So Martha finally erupted.

And Jesus talked to her.

Not in the way she wanted. Jesus did not tell Mary to get up and help. He simply told Martha that she needed to pay attention, to not get distracted about the WHY of the work.

On the other hand, Jesus didn’t tell Martha to stop working. After all, the whole group needed to eat.

What we don’t know, but perhaps could guess, is that Martha may have had a servant who was helping. What we don’t know, but perhaps could guess, is that a couple of the disciples pitched in to help. I can easily imagine Andrew helping, the way he brought the boy with some fish to Jesus. I can easily imagine Matthew or Philip helping out.

But Jesus did acknowledge Martha. He did care about her. He did respond to her cry for help. It’s what Jesus does. Because that’s who Jesus is.

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We read about all he does and is in Paul’s letter to a group of people needing a summary of the person and role and nature of Jesus.

Paul’s statement is the overview that could be the introduction to a whole course about Jesus.

He’s the image of the invisible God. That’s a reflection of Jesus’ own words from John 13, that people who have seen him have seen the Father. It’s the reflection of John’s introduction to the incarnation, the putting on a body and walking around. It’s a reference to Paul’s own words in Philippians 4 about the humility of Jesus that he left the presence of God, put on a body, accepted humiliation.

This summary of Paul’s is worth memorizing for nights when we feel like we have no value. For moments when we are drowning in a sea of overwhelmed. When we are feeling like Martha.

We talked about getting prayer formulas right. The reason that we spend time on that is because we want to get God to do stuff for us. Heal our loved one. Fix our pain. Make my brother help me.

And we can ask. That’s perfectly acceptable.

Because Jesus doesn’t get randomly mad, our complaint won’t lead instant destruction.

But it also won’t lead to instant success.

Instead, our words can be part of an ongoing conversation with the creator of the universe who died to restore relationship and lives to be part of that relationship. As we talk and listen, as we serve and are served, as we love and are loved, we will grow in our understanding of God’s understanding.

God speaks. We listen. We speak. God listens.

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Reflecting on Luke 10:38-42 and Colossians 1:15-28