The gospel has given world culture many vivid archetypal images that have been repeatedly comprehended in various musical compositions, works of art, not to mention religious reflection itself. Two such figures - the sisters Martha and Mary, are probably the most recognizable after Christ and the Virgin Mary. We will talk about these characters in the holy New Testament history in this article.
The image of the sisters in the Bible
In the New Testament narrative, Mary and Martha appear twice - once in the Gospel of Luke, the second time - in the Gospel of John. These two passages describe two different stories. But in both sisters they are represented as disciples of Jesus Christ, and even more so - together with their brother Lazarus they appear as his friends, whose house was always open for the Savior.
Parable of Luke
The author of the third Gospel conveys the story of the sisters as an instructive instruction, in which Martha and Mary are the key symbolic figures. A parable is built as a story about Christ, who came to visit these women and began to instruct them in God's will. Martha, meanwhile, was preparing a treat to provide her friend with the necessary hospitality, and Mary was sitting beside Jesus and, not distracted by anything, listened to his instructions. This circumstance freaked out the hospitable sister, and she complained to Christ that Mary had left her alone in the kitchen to eat, and she indulged in conversations. Jesus reacted unexpectedly to this - he besieged Martha, declaring that her troubles were worldly vanity, which did not really matter, while Mary chose what was really important and necessary for a person, namely, listening to the Will of God. He called the behavior of the younger sister a good part, a good choice.
The meaning of the parable
In general, the exegetics of this place in the scripture is quite obvious: there are eternal values that are always relevant, and it is they that should occupy a priority place in the life of a Christian. As for household and other duties, then, of course, we are not talking about not doing anything at all. But in a situation of choice, this passage of the gospel teaches the believer to choose the main thing. In other words, Christ at Martha and Mary does not categorically call for the abandonment of everyday worries, but speaks of the need for a clear awareness of the eternal and temporary, absolute and relative. In each person, especially among the followers of any religions, spiritual teachings and practices, there is on the level of subpersonalities his own Mary and his own Martha. From whose voice is more audible and authoritative to a person depends on the quality of his life, meaningfulness and internal, spiritual development. And when meeting with your Christ, that is, when it comes to eternal, higher values in life, you need to be aware of whether the right course of action was chosen because, taking care of the “treat”, you risk yourself being left without Jesus calls "the bread of eternal life."
Resurrection of Lazarus
In the Gospel of John, Mary and Martha appear as participants in another, more important event. It is, no less, about the resurrection from the dead of Lazarus, who was the sister of the brother. As the story goes, Lazarus was seriously ill, but the sisters who knew Jesus and believed in his strength sent to call him, hoping that he would come and heal their sick brother. Christ learned that Lazarus was sick, but did not go to Bethany, where he lived, immediately. Instead, he waited until Lazarus passed away, and only then announced to the disciples who accompanied him that he was going to his house. Mary and Martha met the teacher and both expressed regret that he did not appear next to Lazarus when he was still alive. They firmly believed that if this were so, he would not have died. In response, Jesus encouraged them by saying that the death of Lazarus was not to the glory of God, that is, it was provided so that God could manifest himself among the people, so that those who doubted believed. Christ asked to open the stone from the tomb. At that time, caves carved into the rock served as graves, the entrance to which, after the funeral, was closed with a large stone. Mary and Martha initially objected, saying that four days had already passed since the burial and the body of the deceased was stinking. Yielding to the insistence of the guest and obeying his authority, the stone was still opened. Then, as the gospel narrates, Jesus prayed and, addressing Lazarus as if alive, ordered him to leave the tomb. To the amazement of all those gathered, he really came out alive, shrouded in burial sheets. This miracle of resurrection from the dead has become one of the most popular gospel episodes. And Lazarus himself, along with his righteous sisters, went down in history as a four-day Lazarus.
The meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus
For followers of historical Christianity, that is, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, as well as Protestantism, the event of the resurrection of Lazarus, described in the Gospel, is taken literally, that is, as the place to be. But we, leaving the question of its historicity outside the brackets, turn to the theological reflection. Firstly, the story itself suggests that Christ was not just a man. In the narrative, he calls himself “life” and “resurrection” and claims that he who believes in him will not die. This emphasizes the inviolability of its true nature - Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Supreme Lord God himself, embodied in the image of man. The power of Christ over life and death, described in the Gospel, illustrates and emphasizes this idea. St. Mary and her sister Martha demonstrate faith in Christ and, by their faith, receive what is desired — the resurrection of their brother. Further, his deliberate expectation of death and the assertion that this event was for the glory of the Lord, suggests that God manifests himself in the history of the world, and he has a providence for every person. In principle, on the basis of certain verses from this passage, many theological conclusions can be drawn, but these two are the most important.
Martha and Maria, as historical persons
In principle, nothing prevents us from assuming that the real characters described in these two passages of the New Testament really existed and were connected with Jesus and his community. This is also evidenced by the fact that they are mentioned twice in the Gospels in a completely different context. On the other hand, it is difficult to say how real prototypes correspond to the persons depicted in the Bible, because by the time of writing these texts they were probably already dead. There are no reliable historical evidence of their later life either. Catholic tradition claims that Mary, Martha’s sister, is St. Mary Magdalene. Therefore, a tradition is associated with her, according to which she preached in Jerusalem, Rome, and then in Gaul - in the territory of modern France, where she died. The same applies to Martha, her sister. In Orthodoxy, this identification is considered only a hypothesis, and therefore there is no formalized living tradition regarding Mary and Martha.