Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Many people have allowed themselves to get worked up about this reading over the years. Feminists point to it being an example of chauvanism. Others have said it as an example of Jesus being unfair and unequal in His treatment of His followers. But the primary reason that theologians give as explanation of this reading is that they say it is meant to describe the difference between the active life (Martha) being of service, and making sacrifices for others, versus the contempletive life (Mary), communing with God, and setting Him at the center of your life.

I used to think that that last one was the obviously correct one, but recently in a Bishop Baron commentary and learned that while it is that, it is also more than that. What I have now come to understand is that this passage is telling us is that the goal of our lives, the thing that we were made for, is to make every aspect of our lives an act of communion with God. When we do our chores do it with God, when we do our work, do it for God, and when we study and pray place God at the very center of our worship. One of the church fathers summarized it like this: “we must do the works of Martha but in the spirit of Mary.”

But it should not go unnoticed that Mary was breaking the rules of social decorum in this moment. By sitting at Jesus’ feet as He was teaching, she was taking the role of man, and abandoning her duties of helping manage the household. Mary had completely renounced her pride, she recognized Jesus for who He was and because her need to be near Him she accepted the shame of being out of place socially. Martha on the other hand, was consumed by her responsibilities and allowed her pride to cloud what was actually the most important thing at that moment.

I like to imagine that if Martha had sat at Jesus’ feet as well, the story would have ended differently. Please understand that Jesus is not, and would not ever say that the meal was not important. The entire old testament is full of stories of shared meals. When God made a covenant with the great patriarchs they would share a meal. When He saved them from slavery in egypt, that act began with a meal. In fact, every meal that we share with family and friends is, in small part, a renewal of all of those covenants. I suspect that if Martha had sat with her sister and listened to what Jesus had to say, that after He was done they would have all gotten up and made the meal together.

And that is what I think the point is for us today. We are all called to sit at His feet and to listen to Him teach, whether it is in the form of study or prayer, or in the chores and work of our daily lives. This is how we commune with God and listen to what He has teach us today. And so we must reflect every day, in everything we do, on what Jesus is calling us to, in each and every moment of our lives? His truth demands a response from us…, what will you do? Will you sit at His feet despite all of the consequence? Or will you only go so far, and then fall back into your pride, and focus instead on the things of this world? This is the question that God is calling you to answer right now.

We are given this time and these moments of our lives to figure all this out, to learn to choose the “better part” and to do the “works of Martha but in the spirit of Mary.” And after we die, if we have properly learned these lessons, and if we are blessed to be with Him in Heaven, then we will all be sitting at His feet and listening to His wisdom and knowledge, and adoring the Lord God in this same way for all eternity. That is a dream that I can hope for, will you join me?

Please lord help me today to reject the trials and tribulations of this world, and choose you instead.