As I have been contemplating what it means to be people who live out the "Jesus Creed" of Love of God and Neighbor, I have also been reading my way through Thomas Cahill's Hinges of History series. I am currently on the book about the impact of Jesus on western civilization, called The Desire of the Everlasting Hills. A history of the social impact of the life of Jesus.
Cahill points out that in Luke, the Story of the Good Samaritan is followed immediately by the story of Martha and Mary, where Mary sits at the feet of Jesus while Martha does all the housework (Luke is the only evangelist to record this scene), and then with Jesus' teaching on prayer (including a primitive version of the "Lord's Prayer"). (This sequence is found in Luke 10:25-11:13.)
While numerous sermons (including my own) have chided the all-too-busy "Martha-like" person for being so concerned with the things of the world and missing the chance to sit at the feet and learn from Jesus like Mary does, Cahill points out that the placement of Martha and Mary after the Good Samaritan, and before the teaching on
prayer leads to a much clearer principle for living the Christina life.
"Luke is building up a purposeful sequence, which begins by answering the question "Who is my neighbor?" and goes on to remind the reader that unfailing kindness (even to strangers) is possible only if we keep Jesus in mind--that is if we pattern our lives on his--and that such a resolve can be accomplished only if we pray as Jesus did, asking Jesus' loving Father (who is our Father also) to watch over us...
Luke sees the Christian life as an alteration of two activities, prayer and kindness, each feeding the other. The plight of those in need sends me to prayer; prayer strengthens me to help those in need. But for Luke there is one thing that can make a Christ-like life impossible...wealth. (p. 188, 190)
This paragraph, read today at the end of a week where our church has gone through a Scripture Vigil (literally hours of "sitting under" the Word") and have been prayerfully considering how God wants to use our sacrificial giving of our wealth to strengthen our ministry to our neighbors, I have been more aware than ever that we are culture of "Marthas" who are pulled by the demands of the world, our fretting about wealth and security, and our desire to live a life that is good, reasonable, practical and comfortable. While those who have prayed, worshiped and read the Scriptures have found their hearts filled with peace and generosity, many more have been unable to take the time to sit in a quiet sanctuary and read the scriptures, or attend a prayer service.
As a church and a culture, I am more aware than ever of how we who long to practice kindness, need more and more prayer, to enable us to genuinely love our neighbors. And how kindness and prayer are more difficult for the wealthy than most of us ever imagine.
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