Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus.

What can we learn when we consider their story?

 © ECC+Cnmd All Rights Reserved

Mary and Martha are sisters spoken a great deal about in the New Testament within the gospels of both Luke and John. Both gospel writers describe them as friends of Jesus. Though just four verses long, Luke's account of these sisters has been without doubt, a great catalyst for inspiration and interpretation for absolutely centuries. Extraordinarily enough, John's account is far more detailed (but can be less discerned) as it tells us of their brother Lazarus. It is also way more pro Martha's wisdom and faith - which is why maybe it is less focused on? Chaos would rule in any community - especially a church - without someone being Martha! I have seen how Roman priests have the Religious Sisters (and housekeepers) waiting on them hand and foot!

According to Luke, Martha was head of the household who welcomed Jesus into their house with open arms - as any of us would a great friend. As can happen with sisters, there were a few spats between them and again, these differences of opinion have been the source of many, if not thousands, of different interpretations as to why they bickered. First off, we can safely assume that Mary was younger than Martha and that their personalities were utterly different.

In Luke, Martha is accused of being so consumed with the finer details of the day to day running of the house, she forgets to soak up what is happening to them and exactly who it is, they are such good friends with. In John's account, it is clear that Martha was less fussy and more responsible than Mary and indeed the first sister to speak of and demonstrate her absolute faith in Jesus. Some people call Martha the homemaker - overly concerned with household duties; Mary, they call the disciple and student of Jesus. After all, she sat on the floor and and was the first ever to wash His feet, dry them with her hair and then rub perfume into them - while Martha probably fetched water, cleaned the utensils, got the dinner on, washed up lunch - you get the drift. It has been debated as to whether Jesus went against Jewish culture by teaching these sisters (especially so, according to Luke, Mary) but this is a nonsense as women did indeed study the Torah - it was later they were deemed unworthy of such scholarly and philosophical pursuits.

"Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42).

In Luke's few verses, Jesus gently rebukes Martha for being "worried and distracted" by her many tasks and her resentment of Mary's behaviour in terms of her offering no help. It is intimated that Martha needed to focus on loving God and her neighbour as herself; to do this one thing is to choose the better part, to be a disciple of Jesus. However John's account tells a slightly different story!

John's account of Mary and Martha heaves danger and discusses the great courage of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus. Their brother Lazarus is very ill and so the sisters send word to Jesus. It took two days for Jesus to eventually see them, and His love for all three siblings made Him risk His life to do so. Many of the disciples feared that the enemies of Jesus (in Jerusalem which is close to Bethany where they lived) would get to Him and kill Him. 

In John's narrative, Mary and Martha feature more prominantly than Lazarus who said not a word, even after he is brought back to life by Jesus. Talk and action abounds between both Jesus and Martha and Jesus and Mary. Martha's words are especially powerful when she declares that Jesus is the Messiah while Mary anointed Jesus' feet (John 11:2).

By the time Jesus and the disciples arrived in the village, Lazarus has been dead for days and his sisters were broken hearted. In this account, Martha is an assertive, well-spoken woman with a deep faith and far from being 'distracted' in the least. Martha ran out to greet Jesus while Mary stayed home.

This is when Martha affirms her absolute faith that God will do anything Jesus asked. Jesus said that he is the "resurrection and the life" and so asks her if she believes this. Martha replied, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world" (John 11:27). Martha then gets Mary (Jesus asked her to) who ran out sobbing and fell at His feet. Mary's faith is no way as deep as Martha's in this account from John - and she actually challenges Jesus by saying if He had been there earlier as they requested, Lazarus would have not have died. Of course we all know that even though he had been dead for four days Jesus raised Lazarus from his tomb - as Martha knew He could - because she truly believed Jesus to be the resurrection and the life. Mary, however, gave Jesus a ticking off for being late. Both women teach us an enormous lesson - enormous!

Had Martha not cleaned up and cooked - no one would have eaten. Had Mary not sat at the feet of Christ, women wouldn't relate so definitely and positively to being a scholar and worthy of discipleship. Had Martha not believed in Christ as powerfully as she did - maybe this great miracle wouldn't have happened? Both women displayed a strength of character and courage in the face of being arrested at best - by offering Jesus houseroom as their honour of them all being loving friends - which was more important to them than the religious leaders calling for blood.

Mary and Martha, through their conversations with Jesus, transform a miracle story about the raising of Lazarus into an example of the fullness of new life that is possible to all who believe in Jesus.... Martha and Mary show us all how not to struggle about life and death - in fact they teach us how to rid ourselves from the pain of grief from losing someone we love and the fear of our own death, They allow us to fully understand the new promises and possibilities of a more faithful life here on earth without fear and anxieties - and of course a life eternal once our physical bodies are spent, available through faith and love in Jesus and living His Word.

Mary and Martha were immensely brave and faithful women who loved totally and dared to allow that love to transcend fear of their own persecution and potential death. They committed themselves to Jesus in a time when it was really dangerous to do so. The two women courageously followed Jesus, despite everything.

One of these sisters could not have worked as our example of how to be, without the other. Martha needed to keep her eye on the game. She offered hospitality and nourishment but coupled this with declaring her faith when we are led to believe she wasn't listening to a word. Mary teaches us to study the scriptures and love God and our neighbour despite being faced with dangers. (The modern world equivalent of danger could be people hating, ridiculing or mocking you for being Christian). Martha taught us to do all this and ensure everyone's physical needs were also seen to. One cannot work without the other. 'Man' cannot live on bread alone - is absolutely right! But, whilst here on earth, we also cannot live for long without bread.

Interestingly enough, it was Martha who got there in terms of faith first - despite Mary being classed as the scholar - and it was Martha who literally dealt with not just the deep faith but the practicalities of every day life. A multi tasker in my book! 

To want a Church to offer hospitality to anyone and everyone who comes to them is as important as studying scripture. If someone comes to you hungry and thirsty - do we start by telling them how God wants us to be - or do we show them by our actions of dealing with their hunger and thirst? Martha wanted to be orderly and resourceful as well as informed and enlightened.

This to me, is a perfect example of how we should live our earthly lives.  

Jesus only had to tell Martha the once, that she needed to cut herself and others some slack. She got it, absolutely! However we must also see it from her perspective. She wanted everything to be just so for Jesus and the others and chaos breeds chaos and that creates unhappiness and discontent. When our families gather together at Easter and Christmas - family love, manifest in a calm and orderly household, and a deep and spiritual faith in God within our hearts; is of equal importance. Look at this a bit more deeply. Churches can also become chaotic without the Martha's of the world to create order. What a lovely thought it is to feed 100 of our local elderly with a lovely roast dinner, following a beautful and Christ filled service of worship. But someone has to peel the potatoes.

I have heard some male clerics accuse female clerics of being far too Martha and not enough Mary! I have been victim of this accusation myself. Well, church communities must be orderly. Clergy must discern and differentiate between what is sharing a bit of themselves, personally, and what is unprofessional behaviour. 'Church' must be dignified because Jesus is the ultimate in dignity and we are continuing His ministry. So if one strives for these factors - does that make us just a bit 'too much' Martha or does that make us desperate to be a worthy ambassador for Christ? Instead of knocking the Martha's in our lives - why not give them a hand so they can have the breathing space for their own contemplative time, as Mary had?

We can ensure that all the Martha's of the world also have a little more time in their lives by doing something so simple - giving them a hand whilst reminding them of the importance to chill a bit - but remind them as Jesus did... gently! I feel a bit for Martha if truth were known. She is often thought of as the woman who missed out on the important stuff - she is seldom thought of as the woman who fed and watered her guests, but once reminded of the importance of the moment, managed to proclaim a faith more deeply than that of her scholarly sister - who by the way, we never heard managed to eventually help Martha in her tasks! 

This doesn't distract from the faith of every Martha we know (or have the potential to be); it enhances it. Faith should be calm, and orderly; peaceful and beautiful - but it should also be something we sit back and prayer on within an environment of harmony. Faith should also make us courageous when we fear the worst. Gathering of families can often create a sense of fear - will we have enough room/food/gifts/time for everyone? Will people fight and disagree? Will someone be left out or dominate? Marry that fear of everything practical going smoothly - to the spirituality and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - and you have your answer. Help the Martha's in your world as they are so often completely taken for granted and totally underestimated. Try to give every single Martha in your own lives, the time and help, to be Mary! 

Wonderful responses and thoughts to the meditation:

Absolutely spot on! In line with the theme of this beautifully written and sound meditation I see yet another dimension to the story. Martha represents the social justice, works of mercy, outreach and ministry side of the coin while Mary represents the contemplative, theological and scholarly side. Martha finds God in the great and terrible ordinariness of life while Mary seeks God in the mystical emotional embrace of the moment. Mary is the Road to Damascus and Martha the original vineyard worker who comes to understand the power of the Person she encountered while Mary begins to faint just a wee bit in the face of the tragedies of life. I guess what I am saying is social gospel without the sacraments and the word is like Martha without Mary and evangelical fervor without the works of mercy is like Mary without Martha.
Thanks again for this wonderful lesson.

Your eloquent article on Mary and Martha...