The various Berlitz language books in my library have been challenging me over recent days. Modern Greek for Travellers, Spanish for Travellers, Italian for Travellers, Arabic… I think you get the picture. Each volume is a reminder of many things. Of a pleasant period of time spent in a different culture. Of a clear intention to interact beyond the traditional route of speaking louder and slower. And of a sad reality that despite my initial activity, I recall my shortcomings.
Martha receives Christ into her house. This is a generous act of hospitality. An initial gesture that communicates welcome. Earlier in the same chapter Jesus has been instructing seventy appointed followers on how to journey into every town and place of the area in preparation for his arrival. They were sent as “Lambs among wolves” and on entering a house were to say “Peace be to this house” And if a child of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him…and remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide.” He later tells them that “Those who hear you, hear me, and those who reject you rejects him who sent me.”
Thus, Martha shows that she is one upon whom peace from Christ shall rest as she welcomes him into her home. The refrain from Emily Elliot’s hymn “Thou didst leave thy throne” rings in my ears, “O come to my heart Lord Jesus there is room in my heart for thee.”
The invitation is made and accepted and Jesus enters into her life.
The purchase of travelling language books does not make one an able linguist. They certainly demonstrate a level of intention, and indeed commitment. My memory then fills with the attempt to engage with their content. I learnt the tape for Modern Greek so well I could sing the music and recite the pages poorly and with no real grasp of what was there.
Martha welcomes a guest into her home and then not only ignores him, attempts to use him in the midst of a family dispute over chores. Crucially Martha welcomes God into her home, and whilst her sister Mary then sits and listens to him, Martha despite her good intentions tries to ensure that her version of life is heard by him rather than the evidence that he sees. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
In this moment Jesus shows to us all that simply welcoming him to be present within the ambit of our life and our immediate identity is not sufficient. We need to recognise that his presence changes everything. We must remember our manners and listen to him, and not continue as if he is simply a further chore in our lives to be completed. I can almost her Martha muttering, “As if I haven’t enough to do today, but he has arrived, and don’t get me wrong its nice to have him here, but I have things to do and he needs feeding and I don’t have the time or the energy to be able to just drop everything and listen.” Anxious and troubled about many things.
St Luke places this domestic incident between two other instances that together enable us to realise that to understand the gift of eternal life, we need to ensure that we engage with the immediacy of life.
Immediately before entering Martha’s home Jesus is confronted by a lawyer who asks “What shall I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus replies with the great two commandments of Judaism to Love God and Love neighbour. “The lawyer wishing to justify himself asks ‘Who is my neighbour?’” This leads to the parable of the good Samaritan and the challenge from Jesus as to who proved to be a neighbour and the lawyer replies “The one who showed mercy” and Christ concludes, “Go and do likewise.”
Then after Martha’s house Jesus is praying and the disciples come and say “Teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Luke then has Jesus not only teaching what we call the Lord’s prayer but exploring the very nature of prayer itself.
In all three of these incidents, the Lawyer, Martha and the disciples there is an initial positive move by the people towards Jesus. However, all three seem to forget their manners, and as we all recall in the maxim of William of Wykham, “Manners maketh man.” The lawyer seeks to justify himself, Martha gets distracted by all that is needed to be done and the disciples want Jesus to perform like another person.
It is only Mary who simply sits at his feet and listens to the Lord, she hears him and the one who sent him, unencumbered by seeking to either explain herself, demonstrate herself or improve herself.
This is quite a challenge to me, and maybe to you too. My language books point to good intentions and indeed initial actions, but for whatever reasons I know how I fell short. I failed to fully inhabit the culture and identity that they could open up for me and instead of being shaped and formed in a new way I reverted to type and did not progress.
Coming to Jesus with questions, no matter how noble or profound only is of value if we then listen to what he says. Welcoming Jesus into our lives will only have an impact if we then engage with what having him present with us brings. Asking Jesus for systems of prayer will only work if we then recognise what the gift of the Holy spirit will do to who we are.
First steps are of course essential. Engaging with Christ, welcoming him into the heart of our home, and indeed identifying as being one of his disciples. All of these are crucial. However, they all will be akin to my language books, markers of failed good intentions unless we stop and sit at the Lord’s feet and listen. Cease our trying to justify ourselves, of forcing our agenda and arguments onto him, no matter what the good reasons we might think we hold, and realise that he is more than a good teacher. He is the one who gives to us an engagement and interaction with the very heart of God. And that if we realise this, our whole being is transformed and so too are our lives.