Martha

Martha

from Praying with the Women of the Bible

by Bridget Mary Meehan

According to the Gospel of Luke, Martha, her sister Mary,

and her brother Lazarus live in a village near Jericho. In John’s Gospel, they live in Bethany and are portrayed as friends of Jesus. The gospels record three encounters between Martha and Jesus. In Luke’s account Martha protests to Jesus that she has to do the household chores alone, while her sister Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to his words (10:38–42). In John 11:1–45, Martha and Mary send a message to Jesus that their brother Lazarus is sick. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Martha went to meet Jesus and told him about Lazarus’ death. Jesus assured her that her brother would rise again. Martha replied that she knew that he would rise again on the last day. “Jesus then said to her, ‘I am the Resurrection, and I am Life: those who believe in me will live, even if they die; and those who are alive and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ Martha replied, ‘I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, God’s Only Begotten, the One who is coming into the world’” (11:25–27, The Inclusive New Testament). Then Jesus wept, went to the tomb, and raised Lazarus from the dead. In John 12:1–8, Jesus and Lazarus attend a banquet in Bethany which Martha serves and Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with costly ointment and dries them with her hair.

Jesus is portrayed in these passages as a religious teacher who is comfortable in the company of women. He converses and eats a meal with Martha and Mary. He conducts a theological discourse with Martha on the meaning of the Resurrection. He reveals his identity to Martha as he did to the Samaritan woman. He broke the gender taboos, which did not allow women to serve or even to enter the dining area where male guests were eating.1

Martha appears in John’s Gospel as a woman who takes initiative, gets things done, deals with her loss and grief, and expresses deep faith in Jesus. As Mary Zimmer puts it:



Martha does not stay home this time, busy as a hostess for the funeral guests. She





leaves and goes out to meet Jesus on the road, to confront him with the reality of her brother’s death. Her first step to faith is the literal first step out of the house of grief and loss.2



In Luke’s story Martha is overwhelmed, frustrated, and

irritated from the pressures of preparing a festive meal by herself. Her anger smolders, and as soon as Jesus arrives she complains about her sister’s behavior. Some commentators think that Martha was the older sister and may have owned the home and have been responsible for its organizational operation. One may be tempted to cite this story as an example

of sibling rivalry, or as an example of a power struggle between Martha and Mary. Or to describe this story, as some homilists have in the past, as a vindication of the contemplative over the activist approach to life, or even, more

inappropriately, that women belong in their homes taking care of their children and not in the workplace. Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza thinks that Jesus’ correction of Martha

in Luke reflects the tradition of the later Christian movement in his time to put women in a subordinate position: “Luke’s interest in subordinating one ministry to the other also comes to the fore in the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38–42 where Martha is characterized as ‘serving at table,’ while Mary like a rabbinic disciple, listens to the word of Jesus.” 3

It is evident from the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Luke’s accounts of Martha’s story that both writers experienced a community in which women ministered as eucharistic presiders, preachers, and deacons. In Luke’s church well-to-do Hellensitic women hosted the eucharistic celebration in their homes. But Luke describes Jesus reproving Martha and affirming Mary. Rose Sallberg Kam believes that this reflects a culturally ingrained male bias toward women, in spite of the witness of Jesus’ treatment of women as equals. On the other hand, the Gospel of John was written at a time around 100 CE when the official roles of women were becoming more limited. Yet, the Gospel of John reaffirms Jesus’ attitude toward women. What is even more striking, Kam concludes, is that the author of John “places on Martha’s lips a profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah that Mk 8:29 assigns to Peter—and Peter’s is a profession of faith to which popes still relate his primacy, and their own. For the Johannine community, Martha is thus identified as holding no less than apostolic authority.”4

The gospels give us two different Marthas: the activist in the kitchen who is occupied with the details of hospitality; the confident, self-assured, and assertive woman who confronts Jesus about his late arrival at her brother’s death. Do we need to choose one of these “Marthas” or can we choose both? Do the questions themselves draw us into a false dichotomy? For generations, the “Marthas” among us have been labeled busybodies, worriers, or even workaholics. Maybe what is needed is an integration of these two “Marthas” in our spiritual journey. It would certainly help us to be more balanced human beings.

Like Peter, Martha, a woman of faith, is remembered for one of the most important confessions of faith in the Christian scriptures, “I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, God’s Only Begotten, the One who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). It appears that Christ treated women as equals and affirmed their spiritual gifts and authority. Like servant-leader Martha, contemporary Christian women and men are being called to a life of service in their homes, churches, communities, and world. Perhaps, biblical scholars





like Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza are right when they claim that the table ministry of Martha is associated with eucharistic ministry. If so, then what we need is a fresh approach to ministry in the Church in which women and men can celebrate their life in Christ as disciples and equals in ways that will witness to future generations the fire of Pentecost Spirit. One of the signs of hope in our times is the emergence of small faith communities, similar to the house churches in the early Christian movement. Here a new birthing of creative liturgical expressions and innovative forms of ministry are occurring. Wouldn’t Martha be proud of us?







Reflection



“‘Your brother will rise again!’ Jesus assured her. Martha replied, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’



“Jesus told her,

‘I am the Resurrection, and I am Life:

those who believe in me will live, even if they die;

and those who are alive and believe in me will never die.

Do you believe this?’

“‘Yes!’ Martha replied, ‘I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, God’s Only Begotten, the One who is coming into the world’” (John 11:23–27, The Inclusive New Testament).







Discussion Questions



1. What is the significance of Martha’s profession of faith? Do you agree that it signifies Martha’s apostolic authority? Why? Why not? What implications does your understanding of this text have on the role you believe women should play in the Church of the twenty-first century?

2. The Gospels of Luke and John describe Martha differently. Which “Martha” do you identify with? What insights do each story provide?

3. Jesus is portrayed in these passages as a religious leader who is comfortable with women. Why did Jesus break the gender taboos of his culture and religion?

4. A grieving Martha meets Jesus on the road and says: “If you had been here, my brother would never have died!” Have you ever experienced similar thoughts and feelings in the losses of your life? How can our faith help us deal with grief?







Prayer Experience



1. Be aware of any areas of tension in your body. Relax this tension by alternately tensing




and relaxing your muscles in those areas. Then starting at the top of your head, breathe in God’s peace to each area of your body; your head, face, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, arms, hands, legs, feet, etc.

2. Journey to the center of your being and be aware of God’s indwelling presence within you. Repeat a mantra, or short phrase from scripture such as “I am the Resurrection”… “Those who believe in Christ will never die”… “Jesus wept”… “Yes!”… or “I believe that you are the Messiah”… to focus your prayer and still your soul.

3. As you do so, be aware of times of struggle, loss, grief, or hurt in your life when you needed comfort…. Let your memories of people, events, and places emerge one at a time…. Choose one incident for deeper reflection…. You can go back and do others at a later time….

4. Be aware of your pain…. Feel it…. Dialogue with it…. Ask it what it can teach you now…where it can lead you….

5. Realize that Christ who is the same yesterday, today, and forever can comfort you now…. Ask Christ to do for you whatever will help you to heal from this hurt…. You may want to walk and talk out your feelings with the divine healer…. You may need to let your tears be your prayer…. You may want Christ to hold you close to the divine heart…. You may want to place this area of your life in a balloon and release it with Christ…. Stay as long as you want doing whatever you need to do….

6. Now imagine Christ giving you a gift…. You are amazed when you receive it…. You decide to share it with others….



7. You are aware that Christ is always with you and with your loved ones, wherever you or they may be…. Now it’s time to go in peace to continue your journey of faith.… You are a new creation…. The power of Christ’s Resurrection has touched you…and those you love…. Make your own profession of faith…. Express in it your understanding of the role you believe women should play in the twenty-first century….