Reflections on Mary and Martha
Bruce Hindmarsh and Carolyn Hindmarsh
Do you instinctively identify more with one of the sisters?
People sometimes say,“ I am more of a Martha,” or“ I am more of a Mary.” Be careful with these reactions. Try not to think of this passage as a personality test, as if these two sisters are symbols of introversion and extraversion( the Jungian personality types). While the sisters had their own personalities, the account of Mary and Martha is not about personality types. This is not a firstcentury Myers-Briggs quiz or an Enneagram exercise. There is a Mary and a Martha in each one of us.
The only real question is whether you are keeping your eye on Jesus, no matter your personality.
In the midst of her anxious serving, Martha missed the opportunity to pay loving attention to Jesus and learn from his teaching. Elsewhere, Jesus says that what we do unto the least of his brothers and sisters we do unto him:“ I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink”( Matthew 25:35). Jesus is present in the person of our guest. We miss out if we are so preoccupied with our work of serving that we cannot focus attention on the guests we are serving. We too might be missing an opportunity to attend to Jesus himself.
There is another twist to this story. Sometimes, we can be preoccupied with seemingly spiritual things in such a rigid way that we miss a calling to hospitality right in front of us. We might be tempted to point to Mary when we are dreamy and oblivious to the needs of others. Prayer and service belong together. What matters is keeping one’ s eyes on Jesus.
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