Martha

In the Christian tradition

Martha is the sister of Mary of Bethany and Lazarus, the one Jesus gently reproves in Luke 10:38-42 for being "anxious and troubled about many things" while her sister Mary chose "the one thing needful." Her confession of faith in John 11:27 ("Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God") parallels Peter's in Matthew 16:16. The Catholic calendar commemorates her with Lazarus and Mary on July 29.

Martha's two key New Testament appearances show different sides of her character. In Luke 10:38-42 she is the busy hostess gently reproved by Jesus while her sister Mary listens at his feet; in John 11 she is the first to come out to meet Jesus when Lazarus has died, and the one to whom Jesus gives the great declaration "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Her confession at John 11:27 is one of the major confessions of faith in the gospels. Christian tradition has long debated whether Martha or Mary represents the higher calling; the patristic reading is generally that the two together represent the active and contemplative dimensions of Christian life, both real. The Catholic calendar commemorates Martha with Lazarus and Mary of Bethany on July 29; the name has been in continuous Christian use.