Luke 10:38-42 Worship & works - measuring up

Luke 10:38-42 Jesus visits Mary and Martha. Lazarus is not mentioned in this story, although he surfaces elsewhere as the brother of Mary and Martha. (John 11:1) This story focuses on Martha's work ethic and Mary's love of Jesus. A parable for the church. There are people, and in fact whole denominations, based on the Martha approach to serving Jesus. Get the work done. And there are others - people and denominations, that focus exclusively on listening to Jesus and worshiping Him. And each thinks that the others' religion is weak and inadequate. Jesus takes sides in the conflict, with the worshippers. He did not scold Martha for working, but gently reproved her for worrying. Jesus' response to Martha's criticism of Mary's religion (worship of Jesus at His feet instead of helping with the work) implies that God will take care of the work if the one important thing is taken care of - sitting at His feet and listening to Him.

         How far can we carry this metaphor? Other passages make it clear that we cannot work for or earn our salvation because Jesus has already done all the work necessary for us to be saved. Even though Paul said to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12), it seems likely that from the context he meant that we have to figure it out, or work it into our lives, not that we have to work for it to earn it, since in the very next work he said it is God who is at work within you. (Phil 2:13) What is the connection between saving faith and relationship with Christ, and how does that compare to the connection between saving faith and righteous deed? Paul states unequivocally that by faith we are saved through grace and that not of ourselves (Eph 2:8-9). The righteous deeds of the saints follow after (Rev 14:13). The works that come after salvation adorn the saints because they are works of God that are brought about through the saints allowing themselves to be instruments of God's will and work.

         How do we put work in perspective? For many of us, it is a challenge to maintain a balance. Either we devote ourselves fully to our career and our job and become workaholics, married to our job, or we focus on our family or our church and give work low priority. Balancing these is hard because both tend to try to pull us into thinking life is exclusively about them. God gave Adam a job (Gen 2:15), but expected him to keep it in perspective relative to his walking with Him in the cool of the day. (Gen 3:8-9) We can't say whether Martha had her priorities adequately balanced. What we can say is that Jesus said that she was not in a position to judge Mary's priorities. Each person has his or her own relationship with Christ. It is important not to try to evaluate other peoples' priorities, except when appropriate. Protestants think Catholics are too focused on the sacraments. Catholics think Protestants are too focused on Bible teaching. But Jesus calls us and deals with us as individuals.

         The whole topic of judging and correcting others is not simple. For example, Jesus said, "Judge not that ye be not judged." (Matt 7:1) But Paul reproved the Corinthians for allowing a known adulterer to continue to participate in church. (I Cor 5:1-13) And Jesus gave detailed directions for dealing with a brother who sins. (Matt 18:15-17) In another passage Paul told the Galatians that if anyone was caught in a trespass, those who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, looking to themselves lest they also be tempted. (Gal 6:1) How do we decide what our reaction should be to another person whose behavior we believe does not measure up to Biblical standards? The answer seems to lie in the other's reaction to their own behavior. Brazen rebellion against God's standards should not be winked at. But for the brother or sister who has fallen into sin, every effort must be made to restore them. In fact, even Paul's command to excommunicate the sinning brother was for the purpose of saving his spirit (I Cor 5:5)