Today's gospel from Luke 10 follows the parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke positions the Good Samaritan and the Mary-Martha story back to back for good reason. The parable and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The Good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God."
Meet the two M & M sisters — Mary and Martha. They are two peas in the same pod and yet so different. Martha and Mary live in the same town — Bethany in Judea. They live in the same house. They have the same brother — Lazarus. How can two sisters, so alike, be so different?
We are told by Luke, that Jesus comes to Bethany and to the two sisters' home for a visit. This is on…