Martha and Mary

Biblical Account

Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus. The three siblings lived in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem (John 11:1, 18). The Gospel of John records that Jesus loved them (John 11:5).

• Welcoming Jesus (Luke 10:38-42): Martha was busy serving Jesus, while Mary sat at his feet and listened to his word. When Martha complained that her sister was not helping, Jesus answered, "Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." The Gospel of Luke does not name the village.
• The raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44): Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection, and the life" (11:25). Martha confessed, "I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God" (11:27). Mary fell down at Jesus' feet and wept (11:32).
• The anointing at Bethany (John 12:1-8): At a supper six days before the Passover, Martha served. Mary poured costly ointment of spikenard on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. When Judas Iscariot objected that this was a waste, Jesus replied that she had done it for the day of his burial.

Significance Within Scripture

Sitting at the feet of a rabbi was the posture of a disciple receiving instruction (compare Acts 22:3). For this reason, Luke 10 is also read as a scene in which a woman is accepted as a disciple who learns the word. Martha's confession is often compared with the confession of Peter (Matthew 16:16). Mary's anointing is presented as an event that anticipates Jesus' death and burial.

Interpretations and Debates

• Service and the word: The Western church has long read Mary as a symbol of the contemplative life and Martha as a symbol of the active life. Protestant preaching generally emphasizes that hearing the word comes first. Many interpreters, however, hold that what Jesus rebuked was not service itself but a heart that was "careful and troubled about many things."
• Other anointing accounts: Matthew 26 and Mark 14 also record a woman pouring ointment on Jesus in Bethany, but they do not give her name. Many regard this as the same event as the one in John 12, though the texts do not say so directly.
• Confusion with Mary Magdalene: In the Western church, from the time of Pope Gregory I (reigned 590–604), a long-standing tradition identified Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene, and the "woman which was a sinner" of Luke 7 as a single person. Scripture does not say that they are the same individual. Today both Protestants and the Catholic Church generally distinguish the three.
• Later legends: The story that the siblings later traveled to southern France is a medieval legend and does not appear in Scripture.

In the Korean Church

• In Korean churches, sermons and Bible studies frequently contrast "Martha-type faith" with "Mary-type faith." The passage is often cited to encourage church members who are busy with service to make room for the word and prayer.
• Among Korean Christians, the expression "breaking the alabaster box" is widely used to describe unsparing devotion. However, the alabaster box appears in the accounts in Matthew and Mark; it does not appear in John 12, where Mary is named.
• John 11:25-26 is frequently read at funeral services and Easter services.