Learn how your comment data is processed. I do not own any of it Jesus commends Mary by rebuking Martha. Please contact the website administrator with questions. Mary and Martha have another encounter with Jesus in the gospel of John (see John 11). To his own master he stands or falls” (Romans 14:4). Jesus is said to be admonishing us to cut housekeeping … “Who are you to judge another’s servant? Martha either gave no thought to the hurtful effect of her words on her sister, or she simply didn’t care. But Mary chose the better part, Her Saviour's words refreshed her heart; While busy Martha angry grew, And lost her time and temper too. Hanson raises important questions about the traditional reading. An important one is the translation of diakonia as “ministry” instead of “service” in verse 40. How to Help a Victim of Domestic Violence, When Evangelicals Were Open to Differing Views on Abortion. So trust me when I tell you if God can help me, He can certainly help you. It was a special gift, not an everyday item, but it showed they were people of means. A woman named Martha and her sister Mary lived there. The anointing at Bethany: John 12:1-8 . Why should the theologian be “better” than the one who serves the food? Who is greater, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? These activities are about this event in Jesus' ministry. But the passage doesn’t state that any other disciples were present. In this passage, she invites Jesus to her house as a token of her love for him. This is a figurative description, not literal. We read in Luke 10:38-42 that she invited Jesus into her home but soon became distracted with all the preparations that had to be made. Calling God “She” — It’s Just Another Pronoun! . Prayer and Devotional Blogs For Christian Women. This translation involves several key arguments. Martha had a sister named Mary. On the one hand, Jesus’s commendation of Mary unambiguously empowers women. She is the founder of Beloved Women, Inc., a non-profit providing resources and community for women to truly know who they are in Christ. Jesus tells her: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Perhaps Martha started her day staring out her window; she had heard that Jesus was in a nearby town, and she eagerly anticipated his arrival. The principle in both the same, Produced in each a different aim; The one to feast the Lord was led, The other waited to be fed. Are you willing to choose faith over worry? Luke 10:38-42 has long troubled me. Martha was “distracted with much serving,” and complained about her sister to the Lord. The house of Simon the Leper, which is known by locals as the Tower of Lazarus, is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Church. We have a choice. Gender-Bending Rhetorical Strategies in the Odes of Solomon, St. Lydia's: A Dinner Church in Brooklyn, NY > Blog, Martha and Mary and the "One Thing" – Universalist Recovery Church. Martha opened her home to Jesus but she did not completely open her heart. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:41-42. We can choose to surrender to God over trying to control everything that we can’t control in the first place. It reiterates the thesis of her book, The New Perspective on Mary and Martha: Do Not Preach Mary and Martha Again Until You Read This! She then takes it a step further and commands Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Martha was the one who provided the space for Mary’s encounter with Jesus to happen. (We’ll never know.) Unauthorized duplication or reproduction of the material on this website, without express written permission, is prohibited. In the same way, I know you have a lot on your plate. Luke 10:38-42 Jesus and His friends came to a town called Bethany. Are we as feminists not simply buying into another of our culture’s lies, the promise of ever-more, of consumption and waste, of degradation and disposal?". Of course. They lived not too far from the city of Jerusalem in a town called Bethany. Jesus had three friends who were sisters with their brother: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. With hundreds of articles and reviews on the Christian Feminism Today website we suggest using the search function above if you are looking for something specific. In other words, Mary’s choice of ministering abroad isn’t necessarily better than Martha’s choice of ministering to the village; Mary’s choice of itinerant ministry is equally good. Javascript not detected. Luke 10:38-42. In Luke 10:38-42, we meet a familiar friend. This important difference can be illustrated by comparing the New American Standard Bible with the King James Version of verse 39: “She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.”, “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.”. Administered by: Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Given Jesus’s words in Luke 22:27, I’ve often wondered why Luke didn’t say that Jesus got up to serve. “Be a Mary, not a Martha,” the saying goes. The New Perspective, p. 27). Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Our to-do-lists are not here to control us and stress us out. Jesus’s disciples—that is, those who learn from him and study under him (or in modern terms, those who “study theology”)—are not limited to men. Here she was doing all the necessary work, so she thought, and Mary and Jesus are over here enjoying some small talk. There, Jesus’s disciples “got into an argument about which of them should be considered the greatest” (Luke 22:24, DFV). While Mary soaks in the moments with Jesus, Martha can't think past the cooking and cleaning. However, on one occasion there surfaces from the heart and lips of Martha an intense … Jesus replied that: the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. There is a better choice. © 2015 by Mark M. Mattison and Christian Feminism Today, […] A New View of Mary and Martha: https://eewc.com/new-view-mary-martha/ […], […] Mattison, Mark M., “A New View of Mary and Martha,” Christian Feminism Today, 2015, https://eewc.com/new-view-mary-martha/, accessed […]. Each time she had walked past Mary during dinner, Martha tried to get her attention, but to no avail. This is a figurative description, not literal. The Christian Feminism Today website is published by the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus, a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt organization. This reading of Luke 10:38-42, however, has been strongly challenged by Mary Stromer Hanson. Skit: Marty and Mabel (a modern-day Martha and Mary story) January 25, 2014 by Felicia Mollohan. Her name is Martha, and she also had a priority problem. The oldest house in present-day al-Eizariya, a 2,000-year-old dwelling reputed to have been (or which at least serves as a reminder of) the House of Martha and Mary, is also a popular pilgrimage site. A modern day look at the lives of Mary and Martha, set in a quaint bed and breakfast establishment in the 21st century. Isn’t it the one who sits at the table? Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Oct 13, 2013 - This is text from the beginners bible stories. It was like Mary didn’t care about serving at all! Martha and I have learned that we can choose, If I’m honest I have to tell you that worry is probably one of my biggest struggles. . For example, we assume that Jesus and twelve other tired, hungry men showed up on Mary and Martha’s doorstep unannounced. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This frustrated Martha. But Mary could afford to buy a very expensive perfume called nard. Jesus visits Martha and Mary: Luke 10:38-42. However, countless sermons on this passage include a troubling dark side. (He must have been considerably younger for Martha to be the owner of the house.) (Mary & Martha enter and are busy working). I completely understand where she was coming from and the resentment that builds as you work so hard while feeling like you have no help. Mary was happy serving basic meals with no entertainment or pretty … Mary and Martha lived in the town of Bethany; just a couple of miles east of Jerusalem. Martha became so agitated that Mary was not helping her that she took it to the Lord and she was surprised when He did not say much. In that gospel, we find out that they had a brother named Lazarus. They invited Jesus to come to their home. Modern Day Martha TX, United States I am teacher interested in math, science and technology, diehard Nebraska Cornhusker fan, faithful Catholic, … . For the adventurous and those inclined to browse, all the articles on the site are listed on this page in order of publication. In fact, the ensuing conversation includes only two people: Martha and Jesus. She had a sister called Mary, who also was one who sat at the Lord’s feet, always listening to his words. She suddenly approached him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister regularly leaves me to minister alone? Hello The Praying Woman readers, We’ve received quite a few emails from our readers asking why our posts are no longer…. Before considering possible implications, read Hanson’s translation of Luke 10:38-42, found on pages 31 and 32 in her book: As they were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha received him. She assumed Mary was being lazy. In Luke 22, it’s better to serve than to sit and be served, but in Luke 10, it seems better to sit than to serve. As a working woman, wife, mom, sister, friend, Christian and so much more I know your life is full. However, by God’s grace it is also one of the areas in my life I have seen the most growth and strength as I choose what is better more and more. Mary is sitting at a desk reading her Bible. We can choose to see what’s really most important in our lives over becoming distracted by the less important. All articles, reviews, and posts on CFT should be understood to represent the views of the author of each work, and not official positions of the organization. Martha of Bethany (Hebrew: מַרְתָּא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John.Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem.She was witness to Jesus resurrecting her brother, Lazarus We can plan and schedule but we must trust God with how things turn out. We are Christian feminists. So both Martha and Mary are known as “sitters at the feet” or disciples of Jesus. While Martha is struggling to keep up with the local village ministry, Mary is traveling around ministering abroad. Martha her love and joy expressed By care to entertain her guest; While Mary sat to hear her Lord, And could not bear to lose a word. I propose a new look at the sisters—a look that goes far beyond the tale of a “Mary” trying to fit into a “Martha” world. They had a house large enough to accommodate many people, as their hospitality to Jesus and his group of friends shows. Her sister, Mary, on the other hand sat at Jesus’ feet while He taught.
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