Luke 10:38-42 introduces two characters, Martha and Mary. John associates these names with the sisters of Lazarus (John 11) and puts their home at Bethany. Luke however tells the story as Filipinos would of "si Pedro at si Juan"1 -- names aren't important, the message is. "Mary" and "Martha" were names that were already well known in his community because of their association with the disciples. Luke does not mention them in the list found in Luke 8:1-3; the list was not meant to be comprehensive: it was intended to show that Jesus had female associates.
The pericope is placed after the episode of a teacher of the Law asking "Who is my neighbor?". Among the first century Christians -- as among their Jewish counterparts --hospitality was an important service to the neighbor and so the story of the Lord being welcomed to the home of two sisters in contrast to the Samaritans who did not grant him passage in Luke 9:53 and in consonance with the Lord's statement in Luke 10:16 ("Whoever listens to you, listens to me...") fits the place given to it by Luke.
What at first appears as a story about serving the Lord develops into a lesson about the "one thing necessary" in discipleship. The verb diakonein and its associated noun diakonia (v. 40) which in this story describes the work of Martha are used in Luke-Acts with the meanings "to serve" and "to minister" in the Church. The noun in fact is found in Acts to describe the work of the deacons and the apostles:
- it designates the apostolic ministry left by Judas (Acts 1:17.25)
- the work to which the deacons of the early Church were chosen ("service of distribution for Hellenistic widows"), (Acts 6:1)
- a specific task of the apostles ("ministry of the word") (Acts 6:4)
- the relief mission to Jerusalem (Acts 11:29; 12:25)
- the work of Paul among the churches (Acts 20:24; 21:19)
The verb "diakonein" on the other hand, precisely because of the nature of Luke's gospel, can on one level designate the act of "waiting on somebody" (the work of "waiters"), but can mean something more, as in Luke 22:26-27, the mutual service of brethren in the community of the Lord. In two parables it is used to characterize the work of the disciple as he awaits the coming of the Lord (cf. the contexts of 12:37 and 17:
Martha typifies one who serves the Lord generously, "strapped in work", "worried and troubled about many things." In contrast, Mary sits at the feet of the Lord, assuming the position of a scribe, and listens to "his word." Martha's reaction to Mary's apparent indifference to her work is understandable: "Lord, do you think it is fair that I should do all the work while she sits there? Tell her to come and help me!" The exasperation is evident. The Lord's response is what Luke wants his readers to focus on:
Martha, Martha
you worry and busy yourself
over many things though only one thing is necessary.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken away from her. (10:42)
Note the contrast in this statement of "the many" and "the one thing necessary" which is structurally placed within another pair of contrasts, "being worried and busy" against "the good part." Weighed against the worries and anxieties of serving the Lord, listening to His word is considered by the Lord himself as "the one thing necessary".
In the past, Catholics have understood this passage using the framework "contemplative vis-a-vis active". Thus the contemplative life of monks and nuns is compared to the active life of the "seculars", whether laity or priests. This "reading" is philosophical and is based on the contrast between "many" and "one". The "many" is associated with "transitoriness", "temporary", "complex", "physical" while the "one" is linked to the "immuntable" "eternal" "simple" and "spiritual". St. Augustine to some extent also influenced by the same philosophical reading takes on a different perspective: it can mean the activity of this present life as opposed to the activity of the blessed life on the one hand or the contrast between what he calls "negotium caritatis" (the business of charity) and "otium sanctum" (holy leisure) on the other. All these readings have become part of the cultural baggage that this passage in Luke has acquired through years of interpretation. Who can deny that the contrast between "many" and "one" in v. 42 has a philosophical nuance? However one can also point out two clues taken from "Luke-Acts" that can push our understanding of the passage forward. The first clue is provided in the episode of the selection of the deacons in Acts.
At the beginning of Acts 6 we are told that because of the growth of numbers in the Christian community, Greek widows were being neglected in the ministry of distribution. Luke had already explained that in the early years of the Christian community in Jerusalem, the members sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the apostles and the apostles themselves distributed these goods to whoever was in need. In that way, there was no one needy among them (Acts 2:42-45;4:32-34). So with the neglect of the widows, a "muttering" arose among the Greeks. The noun "muttering" is the same one used for the "muttering" of the Israelites in the desert against Moses. In the case of the Christians, it arises not out of a lack of faith, but of a scandal in their midst: widows are being neglected. Peter gives a solution to the problem: choose worthy men to look after the daily distribution. Thus the seven deacons of the early Jerusalem community were chosen. The reason that Peter gives is worth noting because for the first time we find a special description of the work of an apostle. He says:
It is not right for us
to neglect the word of God
and serve at tables.
Select from among yourselves reputable men
filled with the Spirit and wisdom
whom we shall appoint to this task
whereas we shall devote ourselves
to prayer and the ministry of the word
Here we find specialization in ministry occurring because of a need. The apostles "dedicate" themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (preaching, teaching and even studying the Scriptures) while the deacons will have to worry about the administration of goods. From this episode, one can see how the contrast between "one" and "many" is a contrast between "the Word" and the many concerns deriving from day to day life of communion. While parallels have been drawn between this episode in Acts and Moses' delegation of administrative authority to judges (cf. Ex. 18) still one cannot miss the interest of Luke for prayer and the word. Luke will follow up the episode of Martha and Mary with an episode on "prayer" in Luke 11:1ff.
The second clue is provided by the parable of sower and the seed (8:4-15). The key idea here is in v. 14
As for the seed that fell among thorns
they are the ones who have heard
but as they go along, they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.
This is in reference to v. 7 where seeds sown fell on thorns and "the thorns grew with it and choked it." The parable describes the kinds of people that hear Jesus and what happens to what they've heard. The noun for "worries" here is related to the word used to describe the things that distract Martha in Luke 10:41. In other words, the distractions of Martha while legitimate (in the diakonia of the Lord) can be like thorns that choke her and prevent her from truly bearing fruit.
Given these two clues we can understand better the contrast between the "one" and the "many" -- the contrast between "His word" and the activities of service -- that the Lord speaks about. The disciple is one who by definition "learns" from the Lord. His fidelity to this task is the one that puts into perspective all his other ministerial tasks. From the parable of the sower, we understand that even those who have heard can fall into the trap of worrying too much. The "worries" can also be those arising from ministry. We've seen examples of this in burnt out pastors and priests. Staying at the feet of the Lord, "wasting time" with the Word is the "one thing" that is needed. The Lord does not tell Martha to stop what she was doing and join her sister at his feet. He does however tell her that the "better part" is to be where Mary is.
1Filipinos may not be aware of it, but the pair Pedro and Juan in the stories that used to make us laugh are inspired by the tandem of Peter and John in Acts.
