Too Much Traffic
I have a friend who brought two young sons to the United States in 2012. They came here as refugees, to escape the violence in their home country, the Congo. We met about 6 weeks after they arrived here. We both agree that our meeting was an act of God; a God-moment. We’ve walked through life together every since. I know this family’s story well.
I’ve seen how challenging it has been for my friend to adapt to living in the United States. Life is very different here than it is in the Congo in so many ways. Sometimes providing for her family is overwhelming for my friend. Sometimes she has so many thoughts on her mind that she has trouble keeping focused on what’s in front of her; what’s most important at the moment.
My friend has a phrase she uses to describe what she is feeling when she is overwhelmed by thoughts; she says there’s “too much traffic in my head”.
Too much traffic – too many worries; too many thoughts; too many things to do; too much; too much.
I wonder if this is how Martha is feeling, on this day when Jesus shows up at her house and she welcomes him in. Martha and her sister, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus, were among Jesus’ closest friends. Each of the siblings have a close relationship with Jesus. They have spent a lot of time with him. They know his story well.
Yet, on this day, Martha is distracted by Jesus’ presence in her house. She is buzzing around; thinking about the many tasks and all the work she must do to serve Jesus with the hospitality (the act of being welcoming and making someone feel comfortable) that meet her standards. She is busy! She has work to do! Her mind is racing; she is being pulled in opposite directions; she is becoming more anxious every minute.
There’s too much traffic in her head.
Notice that in all of her busyness Martha is only thinking about herself. She is self-centered; only thinking about what she needs to do – what she needs to have happen – so that she can be the perfect host for Jesus. Perhaps serving as the perfect host is the one thing that makes Martha feel good about herself.
Notice that Martha is not thinking about what Jesus might need in this moment. Perhaps he’s had a long day on the road and only needs to spend quiet time with his dear friends surrounding him.
Notice that Martha is not thinking about what Mary might need in this moment. Perhaps it’s been a while since Jesus has visited this family and Mary is eager to catch up with her dear friend and hear what he has to say.
With too much traffic in her head – all the distractions of being the perfect host pulling her this way and that – Martha does not see that this present moment of sitting and talking and listening and sharing life with Jesus is more important than serving as the perfect host.
Mary, on the other hand, is attentive to what Martha fails to notice. Mary recognizes that their relationship with Jesus is the one thing that is needed at this moment; it is the better part.
There’s a bit of a paradox, here, don’t you think? (Lutherans love a good paradox!).
Martha is doing the work she has been given to do – welcoming and serving the guest in her home. And we know Jesus teaches his followers to serve other people with love and compassion and kindness; to put other people’s needs before our own needs.
We heard this teaching last week, in the story of the Good Samaritan, when Jesus told the lawyer Go and do likewise; that is, go and show mercy to your neighbor, and you will find eternal life with God (Luke 10:36-37).
Isn’t that what Martha is doing? Maybe. Certainly she is serving. Is she serving out of love and compassion and kindness? Or is she serving to make herself feel good? Hard to say.
Here’s the thing – We are each given work to do in this world…
- to share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed with everyone we meet.
- to feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; care for the sick (Matt 25:35-36).
- to sit at the feet of Jesus, talking and listening and sharing life with him.
Yes; sitting at the feet of Jesus is part of our work as followers of Jesus.
In the stillness and silence of sitting at Jesus’s feet – in contemplation – praying; reading scripture; meditating and pondering God’s word for us in this moment – we can hear the voice of God calling us to pay attention to what is the better part – our relationship with Jesus.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus, we can hear the voice of God reminding us that we are beloved by God. That is enough. There is nothing we need to do to make ourselves feel good. Jesus did that work for us.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus, perhaps, we can quiet the traffic in our heads and set aside the distractions – the worries and anxieties – that are pulling us in opposite directions.
Then, perhaps, we can focus our hearts and minds on serving the needs of the people around us out of our love for God and our neighbor, rather than to make ourselves feel good.
Both sitting at the feet of Jesus (contemplation) and serving the need of others (action) are signs of discipleship for those who follow Jesus.
The good news for today is that through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus sets us free from sin and death and evil forces and anything that tries to separate us from God; including traffic in our heads.
Jesus sets us free from our distractions and our self-centeredness so that we can be attentive to our relationship with Jesus – which is the better part – and our relationship with our neighbor.
We are free to sit at the feet of Jesus in contemplation and we are free to rise from there in action – to go and do likewise – to serve God’s people and all of creation with love and joy and thanksgiving. Both are necessary.