Lent Day 8

by Tracy Balzer

Psalm 25:3-5

No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.

 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Christ in the House of Mary and Martha by Johannes Vermeer

To be in the physical presence of Jesus must have been remarkable. Seeing him do miracles, watching him take on the religious elite, witnessing him teaching as “one who had authority” (Mark 1:22). There’s no way one could have walked away from any of these big events feeling neutral about Jesus.  You’d either be amazed or suspicious. Inspired or irritated. Captivated or turned off.

But there were also very ordinary times in the human life of this extraordinary man.  What was it like to be around Jesus when it was time to eat, or sleep, or catch fish or care for family needs or wash clothes?  Was Jesus only intriguing when he was doing something spectacular?

Vermeer’s painting of Christ in the House of Martha and Mary illustrates the familiar story of a very ordinary moment.  Jesus was visiting his good friends in their home in the village of Bethany.  In Luke’s telling of this story, we have two sisters – one who is “worried and upset about many things” (Martha) and the other who has “chosen what is better” (Mary).  She chose to give her attention to the visually unspectacular but transformative wisdom and truth of Jesus.

The daily external pressure of duty demands for attention and coaxes us into deep levels of anxiety.  I believe this is what Martha may have been experiencing here; I recognize it as something I struggle with myself.  The external and internal realities are always doing battle.  Jesus – the Word made flesh – shows us that the internal and external do not have to wage war but rather can coexist.  Yes, life is meaningful because of our work, our responsibilities, the tangible nature of things.  But it is an incomplete meaning without receiving “what is better” – the wisdom and presence of Christ.

We are faced with a choice each day.  Will we only be attentive to Jesus when he is doing something obvious, spectacular?  Or can we adopt Mary’s posture and take in his wisdom in the ordinary moments of the day as well?  Can I choose the Psalm-writer’s prayer of simple desire: “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Imagine yourself sitting with Jesus, listening, as if the notes played in this piano piece are Christ’s words to you.  What is he teaching you?  Some things are hard.  Some things are encouraging.  Some things are beautiful.  Some things are mysterious.  Some things are comforting.  

Listen.

Tracy Balzer is the author of Thin Places: An Evangelical Journey Into Celtic Christianity (Leafwood); A Listening Life (Pinyon); and Permission to Ponder: Contemplative Wisdom for the Spiritually Distracted (Leafwood. In her own spare time, she is an avid calligrapher with a passion for all things ink and paper, and loves discussing movies and pop culture with an eye for creative and redemptive spiritual truth. She also hosts a fabulous podcast called A Listening Life.

Tracy is married to Cary, and they live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. She has served as director of Christian Formation and assistant professor at John Brown University for the last 25 years.