Martha

Martha appears to have been the head of the Bethany household where Jesus was a welcome and frequent guest. When Jesus visited, Martha threw herself into the work of hospitality, becoming distracted and anxious with much serving while her sister Mary sat listening at Jesus' feet. Martha's complaint that Mary had left her to serve alone drew Jesus' gentle rebuke that she was anxious and troubled about many things, when only one thing was truly needful. When their brother Lazarus fell ill and died, Martha went out to meet Jesus while Mary remained at home, and her words carried both grief and unwavering faith: 'Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died... but even now, I know that whatsoever thou shalt ask of God, God will give thee.' In this exchange, Jesus declared Himself the resurrection and the life, and Martha responded with one of Scripture's clearest confessions: 'I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, even he that cometh into the world.' At the supper in Bethany shortly before the crucifixion, Martha again served, this time without recorded complaint, while her sister anointed Jesus and her once-dead brother reclined at the table as living proof of Christ's power. Martha's life shows a heart that grew from anxious service into confident faith, without losing her gift of hospitality.