I’ve mentioned before that Witney Congregational Church has had a weekly Zoom reflection this year instead of its more usual Bible study. We are slowly ‘limping through Luke’. We have reached the dizzy heights of chapter ten, which finishes with the Good Samaritan and Jesus eating at the house of Mary and Martha (here Lazarus, their brother, does not get a mention).
Please read Luke 10: 25-42.
You may notice that the word ‘love’ does not occur in these verses yet love oozes out.
First, Jesus tells of a man left for dead by robbers. Two holy men of the time, because of their religious duties, were unable to stop and help – their rigid adherence to the purity laws prohibited them from touching a dead body. However, an outcast Samaritan had compassion on the injured man, tended to him, spent the night caring for him and left money for his further care. That is love, over and above any expected action or duty. You will, no doubt, have heard many sermons on these verses and had the tale of these three men brought up to date, with modern examples. A member of any feared or hated group can be substituted for the Samaritan; while upright citizens are used to replace the priest and Levite. This might miss all the nuances of the original but prevents people from erroneously always linking good and Samaritan!
The second half of the reading looks as if it is about sibling rivalry – both sisters serving Jesus in different ways. Recently I attended a Continuing Ministerial Development day led by Walter Riggans, where we explored how our personalities affect our styles of worship and spirituality. Martha showed her love in action – doing the kitchen chores and preparing meals; Mary sat at Jesus’ feet – the traditional place for a disciple of a rabbi. Jesus said that Mary had “chosen the better part” while Martha was “worried and distracted by many things”. But was that just on that occasion? Jesus certainly was not condoning laziness. Rather he was saying that there is a time for activity and a time for learning and worshipping. We all have some Mary and Martha within us – we need to work out the balance that allows us to be the people God calls us to be.
When we read these stories together, we can see that God does require action – spotting someone in need and doing all we can to help. God also likes us to be hospitable and to find time to spend with him. Loving our neighbour and loving our God – Matthew 22:36-40 – the greatest commandment is to love.
Heavenly Father, at this busy time, encourage us to use our time not only wisely but lovingly. Remind us to sit at your feet and listen and learn.
Jesus, Redeemer, your death gives us life; remind us to sit at your feet and listen and learn.
Holy Spirit, nudge us when we veer into laziness or traditional ideas. Remind us that God’s love is new every morning, and we can refresh our own supplies from him at any time.
Amen
Elaine Kinchin