At the Feet of Jesus - Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Year C

At the Feet of Jesus

Pentecost 6C

July 17, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

Luke 10.38-42

Do you ever wonder why we have four Gospels, four different stories about Jesus? The four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have their own unique characters and give us different perspectives on Jesus. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as a great teacher and as such makes us think deeply about life in the kingdom of God. Mark’s Jesus is in a hurry.  He’s on the way, fulfilling God’s mission, moving at a pace that leaves us breathless. John’s Jesus makes us scratch our heads, telling us things both simple and profound, often at the same time. But Luke’s Jesus is a provocateur, who provokes us, often pushing us out of our comfort zones.

We saw that provocation last week with the story about the Good Samaritan as Jesus pushes us to reconsider who our neighbor is, how we show mercy, and from whom we accept help. And we see it again today. The story of Mary and Martha pushes all sorts of buttons with us. This story is so deeply ingrained in our churches that we call people Marys or more often Marthas. This is not always favorable. Truth be told, our churches have been built on the backs of the Marthas in our midst and although we often talk about spreading the load, churches might very well collapse without their presence.

Yet, the Gospel writers don’t present caricatures or stock characters so we need to dig a little deeper into the text. It’s important to acknowledge that Martha is probably the head of her household and is responsible for its functioning, particularly when Jesus and his followers show up to dinner. Some commentators have suggested that Martha ran an inn or hostel, but we don’t know that for sure. Either way, she was responsible for her guests. And it’s true that Martha would have every expectation of help from her sister Mary. Furthermore, as we’ve seen from the Good Samaritan story, Jesus values doing and serving so he’s not criticizing Martha’s serving. But unpacking the Greek shows that Martha is not merely wrapped up in preparations. She is over-the-top anxious, all twisted inside.

So, Jesus is not playing one of them off against the other or saying one is better than the other. Rather, Jesus is inviting Martha to find space in her life to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him. For those of us who live a busy and fast paced life, this sounds like a condemnation, not an invitation. So, by analogy, let me try something out on you that might help understand what I think Jesus is getting at so that it can be good news to you.

During the Reformation, a dispute arose about the “real presence” of Jesus in the elements of Holy Communion. Was the bread and wine Jesus’ body and blood? Luther said, “Yes, when Jesus says ‘this is my body’ and ‘this is my blood,’ that ‘is’ really means ‘is.’” Another reformer, Ulrich Zwingli said “No,” that Jesus can’t be in the bread and wine because he has ascended to the right hand of God. Jesus, he claimed, can’t be in two places at once. So, in Holy Communion, Zwingli asserted, we are lifted to the throne of grace where Jesus is. In a nifty bit of reasoning, Luther responded that Zwingli had it wrong because the right hand of God is not in a fixed place but is wherever Jesus is. He further asserted that Jesus can be wherever Jesus wants to be but, when we want to find Jesus we are assured of finding him in, with, and under the elements of bread and wine in Holy Communion.

What does this have to do with today’s lesson? Just this: like the right hand of God, the feet of Jesus are wherever we need them to be. The feet of Jesus can always be found where we expect: in worship on Sundays and Wednesdays; whenever we engage in prayer; when we read the Bible; as we gather for fellowship; and even in acts of generosity and service. But, Jesus wants us to know, the feet of Jesus can also be found in the midst of our hectic lives. Whenever we find ourselves in frenzied distraction, we can pause, maybe even remove our shoes to help us remember, and know that we are at the feet of Jesus.

Sometimes it’s good to be provoked as Luke’s Jesus does so often. We need to notice the invitation that Jesus gives us to sit at his feet. Whether that is here in this place or somewhere else life-giving, know that you are worthy of love and belonging to Jesus and invited to sit at his feet. Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.