"To the Obsessive/Compulsive" - Luke l0:38-42 - July l9, l998

I have a brother who has the nickname of "Mr. Clean." Whenever our family gathers at his house for a dinner you will see him vacuuming the house before we are out of the driveway. My brother is obsessed with having a clean house. He can’t stand to have dirt on the floors or things out of place. We all love him and we get along just fine. But he has earned this nickname from the rest of us because of his compulsive need to clean up the house, even before we have left it.

My brother is a lot like Martha. She was an obsessive/compulsive person who needed to get the work done. She "was distracted with much serving." Martha had a need "to do". And she expected Mary to do the same. Jesus wanted Martha to realize that what Mary was doing was important too. I believe he wanted her to relax and not feel so focused on chores. Sometimes I wish my brother would lighten up. The cleaning can wait.

Why are people so obsessed with specific tasks? Why do they receive such a high priority? I have given this issue a lot of thought. There are times when I too feel the ned to get the work done. I believe it is out of fear. We are afraid that others won't think highly of us. Or, we feel that by falling short of our standards we have failed. I suppose that there are some who feel that idle time is wrong or immoral. That unless we chock up points in the book of life we will miss out on God's kingdom.

Jesus told Martha that Mary had made a wise choice. Somehow we have got the notion that a time of inspiration is non-productive. How can listening and learning be of any consequence if we aren’t making something? Jesus shows us that just as a Samaritan can be a neighbor, a follower (in this case a woman) can take a break from chores and tasks and sit and reflect on matters of faith. Neighborly love occurs when people are willing to take the risk of reaching across cultural boundaries. And growth in faith happens when we put our immediate tasks on hold and give time to understanding. Notice that in both the story of the Good Samaritan and Mary and Martha, it is a break from the norm that led to an outreach of love.

Everyone knows a "obsessive/compulsive." They are the workaholics. They are the "doers." They have a need to get the job done at all costs. They don’t allow themselves to be idle or take time off. For them, living is doing. If they can’t get it done they feel guilty.

The obsessive/compulsive has a singleness of vision. Martha had one, primary goal, to get dinner ready. To this end she was "anxious and troubled." This is not to say that preparing a meal was not important. To use this story as a means of devaluing domestic work is inaccurate. This story simply illustrates that our obsessive/compulsive behaviors cause us to miss out on an essential element of what it means to be a person of faith; i.e. "listening and learning."

Notice that Jesus does not say to Martha that what she is doing is not important. He says, "she is distracted." She is so focused on the task at hand she cannot see how important it is for Mary to spend time with Jesus. What Mary has chosen is "needful." In fact, it is the good portion. Listening and learning from Jesus is essential for discipleship.

Most of us are like Martha, focusing on our immediate tasks and needs rather than taking time to refresh our souls. One day this past week I was working on my sermon. I was feeling the crunch to get it done. One by one there was a steady stream of people who came to the church all on the same day. If that wasn’t enough, there was also a number of phone calls during the same period of time. I kept thinking, "I’ve got to bet back to that sermon." I couldn’t concentrate and finally had to turn off my computer and take a break.

As I reflect on that one hour of interruptions I now realize that each person had a personal need and wanted a listening ear. Perhaps I wasn’t getting my sermon done, but I was definitely doing pastoral care. It is just as important for me to break from my tasks and listen as it was for Martha.

Notice that the story of Mary and Martha follows the story of the Good Samaritan. It was a story that illustrated that our faith requires works. If one truly believes in God they go about doing, loving their neighbors. Then comes Mary, who instead of doing a good deed is spending time at the foot of Jesus.

In other words there needs to be a balance. People of faith are to be loving God and loving their neighbors. Jesus used these two stories to answer the lawyer's question about inheriting eternal life. "What must I do?" he asked. Jesus then proceeded to tell him to "Love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." On the one hand we are to be like the Good Samaritan and on the other, we are to be like Mary.

This has been an extraordinary week for me in my ministry. During the middle of summer I usually have time to study and catch up on my reading. This week however, I have been overwhelmed with people with specific needs. I first saw them as interruptions and I could see myself like the Good Samaritan, responding to every crisis. But in every situation the "need" was secondary. What they really wanted is someone to listen. Remember, this is what Jesus said was the "good" part.

On Friday I had a real awakening. I had given a ride to a couple who had been evicted from their home. They asked me to take them and their stuff to their church. They were in crisis and needed help in a hurry. When we arrived at the church I noticed that their church was in the middle of their vacation bible school. As we passed by the classrooms, carrying their things to the church basement, I observed children learning and listening. I thought about Mary, listening at the foot of Jesus. That event reminded me that doing tasks and taking time for spiritual growth go hand in hand. Faith is a paradox. There are times when we give a helping hand, just like Martha. And their are also times when it is necessary to attend to our spiritual growth.

God does not want us to be obsessed with "doing." God wants us to be listening. When we listen we have made a wise choice. We need to be concerned with our long-term growth and development, not just immediate tasks. We do not have to be afraid of taking time to focus on God, studying and meditating. It is as Jesus says, "that portion which will not be taken away."

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio