Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany
“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5).
Martha and Mary of Bethany are well-known figures of the New Testament. The two sisters seem to have had different temperaments, and their characters are often polarized in the retelling of their story. These polarized characterizations are caricatures which obscure the real picture of the women, their faith and their situation. This article looks at some of the information we have on Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus. This information gives us a more accurate picture of these friends of Jesus.
Marital Status
Martha and Mary are mentioned in each of the four gospels in various narratives. There is no mention of fathers or husbands in any of these accounts. It was highly unusual for women to be unmarried in biblical times so it is possible that Martha and Mary were young, orphaned women who had not yet married, or older widows who had not remarried. Another real possibility is that Martha and Mary belonged to an ascetic sect and had chosen singleness and celibacy.
It is believed that a colony of ascetics (also known as Essenes) lived in Bethany. Literary evidence from one the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests that these ascetics had a hospice in Bethany for the ritually unclean, which included lepers. The ascetics were known for their acts of charity and it is most likely that their hospice also helped and accommodated the poor and destitute. Jesus may have been in this hospice when he announced, “You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.” (Mat 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8).
Age
Jewish women were usually married by sixteen years of age. (It was not uncommon for Jewish girls to be legally betrothed before their twelfth birthday and married by their fourteenth.) Because we do not know about any husbands or children, it is difficult to estimate the ages of Martha and Mary and their brother.
Martha is often, but not always, mentioned first among her siblings, so she was probably the oldest (e.g. John 11:5). In comparison with his sisters, Lazarus plays a more passive role in the gospel narratives, so he may have been considerably younger. His young age would have made his death even more lamentable, especially as the family may have already grieved the loss of both parents.[4]
Wealth
If we assume that the narratives about Martha and Mary were not set in a hospice, then they appear to have been wealthy women with a home large enough to accommodate Jesus and his entourage. Moreover, Mary owned very expensive perfume. The perfume was worth a year’s wages (John 12:3-8). Or, had the perfume been a donation from a wealthy benefactor for the work of the poor? Did Mary use perfume to anoint Jesus that was meant to be sold to help the poor? (See Matt. 26:8-9, 11; Mark 14:4-5, 7; John 12:4-5, 8.)
Martha seems to have been regarded as the mistress of the home (Luke 10:38). While men were typically the leaders of their households in patriarchal times, some women, usually widows, were the leaders of their own homes. Several wealthy women in the New Testament appear to have been the mistresses of their own homes with no mention of a man as head: Lydia, Nympha, Chloe, and John Mark’s mother. Other New Testament women are mentioned as being of independent means. Jesus’ ministry was sponsored by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many other women who accompanied Jesus and ministered to him out of their own, personal resources (Luke 8:2-3). It was uncommon, but not rare, for a woman to be independently wealthy, or a homeowner, in New Testament times.
Temperament and Faith
From the short biblical accounts of Martha and Mary it seems that Martha was the more practical of the two (Luke 10:40; John 11:39; 12:2) and Mary the more emotional (John 11:32-33; 12:3). Mary also seems to have been the more popular (John 11:45). Mary still seems to be the more popular in the church today.
Martha and Mary were both devoted disciples of Jesus. Sitting at someone’s feet was the usual posture of a disciple who was being taught. In Luke 10:39 we see Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet. Perhaps some of the other men and women who travelled with Jesus were also sitting with Mary while Martha was busy preparing a meal. Being hospitable and serving a meal was an almost sacred duty in the culture of that time. Martha was doing a very good thing, the expected thing, but Mary had chosen the better option. Mary had chosen the one thing that was really necessary: to be with Jesus and learn from him (Luke 10:42). Jesus promises that his intimacy and instruction will not be taken away from her.
Martha and Mary would continue to be devoted disciples of Jesus. Some speculate that the chosen lady and the chosen sister in 2 John are Martha and Mary. (More on this here.) We learn nothing, however, about Lazarus’s faith or his character, but he does become a bit of a celebrity after Jesus raised him from death (John 12:1-2, 9). Lazarus then became the target of the chief priests’ plot to assassinate him (John 12:10-11).
Jesus at Bethany
The name Bethany (beth anya) means “Poor House” or “House of Misery”. The village may have been named after the hospice for the sick and destitute. But Jesus did not experience poverty in Bethany; instead he experienced the warmth, love, and hospitality of dear friends.
Jesus spent a lot of time during the last weeks of his earthly ministry in Bethany. Jesus began his ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday from Bethany (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29). And he stayed in Bethany the following week (Mat 21:17; Mark 11:11-12). It is probable that Jesus spent the last few days before his crucifixion in Martha’s home. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he ascended into heaven from near Bethany (Luke 24:50-51).
Martha and Mary were both woman of great faith, spiritual acuity and devotion. The church needs both Marthas and Marys who will be pragmatic and exuberant in their devotion to the Lord Jesus, and are always choosing the more necessary thing of spending time with Jesus, learning from him.
~Adapted from Margaret Mowczko, Newlife, http://newlife.id.au/christian-living/martha-mary-and-lazarus-of-bethany/.
