 |
38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“Martha, Mary, And Jesus” Part I |
  |
I. Introduction.
A. When you think of one, you automatically think of the
other. Their names are consistently linked in the
scriptures. They lived together, with a brother, Lazarus,
in the village of Bethany, a place within easy walking
distance of Jerusalem, according to John 11:18 about two
miles. The village was southeast of the city, just over the
Mount of Olives.
1. Both Luke and John recorded that Jesus enjoyed the
hospitality of their home and family. He went there
on at least three occasions, mentioned in the
gospels.
2. Bethany was, apparently, a regular stop for Jesus in
His travels and this home was a welcome place of
fellowship and rest during visits to Judea.
B. Martha and her sister, Mary, are an interesting pair, very
different in many ways, but very much alike in one
noteworthy respect: both of them loved Jesus, the Christ.
1. These two women became cherished friends of
Jesus during His ministry on earth. In turn, He had
a deep love for them, and their brother, Lazarus.
2. The apostle John, who carefully observed Jesus
during His ministry, and noted who, and what, Jesus
loved, made a point of writing: “Now Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5).
-2-
3. We’re not told how this particular household
became so close with Jesus. No family ties are ever
mentioned between Jesus’ relatives and these
people in Bethany. So, it seems most likely that
Martha and Mary were just two of the many people
who heard Jesus teach, extended Him hospitality,
and, over time, built a relationship with Him.
However it happened, this relationship was quite
obviously very warm and deep. The house of
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany was a place
where Jesus could relax and be “at home.”
C. Jesus cultivated such friendships as one who loved people,
in ways only He truly could. These friendships also help to
explain how Jesus carried on an itinerant ministry all over
Palestine without ever becoming a homeless indigent, in
spite of the fact that He had no permanent residence of His
own. As Jesus Himself said: “. . . ‘Foxes have holes and
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere
to lay His head.’” (Matthew 8:20). He clearly did, though,
have many places to go, and be among friends.
D. When it came to the house in Bethany, hospitality stands
out as a characteristic of this family. Martha, especially,
is seen as a gracious, concerned hostess. From the
scriptures we learn that she presided over the house (as in
Luke 10:38: “. . . Martha welcomed Him into her house.”).
1. That Martha was the elder sister, and, probably
oldest of the three siblings, is indicated by the
listing of her name first whenever she is spoken of
along with her sister and brother. Lazarus appears
to be the youngest of the three, being named last in
John’s list of family members (John 11:5).
-3-
2. All we know about these three is that they lived
together. No clue is given as to their ages, but,
since Mary sat, literally, at Jesus’ feet every time
He appears with them, it might be that she and
Lazarus were younger than Martha. But, even she
does not strike us as very old.
II. Martha And Mary Together.
A. The Bible gives us three significant accounts of Jesus’
interaction with this family.
1. First, you have the text in Luke 10:38-42. The
second is in John’s gospel, Chapter 11. And, the
third appears in John, Matthew, and Mark, the
anointing of Jesus’ feet by Mary.
2. These biblical “pictures” portray Martha as a
devoted servant, and Mary as a devoted worshipper.
But, both were women of great faith, and love, in
and for the Master.
B. We initially meet Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Luke’s
description of their different temperaments perfectly
coincides with what we read in John’s gospel of the two
later incidents. But, here in “Luke” is where these two
contrasting personalities are most clearly seen.
C. Jesus gave Martha a mild rebuke, but a strong lesson about
where one’s real interest, and priorities, should be.
-4-
1. Jesus had come to the house in Bethany, apparently,
at Martha’s invitation, and she “. . . welcomed Him
into her house” (Luke 10:38). She was serving the
role of hostess for their friend and Master. And she
wanted, as any good hostess does, for everything to
be just right for her guests. Not only was she
conscientious, but also very considerate of her
guests’ needs.
2. While Martha was busy preparing to serve the
guests a meal, Mary was sitting, and listening to
Jesus speak.
3. It didn’t take long for Martha to get angry with
Mary. It started as irritation, and, the more she
realized Mary was just not going to help her, built
into frustration and anger.
a. At first, Martha maybe “hinted” in a more
subtle way she needed Mary’s assistance;
making a little extra noise, or moving pots
around with a little more vigor than the
situation really required, or letting some
utensils or cookware clatter together more
loudly in a wash basin.
b. That failing, Martha may have cleared her
throat, or sighed loudly enough to be heard
by all.
c. When nothing resulted from this effort, she
may have looked to where Jesus, Mary, and
the other disciples were sitting, expecting
that Mary would look at her, and catch the
meaning of facial expression. By now that
expression conveyed a clear message: “I
need help. Don’t just sit there, get up and
assist me in preparing to serve this meal.”
-5-
d. Finally, everything else failing to
accomplish that purpose, Martha gave up
all pretense of subtlety, and civility, and
aired her anger and her grievance against
Mary to Jesus Himself. In fact, she brought
Jesus a complaint in the form of a question,
and fully expected Him to comply with her
wish: “. . . ‘Tell her to help me.” (verse 10).
4. Jesus’ answer must have startled Martha. It didn’t
occur to her that she might be the one who was
wrong, not the one wronged. Jesus’ gentle
admonition to her was meant to cool her anger, and
to convey an important message to her. From what
we see of Martha in John 11, and of Mary in
John 12, we must say that both these ladies not only
had a deep love for Jesus, and a great faith in Him as their Master, but understood what Jesus considered most important in life. By John 12, near the end of Jesus’ life and ministry, Martha is still serving, but not complaining.
D. The second close-up look at Martha and Mary comes in
John 11, where the entire chapter is devoted to a
description of how their brother, Lazarus, died and was
resurrected to life again by Jesus, the Christ. Here, again,
these two women’s individual characteristics are
highlighted.
1. The death and then the raising, of Lazarus, did
affect Martha and Mary profoundly, but differently
because of their contrasting personalities. Martha
was the woman of action, Mary the woman of
reflection.
-6-
2. John tells us of how deeply both sisters were
distressed by the death of their brother, how Jesus
helped them in their time of grief, how He
mourned with them at a time of loss, and how He
raised Lazarus from the grave in a triumphant
display of power over physical death.
3. John also tells us of how this one act, both
dramatic and public, finally confirmed the Jewish
leaders’ determination to put Jesus to death
(John 11:53: “Then, from that day on, they
plotted to put Him to death.”).
4. By so-publicly performing this extraordinary
miracle, the Jewish leaders knew that more people
would follow Jesus, and their own power and hold
over the people would continue to erode away
(read John 11:45-57).
5. Both Martha and Mary seemed to understand that
Jesus had risked much to come and restore life to
their brother. The full depth of Mary’s gratitude,
and understanding, is revealed in the third account
where the women are seen together, in John 12
(with parallel accounts in Matthew 26:6-13 and
Mark 14:3-9). Neither Matthew nor Mark give
Mary’s name.
6. Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with costly
ointment, and wiped them with her hair.
(Read John 12:1-8). Both John 12:7 and
Matthew 26:12 indicate that Mary, in some way,
understood that she was anointing Jesus for burial.
-7-
7. Jesus, after raising Lazarus, had gone to the relative
safety of the more isolated village of Ephraim
(John 11:54), but the approaching Passover
celebration brought Him back to the area of
Jerusalem. Mary, and probably Martha as well,
seemed to grasp more clearly than even Jesus’
apostles, how great the danger was to Him.
8. Mary’s sense of debt, and gratitude, toward Jesus
was reflected in her act of reverence and homage.
E. According to Matthew and Mark, Mary’s anointing of
Jesus took place at the house of “Simon the leper”
(Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3).
1. Of course, anyone with an active case of leprosy
would not have been able to attend a gathering like
this, much less host it in his own home. So,
Simon’s designation as a “leper” must signify that
he formerly had the disease. It’s most probable that
Simon was someone whom Jesus had healed from
leprosy.
2. Simon must have been well-to-do to host such a
sizeable dinner party. With all the apostles present,
the party had grown to significant proportions.
3. He may also have been unmarried, because Martha
is portrayed as acting the part of hostess
(John 12:2). It could be that Simon was a close
friend of the family, and Martha had volunteered to
help him. Also present was the resurrected Lazarus
(John 12:2).
-8-
4. Here was a gathering of Jesus’ close friends and
disciples, maybe even a celebration of Lazarus’
return from the dead. If so, those present were
there to express their gratitude to Jesus for all the
things He had done.
F. It was Mary who showed her gratitude, by anointing Jesus.
Both Matthew and Mark indicate Jesus’ willingness to
accept such a lavish praise and reverence. John 12
indicates the hypocrisy and pretentions of the apostle,
Judas. He pretended to perceive “waste.” Judas’
argument: His resentment at the ointment not being sold
and the proceeds going to help poorer people. But, Mary
only saw an opportunity for an expression of gratitude to
her Master.
III. Conclusion.
A. Martha and Mary remind us that God can, and does, use
all people in the service of Himself and His Son.
1. We are different for a reason, and we’re not to look
down on, or despise, one another just because we
have different personalities or other things that
separate us from each other.
2. Martha was a noble, godly woman with the heart
of a servant and a great capacity for work.
3. Mary was also a noble, godly woman, known from
the scriptures for her adoration of Jesus and her
perception of His needs, as well as her own greatest
need.
B. Mary, Jesus said, had “. . . chosen that good part, which
will not be taken from her” (Luke 10:42).
-9-
C. Martha, too, was a woman of faith and love, often expressing this in a way different from Mary, but
expressing it, and her faith in Jesus as the Christ,
nonetheless. In John 11:27 she makes this statement:
“. . . ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the
Son of God, who is come into the world.’” (John 11:27).