Which is the better part? (Lk 10:38-42)

          When it comes to the Martha and Mary story, too bad we don’t get the rest of the story.  The rest of the story has Martha taking Jesus at his word that Mary has chosen the better part.  Martha interprets this to mean that she too ought to listen to Jesus instead of preparing the meal.  So, she stops what she is doing, sits down beside Mary, and listens to Jesus as he teaches.  Then, when Jesus is finished, he looks to Martha and says, “What’s for dinner?”  Martha says, “Nothing—I have been listening to you the whole time.”  We can well imagine how a hungry Jesus would now respond to Martha.

          The rest of the story shows that following Jesus is not a way to avoid doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done.  When Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part, he does not mean that serving others is somehow at odds with being his disciple, or that being his disciple is a good excuse for avoiding work.  For, serving others is the principle way to follow him, even at great personal cost.  This is exactly the point that Jesus makes with the story of the Good Samaritan.

          Nor does Jesus mean that pragmatic concerns are trivial matters that take a back seat to discipleship.  Jesus was not trivializing what Martha was doing in light of what Mary was doing.  Martha was serving others and this is precisely what Jesus came to do—I came to serve, not to be served, he tells us.  And, he urges us to do the same—whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me; feed the hungry, clothe the naked. The very life and mission of Jesus shows that serving others out of love is the fundamental meaning and guiding principle of discipleship.

          If Mary was not avoiding her responsibilities and Martha was not engaged in trivial matters, then what does Jesus mean when he says that Mary has chosen the better part?  The clue is in his very response to Martha.  Jesus does not address WHAT Martha and Mary are doing.  Rather, Jesus speaks to HOW they are doing it.  Jesus speaks to their attitudes. 

          As for Mary, we can be sure that she was not being insensitive to her houseguests.  She herself was a guest because Martha owned the house in which she and her brother Lazarus were living.  Thus, Mary would have been aware of what needed to be done to serve a meal and how she would have been expected to help.  And yet, she risked personal criticism from her guests and from her sister Martha to serve the one guest she thought deserved her undivided attention—Jesus.  Mary listens to him teach for her own spiritual good and without regard to the momentary cost to herself.  She did so with peace and confidence.  You might say that Mary acted out of love for Jesus. It is in this sense that Mary chose the better part. 

          Martha, on the other hand, seems to be acting out of a sense of duty.  Carrying out our duties is important of course, but when that is our only motive, we know what usually comes from that attitude.  Not surprisingly, Martha felt put upon and abandoned, alone in her efforts to please her guests.  She felt that Jesus did not notice or even care how hard she was working.  Because she is so troubled and upset about the situation, she complains to Jesus. 

          We all can relate to Martha.  She felt much the way we feel at times, especially when we do things for others only out of a sense of duty and they don’t even notice.  We hope to please them, but we often get the feeling they don’t really care. We then feel put upon and abandoned.  Whether we complain or not, we usually feel troubled and upset that no one appreciates how hard we work.  Perhaps we are not even sure that we did the right thing, and so we talk with someone about the situation.  It can be a bitter pill when that person tells us that acting out of a sense of duty alone rather than a sense of love rarely brings peace and a sense of joy. 

          We can also relate to Mary.  We too have chosen to do what we thought was the right thing to do despite the criticism and trouble that we knew would surely come our way.  We were aware of how others would interpret what we did, and yet, we come away feeling at peace and confident that we have done the right thing.  Thus, we are willing to put up with the cost to ourselves because we know that we have chosen the better part.         

          We can take comfort in the way that Jesus speaks to Martha’s attitude.  His response to her complaint is a clear show of sympathy, not judgment.  Jesus expresses his concern for Martha in her efforts to serve her guests.  As a true friend, however, he reminds her that acting out of love rather than a sense of duty is the better way to peace.  At times, we too need to be reminded that answering our call to love is the better part. 

How Many Will Be Saved? (Lk 13:22-30)

           The question put to Jesus about whether only a few will be saved is not all that surprising.  On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus had been talking to the people about salvation in terms of repentance, love, mercy and forgiveness.  Jesus shows how important these qualities are in relation to the kingdom of God when he heals a woman on the Sabbath, even though this seems to go against the Mosaic Law.  Jesus does this on the Sabbath because it is the right thing to do.  In this way, he demonstrates that love and compassion are the heart of the Mosaic Law.  He also shows that love takes priority over ritual and custom as a moral guide and means of salvation.

          To further illustrate his point, Jesus then compares the kingdom of God to the tiny mustard seed that eventually grows into a large tree.  He provides yet another comparison of the kingdom to the small amount of yeast that eventually leavens the whole batch of dough.  The aim of these comparisons is to show that the kingdom of God starts out small and grows into fruition over time with small acts of love.  Indeed, this entire discussion that Jesus has with the people is meant to show that the kingdom of God is inclusive—it is about salvation for all who are invited to come through the gate with the keys of love and mercy. 

          This is the point at which the gospel for today picks up the story.  Apparently not everyone in the crowd is convinced that salvation is for all.  For, at this point someone asks Jesus whether only a few people will be saved.  There is an interesting psychology in putting the question this way.  The person does not ask how can I be saved, or will I be saved, or will many be saved.  He only asks whether a few will be saved.  It’s as if the person is already sure of his own salvation.  Since he follows Jesus and hangs on his every word, he must be a shoo-in.  What he isn’t sure of is how many others will be joining him.  He really wants to know if the kingdom of God is an exclusive club for the elite, like him.  Had he been truly bold and forthright, he might have asked Jesus, will only a few be saved with me? 

          Clearly, Jesus is not taken in by this clever psychology, because he does not give the expected response.  Instead, he begins his answer with an instruction.  Jesus begins by telling the person to “Strive to enter through the narrow gate...”  This suggests that you can’t enter the kingdom puffed up with pride and self-indulgence.  Jesus conveys this instruction with a sense of urgency—soon the door will be closed—and with a need for strength—many will try but will not be strong enough—and with a warning—there will be agony when you see yourself cast out.  The message is clear.  The person who asks about the few who will be saved ought not to worry about where others stand in relation to himself.  Rather, Jesus challenges him to think about where he stands in relation to the kingdom. 

          It is only after this sober challenge that Jesus actually answers the question, and the answer he gives suggests that many will be saved.  Jesus says that “people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”  This parallels today’s reading from Isaiah: “They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD…to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD.”  Thus, Jesus makes it clear that salvation is for everyone.  Salvation is our destiny.  As to whether there are some who will not be saved, Jesus never reveals—it is apparently none of our business.

          The lesson is easy to forget.  It is also easy to forget at times that Jesus is the narrow gate through which we enter the kingdom of God.  For, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:10).  The love and mercy of Jesus is the way to eternal life. 

          Following Jesus into eternal life means that we imitate his love and mercy, we adopt his attitude, we live in his Spirit, and we do his works.  Jesus provides many examples of how we can do this.  One familiar example is the Sermon on the Mount.  From this, we learn the attitude of Jesus.  We learn that we don’t need to solve all the problems of the world.  All he asks of us is to reach out in love to those in need whom we encounter in our own lives.  Yet, another example is the parable about the sheep and the goats.  From this parable, we learn that doing his works out of love for others is the same as doing it for him.  This is how we learn that Jesus is in others as much as he is in us.   

          The challenge is to apply these examples in our own lives.  Jesus leaves the details up to us.  By following his example, each of us learns how to promote justice, how to be a peacemaker, how to show mercy.  Each of us decides how to feed the hungry, how to clothe the naked, how to visit the sick and the imprisoned.  The example of Jesus shows that the kingdom of God is built on the foundation of small acts of love.

          Jesus doesn’t promise that it will always be easy to follow him or even to interpret his message.  Jesus shows us the way, and doesn’t ask us to do anything that he has not already done.  Indeed, Jesus calls us to follow him by taking up our cross every day in a spirit of self-denial and a life lived for others.  The Holy Spirit is our guide and our helper.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd leading us home.  With the Lord as our Shepherd, there is nothing we shall want.  With love as our shield, there is nothing we shall fear.