The gospel has given the world culture a lot of bright 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 of the sacred New Testament history in this article.
The image of 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, the sisters are presented as disciples of Jesus Christ, and even more - together with their brother Lazarus, they appear as his friends, whose house was always open to the Savior.
A parable from Luke
The author of the third gospel conveys the story of the sisters, as an instructive instruction, as key symbolic figures inwhich are Martha and Mary. The parable is built as a story about Christ, who came to visit the mentioned women and began to instruct them in God's will. Martha, meanwhile, was preparing a treat to give her friend the necessary hospitality, and Mary sat next to Jesus and, without being distracted by anything, listened to his instructions. This circumstance pissed off the hospitable sister, and she complained to Christ that Mary had left her alone in the kitchen to eat, and she herself indulged in conversations. Jesus reacted to this unexpectedly - he laid siege to Martha, declaring that her troubles are worldly vanity, not of great importance, while Mary chose what is really important and necessary for a person, namely listening to the Will of God. He called the younger sister's behavior a good part, a good choice.
Meaning of the parable
In general, the exegesis of this passage in Scripture is quite obvious: there are eternal values that are always relevant, and they should take priority in the life of a Christian. As for household and other duties, then, of course, we are not talking about doing nothing 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 in Martha and Mary does not categorically call for the rejection of everyday worries, but speaks of the need for a clear awareness of the eternal and the temporal, the absolute and the relative. Each person, especially among the followers of any religions, spiritual teachings and practices, has his own Mary and his own Martha at the level of subpersonalities. From the one whose voicemore 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 being left without what Jesus calls it "the bread of eternal life".
The Resurrection of Lazarus
In the Gospel of John, Mary and Martha appear as participants in another, more important event. We are talking, no less, about the resurrection from the dead of Lazarus, who was the brother of the sisters. As the story goes, Lazarus fell seriously ill, but the sisters, who knew Jesus and believed in his power, sent for 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, right away. Instead, he waited until Lazarus had 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 was not near Lazarus when he was still alive. They firmly believed that if that were the case, he would not have died. In response, Jesus encouraged them, saying that the death of Lazarus was not for the glory of God, that is, it was provided so that God could manifest himself among the people, so that the doubters would believe. 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 firstobjected, saying that four days had already passed since the burial and the body of the deceased was very stinking. Yielding to the guest's perseverance and submitting to his authority, the stone was nevertheless opened. Then, as the gospel narrates, Jesus prayed and, addressing Lazarus as if he were alive, ordered him to come out of the tomb. To the surprise of all those gathered, he really came out alive, wrapped in funeral shrouds. This miracle of the 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 Lazarus of four days.
The meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus
For followers of historical Christianity, that is, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism, the event of the resurrection of Lazarus, described in the Gospel, is perceived literally, that is, as having taken place. We, leaving the question of its historicity outside the brackets, turn to theological reflection. First, the story itself suggests that Christ was not just a man. In the story, he calls himself "life" and "resurrection" and claims that whoever believes in him will not die. This emphasizes the otherworldliness of his true nature - Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Most High Lord God himself, incarnated in the form of a man. The power of Christ over life and death, described in the Gospel, illustrates and emphasizes this idea. Saint Mary and her sister Martha demonstrate faith in Christ and, by their faith, receive what they want - the resurrection of their brother. Further, his intentional expectationdeath and the statement that this event was for the glory of the Lord, indicates that God manifests himself in the history of the world, and he has a providence for every person. In principle, many more theological conclusions can be drawn from this or that verse from this passage, but these two are the main ones.
Martha and Mary as historical figures
In principle, nothing prevents us from assuming that the real characters described in these two passages of the New Testament really existed and were associated 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 much the real prototypes correspond to the persons depicted in the Bible, because by the time these texts were written, they were probably already dead. There is also no reliable historical evidence of their later life. Catholic tradition holds that Mary, Martha's sister, is Saint 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 present-day France, where she died. The same goes for Martha, her sister. In Orthodoxy, this identification is considered only a hypothesis, and therefore there is no established hagiographic tradition regarding Mary and Martha.
