Sermon: Room for One Another
Scripture Text: Luke 10:38-42
Quotes for Reflection
F. Scott Spencer, Luke
[Jesus'] double “Martha, Martha” reflects sensitivity, not hostility (she and sister Mary are the only women Luke’s Jesus calls by name). He then conveys his loving concern by exposing the emotional roots of her ministerial angst. He never rebukes her [ministerial] action (how could he, since service constitutes the core of his own work?), but instead gently chides her attitude of excessive worry or anxiety and “inner turmoil” over getting everything done (Luke 10:41).
Earlier, Jesus warned about the potential of anxious cares that choke the divine word (Luke 8:14). Martha, who takes Jesus’s word quite seriously, runs the risk of stifling that word through her frustration over a worthy goal of hospitality. Simply put, it is hard to hear the Lord’s word clearly and respond to it faithfully when consumed with worry.
N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone
We would be wrong, then, to see Martha and Mary, as they have so often been seen, as models of the 'active' and the 'contemplative' styles of spirituality. Action and contemplation are of course both important. Without the first, you wouldn't eat; without the second, you wouldn't worship. And no doubt some people are called to one kind of balance between them, and others to another. But we cannot escape the challenge of this passage by turning it into a comment about different types of Christian lifestyle. It is about the boundary-breaking call of Jesus. As he goes up to Jerusalem, he leaves behind him towns, villages, households, and individuals who have glimpsed a new vision of the kingdom, and for whom life will never be the same again. God grant that as we read his story, the same will be true of us.
Application Questions
1. What might Jesus be inviting you to receive from Him, and what might He be inviting you to do in response? What fear, anxiety, or obstacle might be keeping you from taking either step?
2. Who comes to mind when you consider neighbors, coworkers, or friends in your circle of influence? How could they benefit from your peaceful hospitality in a distracted world?