MARTHA (mar'tha), (Gr. Map0a, mar' tha ; Heb.
N72, mar'thaw, perhaps /ray), sister of Lazarus and Mary, who resided in the same house with them at Bethany. (See LAZARUS.) From the house at Bethany being called 'her house,' in Luke x:38, and from the leading part which Alartha is always seen to take in domestic matters, it has seemed to some that she was a widow, to whom the house at Bethany belonged, and with whom her brother and sister lodged; but this is uncertain, and the common opinion, that the sisters managed the household of their brother, is more probable. Luke probably calls it her house because he had no occasion to men tion, and does not mention, Lazarus; and when we speak of a house which is occupied by dif ferent persons, we avoid circumlocution by call ing it the house of the individual who happens to be the subjcct of our discourse. Jesus was in timate with this family, and their house was often his home when at Jerusalem, being ac customed to retire thither in the evening, after having spent the day in the city. The point which the Evangelists bring out most distinctly with re spect to Martha, lies in the contrariety of dispo sition between her and her sister Mary. The first notice of Christ's visiting this family occurs in Luke x:38-42, He was received with great atten tion by the sisters; and Martha soon hastened to provide suitable entertainment for the Lord and his followers, while Mary remained in his presence, sitting at his feet, and drinking in the sacred words that fell from his lips. The ac tive, bustling solicitude of Martha, anxious that the best things in the house should be made sub servient to the Master's use and solace, and the quiet earnestness of Mary, more desirous to profit by the golden opportunity of hearing his instructions, than to minister to his personal wants, strongly mark the points of contrast in the characters of the two sisters. The part taken by the sisters in the transactions connected with the death and resurrection of Lazarus, is entirely and beautifully in accordance with their previous history. Martha is still more engrossed with out ward things, while Mary surrenders herself more to her feelings, and to inward meditation. When they hcard that Jesus was approaching. Martha hastened beyond the village to meet him, 'but Mary sat still in the house' (John_ xi :2o, 22). When Martha saw Jesus actually appear. Whose presence had been so anxiously desired, she ex hibits a strong degree of faith, and hesitates not to express a confident hope that he. to whom all things were possible, would even yet afford re lief. But, as is usual with persons of her lively character, when Christ answered, with what seemed to her a vague intimation, 'Thy brother shall rise again,' she was instantly cast down from her height of confidence, the reply being less direct than she expected: she referred this saying to the general resurrection at the last day, and thereon relapsed into despondency and grief.
This feeling Jesus reproved, by directing her at tention, before all other things, to that inward, eternal, and Divine life, which consists in union with him, and which is raised far above the power even of the grave. This he did in the magnifi cent words, 'I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believ eth in me shall never die. Believest thou this ?' Sor row and shame permitted the troubled Martha, in whose heart the feeling of an unconditional and entire surrender to his will was re-awakened, to make only the general confession that he was actually the promised Messiah; in which confes sion she, however, comprised an acknowledgment of his power and greatness. It is clear, however, that she found nothing in this discourse with Christ, to encourage her first expectation of re lief. With the usual rapid change in persons of lively susceptibilities, she had now as completely abandoned all hope of rescue for her brother, as she had before been sanguine of his restora tion to life. Thus, when Jesus directed the stone to be rolled away from the sepulcher, she gath ered from this no ground of hope; but rather objected to its being done, because the body, which had been four days in the tomb, must al ready have become disagreeable. The reproof of Christ, 'Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?' suggests that more discourse had passed between them than the Evangelist has recorded, seeing that no such assurance is contained in the previous narrative ol_CLit_t 40).
Nothing more is recocif-----Martha, save that some time after, at a supper given to Christ and his disciples at Bethany, she, as usual, busied herself in the external service. Lazarus, so marvelously restored from the grave, sat with heg guests at table. 'Martha served,' and Isilary occu pied her favorite station at the feet of Jesus, which she bathed with her tears, and anointed with costly ointment (John xii :1, 2). (See LAZARUS ; MARY, 4.) Character. There are few characters in the New Testament, and certainly no female charac ter, so strongly brought out in its natural points as that of Martha ; and it is interesting to observe that Luke and John, although relating different transactions in which she was concerned, per fectly agree in the traits of character which they assign to her. Tholuck has skillfully followed out its development in his Commentary on the eleventh chapter of St. John. See also Niemeyer, Charakt. i. 66; and Hall's Contemplations, vol. iii., b. 4, ContemP., 17, 23, 24.