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