Reflections for Youth - Sibling Rivalry
If you have a sibling, you can probably relate to this week's story from the Gospel of Luke.
While traveling, Jesus stops to visit sisters Mary and Martha.
Jesus didn't call or text ahead of time to tell them he was coming. Bible doesn't tell us how many people were traveling with him. But, we can assume that he was with the disciples and probably an undetermined number of others that were following along. I am sure Mary and Martha were excited to see and welcome Jesus - but they were probably a little stressed about so many unexpected guests.
The Bible says when they arrived, Martha welcomed him in to the home and began bustling around to prepare food for the guests. Mary sat down with Jesus to listen to stories and accounts of his travels.
I am guessing Martha was probably a little annoyed by her sister for not helping. I am sure you can recall a time when you thought your sibling was getting off easy. She was very busy preparing food for all the guests - doing all the work. So she does what any sister would do when faced with such an injustice - she tells on her.
While she was rushing around she asked Jesus, “Don’t you care that I am doing all this work myself? Make Mary help me!”
Jesus tells her, “Martha you are worrying and distracted by many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen to sit with me and this time will not be taken away from her.
Strangely, the story ends there and we don’t know what happens next.
I wonder what Martha did next? Did she listen to Jesus and sit down and relax with her sister? I wonder if Mary eventually helped with the meal? I wonder what Jesus meant?
There are a lot of questions that we can ask about this story. We often hear this story interpreted as a reminder to us to story worrying, rushing around, and take the time to listen to God and what Jesus might be teaching us. When we read this account of Jesus' visit it is easy for us to identify ourselves (and others) in the story. Are you a Mary? Or a Martha?
I think in this situation I would be a Martha. If a group of people showed up at my house with Jesus I would probably do the same thing. I would go into panic mode to make sure everyone was fed, comfortable and welcomed. I mean - it's Jesus!
I don't think this means that Mary was doing the wrong thing - she is just different from her sister and wants talk with Jesus and maybe forgets all about the work.
I think this story remind us that sometimes it’s easy to know the right things to do and sometimes it is hard. Sometimes the choice is between two good things, and it’s hard to know which one is better.
Mary showed Jesus how much she loved him by sitting down beside him and listening to him talk about God’s love. Martha showed Jesus how much she loved his by cooking food for Jesus and taking care of the guests.
Since we don’t know how the story ends or really what Jesus meant—maybe it can be both.
Maybe this story can be a reminder to us that we can take more time in our day to be still and listen to others. And maybe we can lend a hand when we see a family member working hard to get things done.
Comments
Post a Comment