Bible: Martha the Devoted Christ-Follower

Martha – A Weak Distracted Faith?

Or a Strong Bold Faith?
Guest Post by Carolyn Schott

I confess I’m a closet Martha. The two glimpses we get of her give me the eerie feeling I’m looking in a mirror.

The first glimpse of Martha is in Luke 10:38-42 where she is preoccupied with dinner preparations. Mary is seen as the faithful listener; Martha is seen as whining and distracted.

The second glimpse is the scene in John 11:19-44 after her brother Lazarus has died. Here her faith is seen as weak, that she doubts Jesus’ power to resurrect Lazarus.

But I think these views of Martha have it wrong, and that she was a woman with a very strong faith.

The Over-Achiever and Perfectionist

Personally, I understand Martha’s “need-to-get-it-done” attitude much better than I do Mary’s. If 13 hungry men showed up on my doorstep for dinner, I could no more sit around and listen to stories than I could fly.

Martha welcomes Jesus and the disciples into “her” home. Not her husband’s or her brother’s, but her home. She is obviously used to being in charge. Her responsibility to prepare for guests is deeply ingrained in her.

I’ve always bristled at sermons and commentators who say that Martha’s need to get the work done means her faith is weak. It seems a criticism of Martha’s personality. But is that what Jesus really meant?

Priorities or Personality?

Jesus tells her “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being worried about.” (NLT) His scolding is a dash of cold water in her face, “Martha, chill out!” She’s caught up in the details–“Do I need to send Lazarus out to kill a lamb? Why didn’t I bake more bread this morning?”

Obviously her priorities are wrong and her focus is too small, when it should be on the greater truth of Jesus.
Perhaps he does want her to stop, listen to his teaching, and strengthen her faith. But maybe he just wants Martha to relax. Maybe it’s time for her to call out for pizza (or whatever the first century equivalent would be) and not be a perfectionist. Maybe her hard work is not the issue, only her stressed and frenzied attitude.

Martha’s Faith

What Jesus really wants from her depends on the strength of her faith. Is her faith weak and in need of teaching? Or does she have a solid foundation of belief, but let herself panic at the arrival of unexpected dinner guests?

In John, when Jesus asks what she believes, she responds immediately “You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (John 11:27). Who else other than Peter states their faith to Jesus so boldly and concretely?

Better for Who?

If Martha’s faith is solid, why does Jesus say Mary has “chosen what is better?” The usual interpretation is that Mary’s choice to listen would be a good choice for Martha, too.

But maybe Jesus simply meant that Mary has chosen what is better for Mary! Perhaps Mary is the one whose faith is weak and needs more teaching time. Listening to Jesus is a better choice and more beneficial for her than working in the kitchen. Maybe Martha’s faith is so solid that preparing dinner (although with less stress) is a perfectly acceptable choice for Martha, as long as she allows Mary to continue to hear Jesus’ teaching.

Too Bold?

One of the things I love about Martha is her boldness. She doesn’t wait for Jesus, she goes out from the village to meet him on the road. I picture her looking Jesus directly in the eye as she says “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Was she reproaching him? I don’t think so. I think she was being her usual down-to-earth self, stating a fact. And Jesus seems to honor her directness. Without parables or analogies he states just as directly to her “I am the resurrection and the life,” a statement he has rarely said so clearly to anyone.

This time, Martha is focused in exactly the right place. She runs to Jesus about her brother’s death. And it is Bold Martha that gets honored by Jesus’ direct revelation of his purpose, not Weeping Mary.

Is her warning about the smell of Lazarus’ decomposing body a symptom of doubt? That seems unlikely after her statement of belief in Jesus as the Son of God. How could anyone possibly believe the Son of God couldn’t resurrect someone?

Doesn’t it make more sense that her faith is so solid that she is simply accepting and unquestioning of what Jesus has allowed to happen? They called for Jesus, he didn’t come, Lazarus died. That must be the way Jesus intended it to be. Martha is sad, but accepts without argument. I wish my faith could always be so accepting!

Conclusion

Martha is usually cast as the Type-A personality, obsessed with work, faulty in her faith for not listening to Jesus’ teaching and not believing in Jesus’ power.

I think it’s more likely she was a woman of a solid and strong faith, but with weaknesses like any of us. In a minor domestic crisis (unexpected dinner guests), she “majors in the minors” and spends her time on unimportant details. But in the face of the real tragedy of her brother’s death, her faith doesn’t waiver.

The author of this guest post, Carolyn Schott is a free-lance writer & editor. Visit her website and travel blog for more good reading. Thanks for your fantastic insights Carolyn!

Related: Every week, join the fine folk at Amy's Finer Things Friday for a plethora of really great links.

Photo Credits: WorthTheWhiskcom, orange juicy, lanuiop, lalallallala (Flickr)

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Do you think most commentaries and sermons misrepresent Martha? Are you a Martha or a Mary?