“While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” ²⁸ But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”²⁹ When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. ³¹ The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! ³² The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah…” Luke 11:27-32

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? I find it interesting here that Jesus does not accept the compliment, but deflects it away from himself to G-d. Jesus will go on to heal many and still he is criticized for his actions. As such, there will be a lot of people who will hear the word and yet will not allow it to penetrate their very being. But, can we blame them? Someone like Jesus does not come along often – and so when he does, it is hard to know whether we should believe or not. And yet, one woman raises her voice above the din of voices and calls him blessed. Will we be the lone voice calling him blessed – among the other voices around us? This is the word that we hear, to be a witness for Jesus Christ, and we are to share the love of G-d through Jesus Christ with others.  Will we obey?

Pastor Dave

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; ⁴² there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

A good sermon can be preached in a house, in a church, on a street corner, anywhere. Sometimes, when someone comes to visit us, it is as powerful and as enriching as a good sermon. It is good to share the Good News, but sometimes it is more important to listen. Sitting at Christ’s feet, as Mary does, demonstrates how ready she was to listen to the Word, and if not submitting to the guidance of it.  Martha was doing what Martha does—she is the one who, on multiple occasions, is serving, rather than listening. It was her place in first century Palestine–providing for the entertainment and the comfort of her guests—just this time it included Jesus, and those that came with him. She demonstrates the respect for Jesus and also the right care of her household affairs. And still, she is the one who receives ridicule and blame.

Worldly business, the cares of our personal affairs, and the worries that come with fulfilling the prescribed societal roles, all of these can be a snare to us, when it hinders us from serving G-d or serving others. Look, I am all for entertaining – for getting together with friends, and enjoying a party. However, we should not allow our want for entertaining to interfere with our responsibilities for Jesus. Though Martha chose to serve, this does not mean she is any less of a true believer. She provided for the needs of her guests, and in the process she provided for her Lord. Christ may have declared that Mary had chosen the good part, but Martha provided – and both are necessary in serving our Lord. 

Pastor Dave