Every time someone says, "The simplest reading..." about a passage, I really draw back cautiously. I see, usually, two types of people who say "There's only one way to read that passage," on any nonspecific passage. The first is "I know what it means and anyone who disagrees with me is wrong because I know the Will of God," and the second is "I know what it means and it's stupid and there is no God."
I'm not saying you're doing that - quite the opposite, you agree that there are many ways to approach the passage. The way Luke may have approached it, I couldn't say. I just see a story being presented, and Jesus rarely said anything in a straightforward manner. He always presented things in such a way that those listening to it had to really think about what he meant, and there are many ways to interpret it. Even Jesus, when pressed, usually meant many things by his stories. Admittedly, this wasn't a parable, this was an 'event that happened', but I think any of Jesus' responses still need to get considered carefully.
Second, we have the fact that you're talking about what Luke saw in it. I don't pretend the Apostles were perfect or didn't have their flaws. Every apostle, every prophet, was shown to be particularly flawed - unlike many other religions, the chosen of God in JudeoChristian belief were terribly flawed. There was a suicidally depressed prophet, there was the rash murderer, there were liars and thieves. The closest to a 'good' prophet was Joseph of the Coat of Many Colors, but even he had his moments of spite and anger.
I'm interested, but not dedicated, to what Luke thought of the situation. I'm much more interested in what Jesus did in the situation. Additionally, what about the context in which that scene appears? Jesus was constantly about service ... and that's what Martha was doing. He never admonished Martha ... he simply told her that Mary had made her choice, and it was better. He never said Martha should make the same choice, either.
It's worth noting that Mary was in a position that was traditionally denied women - but Jesus defended her right to be there, listening and learning from a teacher.
And I almost forgot the 'most importantly' part...
The strong lessons I learn from the bible ... wouldn't necessarily have occurred to me otherwise. Yes, I interpret them from my bias of modern life and mores ... but the bible presents me with things I wouldn't have thought to bring forward and consider. Methods of thinking I wouldn't have come up with on my own, or by talking with most others. This doesn't mean it's 'The True Faith', but it does make it a useful tool.
At any rate, we need to be careful not to go too much further. This is getting dangerously close to a theology discussion rather than a 'meet the new guy' discussion.
Anyhow, I think it's illuminating to be aware of what criteria actually go into one's judgments of Biblical interpretations. Your particular examples will vary.
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