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Where is your table?

Where is your table? Where do you eat your meals? You’ve probably heard all of the stats. I’m not going to recite them all. But in a series on hospitality, it’s probably good for us to remind ourselves of the new reality in our culture. And sometimes I wonder if our culture is the way it is because of these stats.

1) The average American eats one in every five meals in their car

2) One in four Americans eats at least one fast food meal every single day

3) The majority of American families report eating a single meal together less than five days a week

4) US households spend roughly the same amount per week on fast food as on groceries

5) Sixty years ago, the average dinnertime was ninety minutes; today it is less than twelve minutes

6) The average parent spends only 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children

7) The #1 predictor of emotional and physical health of kids: frequent family dinners

Those will make us all feel guilty because we all feel this pull in our society. Our family is no different. But it leads to this question for our time here this morning:

If this is the way we are with our own family meals, are we all that prepared to host other friends, even acquaintances for meals in our homes?

This rare oddity in our American lives is sitting right out in the open of our story this morning, in fact we probably miss it because Luke has us focused on the conversation between Jesus and Martha.

Hospitality for Jesus

In fact, we’re going to look at this story from a camera angle that is a bit different this morning because of our interest in hospitality. In fact, we’re going to get a surprise at the end, if we are paying attention.

This story actually starts in Luke chapter 9 verse 51:

Luke 9:51 “When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up, he determined to journey to Jerusalem.”

Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem where he knows he will die. In fact, along the way Jesus says he plans to give his life as a ransom for many. Most of this biography of Jesus written by Dr. Luke, a medical doctor by trade, is Jesus traveling on the road to Jerusalem toward the end of Jesus’ ministry. And along the way Dr. Luke tells us that

Luke 10:38 “While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.”

There’s nothing spectacular about that verse. This is mundane. We’ve read that verse hundreds of times. But think about this. A woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. This is the first time that Martha is mentioned in the Bible. When we take all the biographies of Jesus from the New Testament, we find that Martha has a sister named Mary, who is part of this story. And a brother named Lazarus. He shows up in a couple of other stories in John’s biography. But here.. this is the first time that Martha is mentioned, this is the first time that Martha is meeting Jesus.

Martha welcomed Jesus into her home

Everything that happens in the conversation that follows, happens because Martha was hospitable. Martha provides a space for Jesus and a space for a conversation with Jesus. And that’s a contrast with those who, up to this point in Luke’s story, do not welcome Jesus.

Hospitality for the Gospel

It’s not an accident that the very next thing we learn after Martha welcomes Jesus into home is this:

Luke 10:39 Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said.

Martha’s hospitality creates space and time for this to happen. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet. Mary is listening to Jesus. Martha welcomes. And because Martha welcomes, her sister Mary sits and listens to Jesus. The first thing we can say is:

Hospitality in the home creates gospel moments.

It’s very easy to focus on what happens to Martha later in this story. But make no mistake, her hospitality of welcoming a stranger into her home provides the opportunity for a gospel moment in the home. Mary is free to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Jesus.

Every time we have a meal in our home, whether it’s with the family or with extended family, or friends, or even acquaintances, we provide opportunity for the gospel to show up. Every meal is a gospel opportunity. It doesn’t always have to be religious in nature, but because we are connected to Jesus, Jesus is present at the table and present in the conversation.

One thing we need to say here… Martha’s service is just as spiritual as Mary’s. Evangelicals here in the 21st century have created a bad division between what is secular and what is spiritual. Everything is spiritual. Martha is as spiritual as Mary is in her service.

I had a conversation a couple of years ago with a Christian leader who had been spending his time in the spring recruiting young people for a summer volunteer program with a Christian ministry. And the comment was along the lines of “we’re trying to get them to see they can spend their summer serving Jesus instead of making money at McDonald’s.” As if the kids at McDonald’s are not serving Jesus. Everything Christians do is Christian ministry, whether it’s at McDonald’s or the Accounting office or a Christian ministry. It’s all the same… there is no distinction between them as if one is more important to Jesus or one is more holy or one is better for the Christian life than the other. That idea is not found in the Bible and it’s just plain silly. You’ve called me to pastor this church, so that is my call here, but it’s not more spiritual than anything you are doing throughout the week.

Hospitality in Distraction

We need to make this point about Mary and Martha before we get to the problem that pops up in the story. Neither one is more spiritual based on what each is doing in the story. Now.. having said that, there is an issue here in the hospitality… The fascinating thing in this story is that Martha herself is unaware that she has been helpful in creating space for Jesus and Mary to talk. Because Luke moves on to paint a contrast between Mary and Martha. Mary sits and listens to Jesus. But Martha… here’s Martha:

Luke 10:40 Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”

Martha was distracted and Martha complains. That escalated quickly. How many of you have had Martha’s exact same thought? Mary is sitting. Mary is not working. I’m standing. I’m working. What’s wrong with this picture. We’ve all been in this situation. Mary is listening. Martha is serving…

What Martha doesn’t realize is that she is serving so that Mary can listen. But there’s more, which we’ll get to in a second.

One thing we need to say here… this is a story. There are times and places where Martha’s complaint might have merit. But not in this moment. Worse, it’s one thing to complain about Mary not helping, but Martha doesn’t stop there. She goes places where we humans like to go, but is never a good idea. Martha questions Jesus’ motives. “Don’t you care?” We saw this accusation a few weeks ago when we looked at the story of the disciples and Jesus being asleep in the boat during the storm. They accused Jesus then of not caring. Here is Martha, who has welcomed Jesus into the home, now making the same accusation: Don’t you care?

Grace for Martha

The next two words out of Jesus’ mouth must have frozen Martha in her tracks:

Luke 10:41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha.”

When Jesus says her name twice, this is an expression of endearment. Instead of defending himself, he goes after Martha’s heart. He does care. Martha, Martha. There’s no defensiveness. No animosity. No need to give Martha a heavy correction. He does correct, but it is flowing out of grace and love for Martha. Jesus then says this:

Luke 10:41-42 “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

The problem is not Martha’s hospitality or service, per se. But let’s not sugar coat what Jesus is saying here. Luke has already said:

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks.

Jesus says “Martha, you are worried and upset about many things.”

Mary is sitting and listening, but Martha is distracted. I’ve heard this taught and preached that the word distract here isn’t a negative, it’s just an observation in the narrative by Luke, the author. No, based on what Jesus says in parallel to Luke’s comment, being distracted is a negative thing here. Martha’s hospitality created the gospel moment for Mary to sit and listen to Jesus, but it’s the same opportunity for Martha to sit and listen to Jesus. Martha could have been sitting and listening to Jesus, but instead she is distracted.

Jesus doesn’t knock the hospitality. Jesus knocks the distraction and worry. The problem is either not being aware of the gospel moment or believing that pulling other people in to service is more important than receiving gospel from Jesus. This can be a hard thing to swallow if we are inordinately focused on service to the point of imposing that service onto the gospel moments happening in our spaces. This is what we can say:

All of our hospitality is aimed at bringing Jesus into all of life: where we live, work, play, and learn.

Martha has done well in opening up her home. But Martha must also see that her desires to get the meal ready and do all of the other things a good host is supposed to do is at the expense of her sitting at the feet of Jesus with her sister Mary. But there’s one more thing here.

Mary’s Good Meal

One thing we don’t see in our English language here… when it says Mary has chosen the good portion, this is a food term. Mary has chosen the good meal. Martha is serving a meal. Mary has chosen the good meal. To be sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Jesus, that’s the good meal. Which is the shocker here. Martha was probably shocked. Jesus’ disciples are probably shocked. This story began with Martha inviting Jesus into the home. But now we have Mary eating a better meal… served by Jesus. Jesus is now the host in the home, not Martha. Jesus is serving meals.. and his meals are the good meals. So we can say this:

Hospitality in the home creates space for gospel moments to be served by Jesus himself.

When we open our homes in hospitality… when our tables become conversation hubs even for our own family… Jesus himself becomes the host of the home and the host of the table. We certainly do this at church. Our hospitality here becomes Jesus being our host in his home, where he serves us a meal. But the same is true of our individual homes. As we throw parties and host meals, wherever we are there are gospel moments happening where Jesus has become the host. Hospitality is part of building strong homes because hospitality is providing time and space for Jesus to do His work in our lives and in our homes.

It’s all about the gospel. This story really starts at the very beginning of this section when the lawyer asks Jesus this question:

What must I do to inherit eternal life?

That leads, in a round about way, to the story of the Good Samaritan. But the question isn’t really answered until we get to Martha’s house. And it’s here we find the answer:

One thing is necessary.

That’s the answer to the young man’s question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? The answer is to lay hold of the one thing necessary. Which is what?

Choosing the good portion, Jesus himself.

What must we do to inherit eternal life? Nothing. All we need for eternal life is Jesus himself. Jesus is the answer to the young man’s question and Mary has it figured out. She knows. There’s nothing I can do to inherit eternal life so I’m just going to sit here and be with and listen to the Only One who can give me what I need most.

I’ve always been fascinated by Mary’s posture here. She is sitting. She is receiving. She is not doing anything but receiving the Gospel for her through the ears. The meal that Jesus provides always first comes through the ears. Forgiveness. Life. Grace. It’s always coming through the ears through the Word being proclaimed. Jesus is providing grace for Mary. And he has grace for Martha. He is all they need. He is their host.

Mary has chosen the good meal. And Martha is distracted. And that’s us. We are so distracted. Even when we are doing hospitality in the home. The grace Jesus has for Martha is for us as well. He wants us to see that He himself is the real host providing real hospitality in our homes. If we would just stop and listen. Maybe that’s carving out time for a short devotion from the Bible. Maybe that’s just talking about Jesus and listening to him speak His Word through others.

Sit at Jesus feet. Listen to Jesus. Receive the Gospel from Jesus. Hospitality in the home is always pushing the Jesus button. Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

Let’s Pray

The Table

This Table informs what we do in our homes. The hospitality that Jesus gives us here, he also provides in our homes as he speaks His Word into our lives on a daily basis. Jesus is the host of our lives. So we come to this table and we sit like Mary and do nothing. We just receive. We receive the Gospel from Jesus. The one thing we need today. The one thing we need tomorrow. We receive Jesus himself. Only one thing is necessary and that’s Jesus himself. Right here. Right now.

The Benediction

Numbers 6:24-26 “May the Lord bless you and protect you;

may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”