“EVERYONE OUT OF THE KITCHEN”

LUKE 10:38-42

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

It’s hard sometimes not to feel a little angry and resentful.  Just the other day I was in a parking lot when a young man pulled up in his souped up sports car with the windows rolled down and the radio blasting away.  What made it even worse was the fact that he was listing to a really awful rap song with questionable lyrics and a beat that was a loud boom, boom, boom.  My first thought was “How can any one listen to something like that? That’s not music”  My second thought was, “Turn your radio down.  I don’t want to listen to that God awful sound.”  And I will confess that my third thought wasn’t very Christian.  I said to myself, “People like that should be locked up in a room for a couple of hours and forced to listen to a steady stream of Barry Manilow music.”

It’s amazing how quickly anger and resentment can creep into your heart.  You know what that’s like right?  It actually starts very early in life with the anger and resentment that you feel when your brother gets a piece of pie that’s bigger than yours. I guess there’s a little Cain and Abel in all of us. Do you remember the Smothers Brothers?  Tom and Dick Smothers had a television show back in the late 1960’s and do you remember what Tom always used to say to his brother?  At some point in their comedy routine Tom would begin to pout and then he would say, “Mom always did like you best.”

So, we learn how to feel anger and resentment very early on in life and from there it leads to the guy at work who gets the promotion even though he’s really just a snake in the grass.  Or the person who parks in the handicap spot because he’s only going to be a minute. Or the woman in the grocery store who is gabbing away in a loud voice on her cell phone while you’re trying to do your shopping.

Or how about the woman who came from a very large family and hated going to family weddings.  One day while talking to a friend she explained why.  “Every time I go to a wedding,” she said, “all my busy body aunts start poking me in the ribs and then cackle, ‘Don’t worry.  You’re next.’ They stopped doing it though when I started doing the same thing to them – at funerals.”

We all feel a little anger and resentment from time to time.  That’s why it isn’t hard to identify with Martha.  Poor Martha.  You can almost hear the pots and pans being slammed around in the kitchen.  Martha wasn’t pleased that she was in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove while her sister Mary was out there with Jesus and the other disciples having a grand old time.  Eventually all the anger and resentment get the best of Martha and she storms into the other room.  All the anger and resentment come pouring out and she says, “Lord,” she says, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me.”

Martha basically has an emotional meltdown right there in front of Jesus but you know what?  Martha gets no sympathy from me and what’s far more important, she didn’t get any sympathy from Jesus..  That’s because Martha has no one to blame for her predicament but herself.  You see Martha was the one who decided to stay in the kitchen and worry about putting on a good show…a good spread if you will.   She didn’t have to do that.  She could have gone into the other room to join Mary and the other disciples who were there that day.  She could have sat down at the feet of Jesus and received the good portion that was waiting for her there.  Then after the sermon was over Martha and Mary and all the disciples could have gone into the kitchen to make a few sandwiches or whip up a couple of bowls of humus. Or maybe even order out for pizza.

That’s essentially what Jesus says to Martha when she comes into the room to complain about her sister.  Instead of taking her side and telling her that she’s right Jesus simply says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

In saying that Jesus is making it very clear to Martha.  As far as Jesus is concerned Martha is going to have to decide for herself what she’s going to do.  So Martha, are you going to stay in the kitchen to fuss and fume until the anger and resentment makes you absolutely miserable?  Or are you going to come out here where the good portion is waiting for you?  Are you going to come out here where the good portion that won’t be taken from you is waiting for you? You see Martha, grace and goodness and grace are waiting for you out here.  Healing and hope, peace and joy are waiting for you out here and make no mistake about it Martha.  The only thing that’s standing between you and the good portion is yourself Martha.

That’s the thing about anger and resentment.  It really doesn’t do you any good.  As someone once said, when you’re angry and resentful it’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.  Isn’t that a really profound and provocative saying?  Anger and resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

There’s a poem called “The Cookie Thief” and it makes you realize what life is like when you let anger and resentment get the best of you.  It goes like this:

A woman was waiting in an airport one night,

With several long hours before her next flight.

So she went looking for a book in the airport shop.

Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,

That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.

Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,

Which she tried not to notice to avoid a big scene.

So she munched on the cookies and watched the clock,

As the young gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.

She was getting more angry as the minutes ticked by,

Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I’d blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,

When only one was left, she wondered “What will he do?”

With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,

He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,

She snatched it from him and muttered, Oh brother!

This guy has some nerve and is really quite rude,

Why he didn't even offer her any gratitude!”

She couldn’t remember ever being so galled,

And sighed with relief when her flight was called.

So, she gathered her stuff and went to the gate,

Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,

Then reached for her book, which was almost complete.

As she looked in her bag, she gasped with surprise,

For there were her cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,

The others were his, and he tried to share.

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

So like Martha you and I have a choice.  We can stay in the kitchen and throw those pots and pans around or we can go out and sit at the feet of Jesus.  Life is to short to waste it on being angry and resentful.  Besides the good portion is waiting for you out there and once you have it, it will not be taken from you.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

July 21, 2013as