Luke 10:38-42

This passage occurs in the RCL, Year C.  It occurred most recently in July 20, 2025.

Summary:  This passage is a powerful contrast to the previous passage of the Good Samaritan.  The work of the church (or of Christian individuals) cannot be service to neighbor alone but also worship of Christ.  Perhaps the two are more connected than we think though.  Jesus commends the rich lawyer to show mercy.  In this passage Mary is praised for attentive listening.  Maybe in our culture of sound bites and tweets, active listening is one of the most powerful displays of mercy we can give someone.

Key words (and use of language):
For Martha:
υπεδεξατο (from υποδεξομαι, "hypodexato", meaning receive; 10:38).  The Liddell-Scott offers a tremendous number of variations on the meaning of this word.  It literally means, "to receive beneath the surface."
It also means, among other variants:
A)  to receive into one's house, receive hospitably.
B)  to give ear to, hearken to
C)  to take in charge as a nurse
D)  of a woman, to conceive

I commend this list (truncated) because all of these are good things.  They are powerful ways to think about hospitality to strangers or ways in which we can "receive beneath the surface."  Martha seems on the right track!

διακονια(ν) ("diakonia", meaning "service", 10:40).  The word diakonia means originally "table service" but came in the Christian tradition to mean acts of ministry.  Long-complicated development of this word that is still debated today.  Regardless, to describe oneself as doing diakonia on behalf of Jesus is a very good thing, something in fact, every Christian is called to in their baptism.

So what's the problem?
επιστασα  (from εφιστημι, ephistemi, meaning "stand over", 10:40)  Mary gets so frustrated she goes over to Jesus and is literally looking down on him (and her sister).  We can get so busy doing the work of the Lord that we lose sight of the Lord and develop an unjustified sense of our own importance.

Imperfect tense:  The words to describe Martha's worries: περισπαω (40), μεριμνας (41) and θορυβαζη (41) are all imperfect/present tense verbs, suggesting an on-going action.  She was consumed and continually worried.  All this said, I have a lot of compassion for Martha.  In my family (both of origin and current) people put a lot of effort into welcoming our guests.  This would be especially true in times before modern kitchens, when even things as basic as getting water for guests, would have required tremendous effort.  It is hard for me to hear Martha criticized.

For Mary:
παρακαθεσθεισα (from παρακαθεζομαι, meaning "sit along side of"; 10:39)  Mary seats herself along side of Jesus, giving him attention.  How often do we have people simply sit alongside of us, without any agenda but to focus on us?

ηκουεν (ακουω meaning "listen"; 10:39) She listens.  In fact, the verb ακουεν is in the imperfect tense, showing this is an on-going action.  As I wrote earlier, I think this is profound.  She listened.  In our culture that wants to blog, livestream and tweet, she actually took time to listen.  Not for one or two sentences, but for a long time.  Maybe she loved it.  I am sure she did.  (Most times when I actually listen and truly give someone my focus, I love it too!) 

Note -- This past year I went to Tanzania.  I was quite struck by how much of the day is spent procuring food, water and fire (for cooking and heating).  It is worth pointing out that in all likelihood, Mary listened to Jesus for hours!!  Imagine listening to anyone for hours!

The worship of Jesus is ultimate.  I am not trying to refute the basic meaning of the story.  I wonder though, if here on Earth, in this time and cultural space, listening may be a profound way to love our neighbor.  Listening to Jesus, as well, might be the profound way in which we worship him!

Luke 10:25-37

This passage occurs in the RCL, Year C.  Most recently July 20, 2025.
 
Summary:  This is a classic passage that needs no complex exegesis to make it understandable.  One can tell it as a morality tale (we should be the Good Samaritan); or one go a Lutheran route (Christ is the Good Samaritan).  But if you want to try something else...A word I'd never caught before was the word for inn -- πανδοχειον -- literally all-are-welcome.  I find this a comforting image of the church -- a place where anyone and everyone comes to receive mercy and healing on the road of life.  (okay, okay, it is not a great image of repentance, but nonetheless, it is worth pondering:  why do people find comfort at a local bar/inn and not the church).

2025 addition:  The Good Samaritan may not have started the story as the neighbor; he may have needed to become the neighbor.  A reminder that in our divided world, we are not born neighbors, but trauma can bring us together.

Other words:

σπλαγχνιζομαι ("splagchnizoma", meaning "compassion", 10.33)  This word means compassion in Greek; it comes from intestines.  To have compassion meant your guts were turned over.

Based on a reader comment (2025):  Some translators employ "seized with compassion" to translate ἐσπλαγχνίσθη. The aorist aspect/tense of the verb is understood, in this translation, to emphasize the action beginning. The verb is very common in the Greek New Testament. The particular form (aorist passive) is less common and is found only in the synoptics. However, it is not rare. In this form Jesus is almost always the subject. This is also true in Luke's Gospel, where once Jesus has compassion on a grieving mother, where another time the prodigal son's father has compassion and then here, when the Good Samaritan has compassion. Another hint that the Good Samaritan is Jesus. 

That said, I don't think one needs to appeal to how Luke uses this verb three times in the aorist passive to make the case that the Good Samaritan is Christ-like.

ζωην (from ζωη "zooe" meaning life, 10.25)  In John's Gospel Jesus affirms that everlasting life is not something that begins after death, but begins here.  You can really see this in the Greek in his Gospel, where many of the tenses regarding everlasting life are in the present:  he who believes HAS everlasting life (John 3:36).  In this passage from Luke, Jesus also connects everlasting life with earthly life.  (Do this, Jesus says, and you will live.)  Jesus denies a distinction between everlasting life (the lawyers' question) and life.  To live with God is everlasting life, which begins here on earth.  However, Luke here connects them with moral action.  What does everlasting life look and feel like?  Like showing mercy.  I have no desire to drive a wedge between Luke and John or between faith and works here.  Simply, the everlasting life is the life in the new creation, where our faith transforms us into God's instruments of mercy.

πως ("poos" meaning "how", 10.26)  Jesus does not say, "What does the law say?"  Rather he says, "How do you read the law?"  A reminder that people can read the same laws in different ways!

συγκυρίαν (syn + kyria = "by chance", 10.31)  I cannot confirm the etymology, but from what I can read here, the word literally means "with the Lord."  In other words, this is not "random", but seemingly orchestrated by the Lord!

τραῦμα (trauma, "wound", 10.34)  There is a beautiful image here of the Good Samaritan binding up the wounds.  The Good Samaritan isn't simply donating money, but he is dealing with the wounds of another person.  More deeply, it is interesting to think about the trauma caused by such an event.  In what ways is the Good Samaritan, by his acts, healing the other wounds the person experienced?

γεγονέναι (become, 10.37)  The common way we remember the story is that Jesus asked the person "Who was the neighbor to the man who (was injured)"?  But Jesus asks a slightly different question -- who became the neighbor?  This word γίνομαι can mean "be" but has more of a sense of "came into being or became."  The point is that these people may not always have been neighbors, but they became neighbors through the trauma!