A kingdom or society for all

In today’s Gospel, Jesus spends the night in the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany on his way to Jerusalem. We often interpret the figures of Martha and Mary as signifying two kinds of Christians – Martha the active and Mary the contemplative disciple. And perhaps the model disciple is one who is able to integrate service and contemplation.

Some biblical scholars propose a more provocative interpretation of the story. Martha complains to Jesus and requests him to tell her sister to help in the kitchen. There was much work to do indeed. For to host Jesus for the night not only meant preparing an extra plate and sleeping mat for him, but also for his retinue of disciples. But while Martha had cause to complain about the work that had been left to her, she may also have been keenly aware of the scandal Mary was causing.

For Mary to have “sat at the feet of Jesus” is to take the stance of a disciple. Jesus was engaged in what was called the Jewish Study Circle, equivalent to our Bible Study Group or Basic Ecclesial Community. However, in Jesus’ time, the study of the Torah under the guidance of a rabbi was exclusively for men. Only men became disciples by deliberately seeking the tutelage of a rabbi. There were no woman disciples.

When Mary sat among the men, they must have glared at her. “You do not belong here; you belong to the kitchen” they must have thought to themselves. So when Martha asked Jesus to send her sister to help her in the kitchen, the men must have nodded in agreement. But when Jesus chided Martha that she worried too much about, in concrete, about his supper and sleeping mat and that Mary “had chosen the better deal and this would not be taken away from her,” the men blushed. Jesus permitted Mary to listen to his explanation of the Torah together with the men. Jesus recognized her as a legitimate disciple.

Hence, while it is valid to interpret Martha and Mary as symbolizing two dimensions of discipleship, it is also possible that the incident was really about Jesus’ critique of his patriarchal society that treated women as second-class citizens. Long before the term was formulated, Jesus already denounced gender discrimination.

Jesus proclaimed a kingdom where all are welcome, which Paul has described as a community where there are no divisions between men and women, gentile or Jew, slave or free.

Today, we must examine our society, but especially our attitudes that are the basis of social structures. How gender-sensitive is our respective family, our society and our Church? Are women’s dignity recognized, their voices heard?

Today, we must also look into ourselves and name our prejudices. Because of the terrorist attacks in Europe and in Basilan by Muslim extremists, many of us Christians generalize that Muslims are violent and brutal. Because of the high profile of some transgenders, such as Caitlyn Jennings, Angelina Mead King and Geraldine Roman, many Christians condemn their persons and the entire LGBT community. Because of the drive of the new administration against drug manufacturers, pushers and users that has resulted in the death of more than 300 individuals since May 2016, many of us sigh in relief – even though some of them may have been summarily executed, “Buti nga sa kanila. Mga salot ng lipunan.” Many of us discriminate between those who have a right to live and those that society is better off without. We judge as to who has a rightful place in our society.

Lord, purify our hearts so that like you we might welcome everyone into our lives.