Saints Mary and Martha. New Testament

The Gospel has given the world culture many striking archetypal images that have been repeatedly understood 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 the sisters in the Bible

In the New Testament narration, 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 represented as disciples of Jesus Christ and even more so - together with their brother Lazarus they appear as his friends, whose home has always been open to the Savior.

The Parable of Luke

The author of the third Gospel conveys the story of the sisters as an instructive instruction, the key symbolic figures in which are Martha and Mary. The parable is constructed 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 the friend the necessary hospitality, and Mary sat near Jesus and, listening to his instructions without distraction. The bisexual sister was distracted by this circumstance, and she complained to Christ that Maria had left her alone in the kitchen to eat, and she herself gave herself up to conversations. Jesus reacted to this unexpectedly - he laid siege to Martha, saying that her troubles are a bustle that does not matter much, whereas Maria chose what is really important and necessary for a person, namely, hearing the Will of God. He described the behavior of the younger sister as a good part, a good choice.

The meaning of the parable

In general, the exegetics of this place in the Scriptures are quite obvious: there are eternal values that are always relevant, and they should take the priority place in the life of a Christian. As for domestic and other duties, then, of course, speech is not about doing nothing at all. But in the situation of choice, this passage of the Gospel teaches the believer to choose the most important thing. In other words, Christ does not call on Martha and Mary categorically to give up everyday worries, but speaks of the need for a clear awareness of the eternal and temporary, absolute and relative. In every person, especially among followers of any religions, spiritual teachings and practices, there is at the level of subpersonalities, Mary and her own Martha. From the one whose voice is more audible and authoritative to a person, the quality of his life depends, meaningfulness and inner, spiritual development. And when you meet with your Christ, that is, when speaking in life comes about eternal, higher values, you need to realize whether the correct way of action was chosen, because by caring for "food", you risk yourself to remain without Jesus Calls "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. It is a question, no less, of the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead, which the sisters had to their siblings. As the narrative says, Lazar fell seriously ill, but the sisters who knew Jesus and believed in his power sent him to call him, hoping that he would come and heal their sick brother. Christ knew that Lazarus was sick, but did not go to Bethany, where he lived, immediately. Instead, he waited until Lazar died, and only then announced to the disciples who accompanied him that he was coming to his house. Maria and Martha met the teacher and both expressed regret that he was not with Lazarus when he was still alive. They firmly believed that if this were so, he would not have died. In response, Jesus encouraged them, saying that Lazarus' death is not to the glory of God, that is, it is provided so that God can manifest among the people, so that those who doubt may believe. Christ asked to open the stone from the coffin. At that time the caves were used as graves, carved into a rock, the entrance to which, after the funeral, was covered with a large stone. Maria and Martha at first objected, saying that four days had passed since the burial and that the body of the deceased had become very stinking. Having yielded to the perseverance of the guest and obeying his authority, the stone was still opened. Then, as the gospel narrates, Jesus prayed and, turning to Lazarus, as to the living one, ordered him to leave the tomb. To the astonishment of all those present, he really came out alive, wrapped in funeral veils. This miracle of resurrection from the dead has become one of the most popular evangelical episodes. And Lazar himself, along with his righteous sisters, went down in history, like Lazarus, the quadruped.

The meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus

For the followers of historical Christianity, that is, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and also 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 behind the brackets, turn to theological reflection. First, the story itself tells us that Christ was not just a man. In the narrative, he calls himself "life" and "resurrection" and claims that one who believes in him will not die. This underscores the untroubled nature of its true nature - Christians believe that Jesus Christ is himself the Most High God, incarnate in the image of man. The power of Christ over life and death, described in the Gospel, illustrates and emphasizes this thought. Saint Mary and her sister Martha demonstrate faith in Christ and by their faith receive the desired - the resurrection of their brother. Further, his intentional expectation of death and the assertion 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 craft about every man. In principle, on the basis of certain verses from this passage, many theological conclusions can be extracted, but these two are the most important.

Martha and Mary, as historical figures

In principle, there is nothing to suggest 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 indicated by the fact that they are mentioned twice in the Gospels in completely different contexts. On the other hand, it is difficult to say how real prototypes correspond to those represented in the Bible, because by the time these texts were written they were probably already dead. There were also no reliable historical evidence of their later life. The Catholic tradition claims that Mary, the sister of Martha, is Saint Mary Magdalene. Therefore, a legend 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 applies to Martha, her sisters. In Orthodoxy, this identification is considered only a hypothesis, and therefore there is no formalized hagiographic tradition regarding Mary and Martha.