Over the top.

 Over the top.

We went to early church this morning to hear two of my least favorite passages of New Testament Scripture. Don’t shoot me if I say one of them is Colossians 1:15-20, which every time I hear it seems to be trying altogether too hard – as is poor Martha, if we are to believe Luke 10:38-42. That’s another least favorite. Jesus has just told the parable of The Good Samaritan in praise of helping others; so why does he dispraise Martha for trying to serve him?

     My view . . . Well, here is the story from the TRV (Ted Riich Version):

From there, Jesus and his disciples went on their way and came to a village, where he knew people. One of them, Martha, invited him for lunch.

     Martha had a sister, Mary, who welcomed Jesus into the house as if it were hers not her sister’s and then sat down with him and listened to him talk. This added to Martha’s distractions, getting everything ready to put lunch on the table, one that would be worthy of the rabbi. And why did Mary sit just there? – not because it was the best place to hear Jesus but because it put him on her best side.

     Finally, Martha could stand it no longer. She came out of the kitchen. “Teacher,” she said. “Could I borrow my sister for a few minutes?”

     “Why?” he said, and her sister’s face echoed in feigned innocence, “Why?” Maybe he really couldn’t see why - probably not, men are such dopes - but she could.

     Martha bit her tongue, shook her head. “Men are such dopes,” she thought again, “not least rabbis, who think anyone not talking is listening to them.”

My rendering of the story is influenced no doubt by a poem by my friend Rick Dietrich, called “Mary”:

She sat (always) there,

where the sun caught her hair,

nodding at the conversation—

not to agree: did she listen?

But so it would glisten.

Influenced, too, by P. P. Rubens’ photograph of another Mary-Jesus story, where she’s washing his feet (John 12):

It is a “beautiful thing,” but isn’t it also just a little over the top? I hesitate to ask because that’s pretty much Judas’ point. But, isn’t it? No doubt Martha is shaking her head, especially at the way her sister’s dress slips off her shoulder and . . .  Well, look at the photograph. What is James looking at? Why does Peter put on his glasses? It is a little much.

Maybe I’ll regain my composure this afternoon at Tom Nashe’s aunt’s funeral.

07.17.16