Martha
The sister of Mary and Lazarus of Bethany, and the one who welcomed Jesus into their home. Distracted by much serving while Mary sat listening, she complained — and was told gently that she was anxious about many things but only one was needed. Her greater moment came at her brother's tomb: meeting Jesus on the road with 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died', she made one of the clearest confessions in the gospels, that he was the Christ, the Son of God. At the later supper in Bethany, she was serving again.
What we know — and how we know it
Where in scripture
LukeJohnAs they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Luke 10:38
But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”
Luke 10:40 — Distracted with much serving
Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,
Luke 10:41
But there is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed, nor hidden, that will not be known.
Luke 12:2
She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”
John 11:27 — 'You are the Christ'
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 5 recorded sayings
“But Martha had her hands full of the work of the house, and she came to him and said, Lord, is it nothing to you that my sister has let me do all the work? Say to her that she is to give me some help.” — Luke 10:40
“Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not be dead. But I am certain that, even now, whatever request you make to God, God will give it to you.” — John 11:21-22
“Martha said to him, I am certain that he will come to life again when all come back from the dead at the last day.” — John 11:24
“She said to him, Yes, Lord: my faith is that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world. And having said this, she went away and said secretly to her sister Mary, The Master is here and has sent for you.” — John 11:27-28
“Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said, Lord, by this time the body will be smelling, for he has been dead four days.” — John 11:39
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Events
Places in their life
Photo: Tomer hu — CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
In art
