Sunday 20 July 2025

Psalm 15

Background
I have a four-year-old who currently sees the world through the lens of superhero stories and fairytales. She often asks us if someone is a goodie or a baddie. We try to explain that all of us make choices every day – some good and some bad – and that none of us is perfect (not even Spiderman).

I see the same temptation among grownups when we read Bible stories. We want the characters to be clear-cut heroes or villains. When the same character appears on multiple occasions (and, inevitably, makes some good choices and some questionable ones), we often ignore the stories that do not fit our chosen hero/villain narrative. So we talk about David as a great king, omitting the murder and adultery. We talk about Noah as a righteous man, tending not to mention that, after the flood, he gets drunk and curses his family.

With female characters, it’s often the more admirable moments that are overlooked. Martha has become shorthand for a harried busybody, too preoccupied with unimportant tasks to pay attention to Jesus. And yet this is far from her only appearance in the gospels. She and her sister, Mary, and brother, Lazarus, were dear friends of Jesus, and would host dinners for Jesus and his friends at their home in Bethany. Often overlooked (because it is overshadowed by Lazarus being raised from the dead) is Martha’s confession of faith in John 11:27: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."

Despite her anger with Jesus for failing to arrive before Lazarus died (John 11:21) Martha is able to articulate a vital truth that countless others have failed to grasp. She is someone who is sometimes distracted by the practical demands of hospitality, but who, at a time of crisis, knows just who Jesus is and why it matters. To me, she is rather more hero than villain – and definitely someone with whom I’d like to be friends.

To Ponder:

• Personally, I prefer translations that render verse 40 as "Martha was distracted by much ministry", as she ministered to Jesus and his friends. What are the tasks in your life that are worthy in themselves, but might be distracting you from what Jesus is calling you to attend to at this moment?
• Think of one ‘hero’ and one ‘villain’ from the Bible. Find their story (or stories) and read through them in detail. What surprises you?
• Do you see yourself as a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’? How does God see you?

Bible notes author: The Revd Naomi Oates
Naomi is a Methodist minister, currently serving in four churches across five communities in the North Kent Circuit. When not being rugby-tackled by her two young children, she enjoys cycling, baking and reading Golden Age detective fiction (although not all at the same time).