Martha's Story (Luke 10)

We conclude our Martha’s Story series with a conversation with Pastora Inés Velásquez-McBryde from The Church We Hope For. She talks about the ethics of who gets centered both by the words of the storytellers and by the actions of Jesus. In God’s upside-down kingdom, the margins become the middle.

Inspired by the Midrash of the ancient rabbis, Maren takes a crack at Biblical Fanfiction. What do you imagine the lawyer thought about Jesus' Good Samaritan parable? What if Martha heard it, too? And the bottom line question: can creativity can also be a tool in biblical interpretation? You decide.

Are we so familiar with the "good" Samaritan parable that we're too comfortable with it? Maren offers three readings that provoke the usual interpretation and point to the kingdom of God. Warning: the author has been walking around convicted for weeks. She hopes you'll join her.

A properly read parable has never caused a case of the warm fuzzies. Parables were meant to confuse and disturb, to help the audience question the ways of this world and engage in the counter-cultural kingdom of God. Find out how the lawyer, so certain of his righteousness, responds to a good tweaking.

Martha has suffered too long in her sister Mary's shadow. Let's compare her to the 70 followers Jesus sends out and the self-righteous lawyer also found in Luke 10. What light can a good character foil shine?

Luke’s story about Mary and Martha has left scholars debating for centuries, leading to character analysis paralysis. Let’s get past the heroine/villain question to figure out Luke's bigger point.

Welcome to a new season on a couple of sisters, Martha and Mary! Maren confesses how she used to see this story, and offers an apology. In the beautiful words of Mary Oliver, "Congratulations if you have changed."

From "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass" by Mary Oliver