Sermon by Mike Stutso, Deason In Training, 7/17/2022, Luke 10:38-42
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Y’all come on back now hear! No, I’m not here to talk about my southern upbringing. But if you really look at this reading you will see two stories, which we will talk about. You know I enjoy buy one and get one free sales and that’s what we’ll get today with this Gospel, hospitality and teaching. That’s why I started with my southern hospitality statement, that us southern folks are known for not to say that it doesn’t happen in the north.
But first let’s start with vs.38, “As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.”
Let me ask you something with that opening statement if you read only that, what has it told you? It left me thinking where is the; who, what, when, why, and where?
I realized that Luke wasn’t telling me much here so as I did what I do with every sermon it was time to do some research and I found my answers in the Gospel of John.
First off who was the “disciples”? Well earlier Luke 10:17 states that the 70 had just returned before this reading. Remember Jesus sent the disciples out in groups of two to care for people and cast out demons. But what is very important Jesus talks of hospitality and if they are not welcomed, knock off the dust and move on down the road. So, we can see that hospitality was important in the ancient traditions of the Hebrew people to offer kindness to strangers.
How do y’all think it might go today if someone knocked at your door asking for food and a place to rest for the evening? I think most people would tell them where the nearest McDonalds and Holiday Inn is located; we might even give them directions.
So, we are left with how many and who are the “disciples”, because we know Jesus didn’t travel alone from what I’ve seen in scripture, except to pray or the 40 days in the wilderness. So, is it 12, 82 or 100 people with him, we just know it was “disciples” were on their way, now, where is this certain village?
Again, in John 11:1-3, 12:1-3, the village is Bethany which is approximately two miles (or 3km for y’all who live by the metric system) from Jerusalem, which Jesus has a prearranged engagement with a big cross. Next it says Martha welcomed him into her home, well we should all realize that the homes back then were small and I’m not sure how many people would fit in one, but she was polite and hospitable and welcomed Jesus. I guess he might have told them, you wait here, and I’ll see about some doggie bags for y’all. We just don’t know what really happened and I don’t know anyone personally that was there.
Now the story continues, and it talks about Mary now, but before we go there, where is Lazarus? Remember in John11:17-44, Jesus was at that house (I presume it was the same house, although some scholars are unsure) and raised Lazarus from the dead, this is the same house that Mary anointed Jesus’ feet and used her hair to wipe his feet in John 12:1-3. We all know how that story goes that Judas was not happy that they could have used that money on the poor not oil on Jesus’ feet. So, I’m thinking Jesus knew them because it speaks in the Bible of his love for them.
I know it can be confusing at times that is why I use the Hermeneutical approach of putting myself in the text both before and after the story that I’ll be preaching on. This is how theologians have been figuring this out for us for 2,000 years. So technically, this text could have read, Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem and stopped to rest in Bethany at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Now that tells me something, what about y’all? The NRSV even tells less than the reading in today’s bulletin, it uses “He” and “they” not Jesus and disciples.
Now we are introduced to Mary who sits at Jesus’ feet to hear Jesus talk and preach. This does not sit well with Martha who is showing kindness and hospitality as expected. She is busy getting things ready for Jesus, in other words she is multi-tasking, most of us know exactly how that goes we do it all the time. It’s not like we look forward to it, but it is part of life to entertain, and a little help can go a long way. Maybe Martha would like to relax and join the conversation and hear Jesus preach even if she might be a workaholic. Martha is between a rock and a hard spot she doesn’t want to abandon her guest, but she is getting herself all worked up and goes to Jesus because she has had enough.
So, she confronts Jesus and basically says tell my sister to get up off her lazy derriere and help me. You know when I was growing up, when my parents talked, I jumped if not mom would be out back getting a switch from a weeping willow tree and light up the back of my legs. I can guarantee you I’d be in that kitchen in a split second.
Now please notice that when Martha talks to Jesus, she calls him “Lord”, now what does she know that the disciples fail to see? We all know Jesus didn’t talk about who he is, in fact he was always telling people do not talk about what you have seen, but Martha nailed it, she knows. Jesus does not give Martha the answer she wants to hear, Jesus basically tells her to chill out, don’t get yourself all worked up, you are overloading your plate.
Then Jesus makes a major statement “There is need of only one thing”. Jesus has just said, Yes, I am fully human and need nourishment, but I am the same person who was in the wilderness for 40 days without food. So, thank you for your kindness and hospitality, but this visit is a spiritual Godly visit to feed your soul which will last a lot longer than food. Why? Because I am on my way to fulfil scripture by dying for the sins of the world in Jerusalem and Mary has chosen the better part today.
Today I spoke about kindness and hospitality which I see in the two most important commandments to love God and our neighbors as ourselves, so think about it the next time you have guest, if you treat them like your own blood family then you are on your way to doing what Jesus asked of us.
And y’all come on back now hear?
AMEN