The New Perspective on Mary and Martha Review
by Marker Thousand. Mattison
Luke 10:38-42 has long troubled me. On the one hand, Jesus's commendation of Mary unambiguously empowers women. Jesus's disciples—that is, those who learn from him and study under him (or in modern terms, those who "study theology")—are not limited to men. Anybody is welcome to pursue biblical studies, women besides as men.
All the same, countless sermons on this passage include a troubling dark side. Jesus commends Mary past rebuking Martha. "Be a Mary, not a Martha," the saying goes. Sitting around discussing doctrine is better than doing the dishes.
Only this reading seems to fly in the confront of common sense, not to mention Jesus's own teaching. Why should the theologian exist "better" than the one who serves the food? If everyone sat effectually talking all day, where would dinner come up from? Thin air?
Jesus's statement in Luke 10:42 has often struck me every bit being completely at odds with his own words twelve chapters later. There, Jesus's disciples "got into an argument about which of them should be considered the greatest" (Luke 22:24, DFV). Jesus replied that:
the greatest amongst you should become similar the youngest, and the leader similar one who serves. Who is greater, the one who sits at the table or the 1 who serves? Isn't it the i who sits at the tabular array? Merely I'm amongst yous equally 1 who serves (Luke 22:26,27, DFV).
And nonetheless, in Luke 10:42, information technology appears that Jesus tells Martha simply the opposite. In Luke 22, it's improve to serve than to sit and be served, just in Luke 10, it seems better to sit than to serve. Given Jesus'southward words in Luke 22:27, I've often wondered why Luke didn't say that Jesus got up to serve.
This reading of Luke 10:38-42, however, has been strongly challenged by Mary Stromer Hanson. At November's annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta, Georgia, she read a idea-provoking paper titled "Mary of Bethany: Her Leadership Uncovered"? (Read the newspaper online past clicking here.) It reiterates the thesis of her volume, The New Perspective on Mary and Martha: Do Non Preach Mary and Martha Again Until You Read This! (Wipf & Stock), 2013.
Hanson raises of import questions about the traditional reading. She points out that we read into it things that aren't actually there. For example, we presume that Jesus and twelve other tired, hungry men showed up on Mary and Martha'south doorstep unannounced. Whatsoever decent host would be alarmed. But the passage doesn't state that whatsoever other disciples were present. In fact, the ensuing chat includes only two people: Martha and Jesus.
Earlier considering possible implications, read Hanson's translation of Luke 10:38-42, found on pages 31 and 32 in her book:
As they were on their fashion, he came to a hamlet where a woman named Martha received him. She had a sis called Mary, who too was one who sat at the Lord'southward anxiety, always listening to his words. But Martha was constantly torn autonomously concerning much ministry. She all of a sudden approached him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister regularly leaves me to minister alone? Tell her therefore that she may give me a hand."
Just the Lord answered her proverb, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and agitated concerning much, but only one thing is needed: For Mary has chosen good and it will not be taken away from her."
This translation involves several fundamental arguments. An of import one is the translation of diakonia equally "ministry" instead of "service" in verse 40. The Divine Feminine Version of this passage also made a point of using the word "ministry." But Hanson goes much further.
Many translations follow the King James Version in stating that "Martha received him [Jesus] into her house." Just the words "into her firm" are not actually in the Greek text; they're supplied by translators. All the text explicitly states is that Jesus entered a hamlet and was welcomed by Martha.
The crux of Hanson's statement, however, involves verse 39. She includes the relative pronoun preserved in a widely dispersed fix of manuscripts (but bracketed past the United Bible Society'due south Greek New Testament) and translates the discussion kai as "also," implying that Martha too every bit Mary regularly "sat at the Lord's anxiety," a effigy of speech denoting discipleship (cf. The New Perspective, p. 27).
This important departure can exist illustrated past comparison the New American Standard Bible with the Male monarch James Version of verse 39:
New American Standard Bible
"She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord'south anxiety, listening to His give-and-take."
King James Version
"And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word."
According to Hanson, since "sitting at the anxiety" is a figurative clarification rather than a literal i, Mary is non necessarily physically seated earlier Jesus's feet while Martha addresses him. In her presentation, Hanson said that:
"Sitting at the anxiety," as in Acts 22:3, is the traditional vocabulary of discipleship. And so both Martha and Mary are known as "sitters at the feet" or disciples of Jesus. This is a figurative description, non literal.
Martha addresses Jesus directly in Luke 10:40 because Mary, again according to Hanson, isn't fifty-fifty at that place. While Martha is struggling to keep up with the local village ministry, Mary is traveling around ministering away. Martha wants Jesus to evangelize a bulletin to Mary when he encounters her in his travels, asking her to return and assist Martha in the village ministry.
Finally, Hanson proposes an alternative translation of verse 42. She translates tēn agathēn merida (literally, "the proficient portion") not superlatively (equally in "the all-time portion") only rather positively (every bit in "a expert thing"; cf. The New Perspective, p. 31). In other words, Mary'south choice of ministering away isn't necessarily better than Martha'southward choice of ministering to the village; Mary'south pick of itinerant ministry building is every bit good.
Whether all of Hanson'due south arguments will prevail remains to exist seen. But whatsoever the final verdict, her translation and interpretation should, at the very least, reinforce the importance of paying very close attention to biblical texts and exploring multiple possibilities.
© 2015 by Mark Thou. Mattison and Christian Feminism Today
Source: https://eewc.com/new-view-mary-martha/
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