"(your name here), (your name here)"

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)

My father's sister, Nellie, lived with my parents from the time they were married until she had to go to a nursing home in the last few years of her life. She loved my brother and me like her own children and was very much a part of our upbringing, which was fine by us because she was much better at spoiling us than disciplining us--an attribute my brother and I understood early on and took full advantage of. 

When I balked at accomplishing some task like homework or picking up my clothes because I had "better" things to do, she would call my name twice, for emphasis. I can still hear her saying, "Larry, Larry, your daddy is going to be put out with you if you get bad grades because you didn't do your homework." She wasn't angry, really, just concerned because I was not making the best choice. The repetition of my name was closer to a term of endearment than an admonishment because she loved me so much and wanted me to do the right thing. God bless you, Aunt Nellie, for caring that much about me.

Jesus does something similar with Martha because she is not making the best choice. His repeating of her name is an intriguing feature of the story. It points toward a relationship beyond that of a first meeting that the passage indicates. It would seem fairly certain that Jesus had never seen her before, but my guess is she had seen him, perhaps when he was teaching or had healed someone she knew. Only a few verses before, a lawyer in the synagogue who had an adversarial relationship with Jesus, had addressed him as "teacher." Martha called him "Lord." She clearly had already begun to be drawn by his true identity. 

So, apparently, had her sister, Mary, who had the audacity to assume the role of a man in that culture and sit at Jesus' feet to learn. That must have pleased Jesus because he loved blowing up traditional roles, particularly when they limited people. But Martha was not doing a bad thing by serving Jesus (and probably an entourage of disciples). It would have been rude to invite people in and not take their coats, pour some sweet tea, and get some chips and salsa out pronto. And I think Jesus appreciated her hospitality, but he wanted her to put down the tea and take some time to drink deeply of Living Water. So with a sense of urgency tempered by the language of love he called to her, "Martha, Martha," perhaps patting a cushion on the floor near where he was reclining. 

Jesus calls us to serve as he was called to serve. But one of the ways he serves us is to pour us tumblers sloshing over with Living Water as we sit at his feet and listen. So, as we continue our Lenten journey, let's listen. Why don't we make the best choice right now, regardless of the press of needs that keeps us hustling. Stop. Listen. Say your name twice out loud and imagine that it's Jesus calling and he's patting a cushion on the floor, or the car seat, or a chair in your cubicle. Go on, sit down and listen. I'm going to. 

Blessings,
Larry