Martha is a significant biblical figure who appears in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John. She lived in the village of Bethany with her sister Mary and brother Lazarus, and was a friend of Jesus Christ. Though her appearances in the Gospels are brief, they offer intriguing glimpses into Martha’s character and her evolving relationship with Jesus.
We first meet Martha in Luke 10:38-42, when Jesus comes to visit her home. While Mary sits at Jesus’ feet listening to his teaching, Martha busies herself with preparing an elaborate meal and serving their guests. Frustrated that Mary isn’t helping, Martha asks Jesus to tell her sister to assist her. Jesus gently rebukes Martha, telling her that while domestic concerns have their place, “only one thing is needed” – to listen to his words.
This brief vignette reveals Martha’s practical, task-oriented nature – important qualities, but ones that had distracted her from the spiritual nurture Jesus offered. Martha evidently took his mild reproof to heart, for when we encounter her again in John 11, after her brother Lazarus has died, she shows greater understanding and faith.
When Jesus arrives in Bethany, Martha immediately runs out to meet him, while Mary stays home. Martha tells Jesus that if he had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Yet she expresses steadfast confidence that God will give Jesus whatever he asks. After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, Martha’s statement of faith is affirmed and her discipleship confirmed. She has left busywork behind to embrace Jesus in a deeper way.
In John 12, Jesus returns to Bethany six days before Passover. While Mary anoints Jesus’ feet, Martha resumes her service by once again preparing a meal. This time, however, inner peace and devotion appear to motivate her. Martha’s journey thus represents a move from anxious, task-oriented faith to tranquil, receptive faith grounded in Jesus’ identity and teachings.
While brief, Martha’s vignettes offer powerful lessons: the temptation of busyness distracting from true spirituality; the need to sit humbly at Jesus’ feet rather than demanding our own way; expressing confidence in God’s grace, not just lamenting life’s sorrows; serving Jesus and others out of reverent love, not merely obligation. For all her initial practical sensibility, Martha models how encountering Jesus can transform our priorities and deepen our devotion.
Here are the key Bible passages about Martha:
Luke 10:38-42 – Jesus visits Martha’s home in Bethany. Martha is busy serving while her sister Mary sits at Jesus’ feet. Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her, but Jesus says Mary has chosen the better part.
John 11:1-44 – Martha and Mary send for Jesus when their brother Lazarus is ill, but Lazarus dies before Jesus arrives. Martha expresses faith that Jesus could have healed Lazarus and that God will give Jesus whatever he asks. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.
John 12:1-2 – Jesus is once more at Martha’s home in Bethany, where Martha serves dinner. This is just before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem before Passover and his crucifixion.
While the Gospels give only glimpses of Martha’s story, her character offers important spiritual lessons. She exemplifies the temptation toward busyness and anxiety that can distract us from a posture of worship. Her growth in faith demonstrates the transitions one can make from self-reliance to trust in Jesus, from resentment to peace, from tense labor to freely-given service. Martha provides a model of maturing discipleship for all followers of Christ.
Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus, and they all lived together in Bethany, a village just outside of Jerusalem. Martha is mentioned by name several times in the Gospels, specifically in the book of Luke and the book of John. She seems to have been the oldest sister and was definitely the head of the household. This can be inferred based on the passages about her in Scripture.
The first time we encounter Martha is in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus came to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, presumably to eat and rest and teach. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to listen to his teaching, while Martha busied herself with all the preparations for their guests. Finally, Martha went to Jesus and essentially tattled on her sister, saying “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” (Luke 10:40). Jesus’ response was gentle but firm. He said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42).
This interaction tells us a few things about Martha. First, she seemed to bear the bulk of the responsibility for managing their household. This was typical of the expectation for women at the time. Martha must have been quite busy cooking, cleaning, fetching water, and playing hostess while trying to also honor her special guest, Jesus. Still, Jesus makes it clear that she was “anxious and troubled about many things” when only one thing was needed: to listen to him. He was rebuking her for abandoning the spiritual sustenance he offered in order to maintain her domestic duties. Jesus was not downplaying service and hospitality, but was gently reminding Martha to temper it with choosing “the good portion”—taking time to feast on the Word of Life.
The second time we see Martha is in John 11, where her brother Lazarus has become very ill. She and Mary send word to Jesus, saying “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” (John 11:3). Jesus waits two days before starting the journey to Bethany, however. By the time he arrives, Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days. Martha goes out to meet Jesus before he gets to their home, while Mary stays behind. Martha again gently rebukes Jesus, this time saying “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21). Yet she follows this with a profound statement of faith, saying she knows that even now, God would give Jesus whatever he asked.
Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again, to which Martha responds that she knows he will rise in the resurrection on the last day. But she still does not appear to suspect that Jesus could or would raise him immediately. Still, she shows remarkable faith and confidence in Jesus’ identity and relationship with God. Martha returns home, calls Mary out to speak with Jesus, and the powerful story unfolds of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
This story shows enormous personal growth on Martha’s part. Rather than being consumed with busyness and giving Jesus orders, she speaks with humility, grief, honesty, and faith. Her words and actions toward Jesus show reverence for his power and wisdom. With her sister, Martha plays a part in the kingdom work Jesus has come to accomplish.
The third and final mention of Martha is in John 12:1-8. Jesus comes to Bethany again, this time six days before the Passover. Martha is once more serving dinner, while her sister Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. Martha’s service now appears to be an outflowing of love and adoration rather than anxious obligation. She has learned the sacred value of sitting at the Savior’s feet.
These passages give a provocative picture of Martha’s spiritual journey. As an older sister managing the household, she was responsible and hardworking. But she needed to learn that soul work must accompany service. She seemed initially more focused on her own to-do list than on God’s work. Yet Jesus’ gentle corrections helped set her priorities straight. By the end of her story, Martha was ministering out of devotion rather than duty, with peace rather than panic. She learned that obedience flows from reverent listening and is expressed through acts of heartfelt worship.
There are some key lessons we can take from Martha’s faithful example:
- We must resist busyness and distraction that can prevent us from sitting at Jesus’ feet.
- We should accept gentle rebukes as an opportunity for growth, not resentment.
- Out of reverence for Christ, we serve him and others with joy, not obligation.
- True service requires knowing Christ intimately through worship and word.
- Through faith in God’s grace, we move from anxiety and control to peace and trust.
Martha models the transition we all must make from self-reliance to reliance on Christ. She stopped worrying about her performance and started resting in his presence. Her faithful growth serves as an encouragement for all who seek to know Jesus more deeply.
Though Martha appears only briefly in the Gospels, she offers a relatable and insightful model of discipleship. In just a few interactions, we witness her moving from anxious frustration to peaceful faith. We see her grow from resenting her sister to ministering alongside her. Martha provides a thoughtful example of how encountering Jesus deeply transforms us from the inside out. Her journey is one we can learn from today.
When Jesus corrects Martha’s misplaced priorities, he is also correcting ours. He reminds us that one thing alone is needed: to rest at the Savior’s feet, listen to his voice, and receive his nourishment. The beauty of Mary’s wise choice was that “it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). Time in God’s presence changes us eternally. It is the “good portion” we must build our lives around.
Rather than resenting others or resisting God’s corrections, we can embrace them as blessings leading us into greater faith. Martha teaches us that while service matters, motives matter more. She models moving from obligation to devotion, from worry to trust. Her story reminds us that only by sitting with Jesus can we gain the wisdom, power and faith to serve as he served: in love.
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Martha plays a significant role in the Gospels even though she only appears briefly. She and her siblings Lazarus and Mary lived in Bethany and were friends of Jesus. Looking closely at Martha’s limited interactions with Jesus gives us intriguing glimpses into her character and spiritual life. We can discover some valuable lessons from her story that remain relevant today.
We first meet Martha in Luke 10 when Jesus comes to visit her home. While Mary sits listening to Jesus, Martha busies herself with elaborate preparations. Feeling overwhelmed, she essentially tells Jesus to make Mary help her. But Jesus gently rebukes Martha, saying while domestic tasks are important, “only one thing is needed”—to hear his words. This reveals Martha’s tendency toward busyness and distraction from spiritual things.
When Lazarus dies in John 11, however, we see growth in Martha. Though grieved, she expresses steadfast faith in Jesus’ power, telling him God will give him anything he asks. After Jesus raises Lazarus, Martha’s confidence in him is affirmed. She has moved from anxiety and control toward reverent trust.
In John 12, Martha again serves dinner for Jesus, now motivated by devotion rather than obligation. Her earlier frustration has become peaceful service.
Though brief, Martha’s story offers powerful lessons. She models moving from busyness to worship, from self-reliance to trust in God, from resentment to peace, from dutiful service to worshipful service. Her interactions with Jesus transformed her priorities and deepened her faith. She exemplifies the changes Christ can work in each disciple who encounters him.
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Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, played an important role in the Gospels. Her two brief appearances in Luke and John give intriguing glimpses into her spiritual journey. Though busy serving, Jesus called Martha to choose the “one thing needed”—sitting at his feet. When later faced with her brother’s death, Martha’s confidence in Jesus’ power grew. Her anxious frustration became peaceful trust.
Though mostly silent, Martha speaks volumes. She models key transitions in discipleship: from work to worship, resentment to receptivity, self-reliance to reliance on God. Her life illustrates the deep transformation possible when one encounters Jesus, leaves busywork behind, and embraces faith. Martha’s brief but insightful vignettes continue to offer relevance and hope to followers today.
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Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, appeared briefly but significantly in the Gospels. Initially busy and distracted, Jesus called Martha to choose the “one thing needed”—sitting at his feet. When later faced with her brother’s death, Martha’s anxious frustration became confident trust in Jesus’ power. Though mostly silent, Martha models key transitions in discipleship that remain relevant today. Her life illustrates the deep inner transformation possible when encountering Christ.