After a full year of holy anticipation, Lent Madness returns for another season of saintly thrills and spills! Whether this is your tenth year engaging in the annual saintly smackdown or your first, we're delighted you'll be spending a portion of your Lenten journey among us. Along the way there will be debates, ire, angst, rejoicing, laughter, and holy trash talking. Just remember, it’s all in the spirit of this holy season specifically set aside to grow closer to God through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
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But mostly, we encourage you to read about the 32 saintly souls participating in this year's edition of Lent Madness, faithfully cast your (single!) vote on the weekdays of Lent, and add your comments to the great cloud of participating witnesses that gathers as the online Lent Madness community each year.
Lent Madness 2019, or Lent Madness X as we've been calling it, kicks off with a battle between two Biblical heavyweights as we settle, once and for all, the age old question: Mary vs. Martha. And before you say it, of course it's not fair! It's not called Lent Madness for nothing.
So, hang onto your halos, friends, and prepare yourselves for another wild ride of saintly action. Away we go!
Mary of Bethany
Mary of Bethany lived in first-century Bethany with her sister, Martha, and her brother, Lazarus, as we are told in the Gospel of Luke. Along with her siblings, she was among the very first to believe in Jesus.
Luke recounts the famous story of Jesus having supper at the sisters’ house, where Martha, concerned with getting the food on the table, asks Jesus to scold Mary for her apparent lack of concern. It’s notable that Mary is described as sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha serves; usually only the male students of rabbis sat at the feet of their teachers. For Mary to do so is highly unusual for an unmarried woman—possibly why Martha gets antsy about it. But Jesus declines to chide Mary for what she has done, declaring that in her discipleship, she has “chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
The Gospel of John also gives us a few more glimpses of Mary of Bethany. John explicitly links Mary with the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her hair. At Lazarus’s death, both Mary and Martha race out into the street to greet Jesus when he finally comes, and Mary chastises him, echoing her sister’s words, saying “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” At her declaration, Jesus is moved to tears.
It is clear that Jesus is quite close with this family. Through contextual clues, we can tell that the family must have been fairly well-to-do, given the sisters’ independent status and ability to support Jesus’ ministry. They seem to own their house and are able to provide a separate burial site for their brother (somewhat rare—and not cheap.). We also have John’s story of Mary spending more than 300 denarii (equivalent to 300 days of wage for a laborer) on pure spikenard to anoint Jesus.
Later church tradition treated Mary as it treated many of the other women of the gospel; it elided her story into that of an Everywoman who is remarkable mostly in her blandness. The few stories that survive in the West often conflate her with Mary Magdalene. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, her uniqueness survives, and with her sister and Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany is remembered on the third Sunday of Easter as one of the Myrrh-Bearing Women—the first to recognize the risen Christ.
Collect for Mary of Bethany
O God, heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Martha of Bethany
The iconic Martha of Bethany is the hero of faithful pragmatics and doers, though she gets a bad rap for being less contemplative than her sister. When Jesus visits her house, Mary sits at his feet, but Martha feels the burdens of her role as hostess and works in the kitchen, resentful that Mary isn’t helping. When she complains, the Lord answers, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” Because of this anecdote, Martha is seen to symbolize worldly concerns while her sister Mary focuses on the spiritual. When Jesus asks someone to open the tomb of her days-dead brother Lazarus, the heartbroken Martha stays true to her practical nature, responding, “Lord, already there is a stench.”
Although not expressly mentioned in the gospels, the Orthodox tradition honors both Martha and Mary as among the followers of Jesus who stood at Golgotha to witness the crucifixion, and later carried myrrh to his tomb to anoint the body. Thus they are counted among the first witnesses of the resurrection. This tradition also holds that Martha fled persecution in Judea with Lazarus, joining him as a missionary abroad until he became a bishop in Cyprus, where all three siblings eventually died.
According to the Golden Legend, a medieval hagiography (writing about the lives of the saints), the siblings were of noble birth. Martha put her aristocratic hostess skills to use for Jesus because, “She thought that all the world was not sufficient to serve such a guest.” The same legend holds that the family arrived in France miraculously via a ship without oars or sails to preach the gospel. The eminently practical Martha tamed a Galician dragon, “half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than a horse, having teeth sharp as a sword, and horned on either side, head like a lion, tail like a serpent.” Afterward Martha lived a life of daily devotion in France until she died. A tomb in the Collegiate Church of Tarascon purportedly contains her relics.
Martha’s feast day is July 29, and she is patron saint of cooks, dietitians, domestic help, housekeepers, servants, and waitpersons. And of course, she is admired by pragmatics, doers, and practitioners of common sense.
Collect for Martha of Bethany
O God, heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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537 comments on “Mary of Bethany vs. Martha of Bethany”
There is always a need for the Martha's in our world - where would we be without the ones who cook, and clean, and serve?
However, as a contemplative, Mary get my vote!
I am Martha.
Martha is, and always has been, my spirit animal. Plus, dragons, duh.
This is akin to having both number one seeds play each other in NCAA BB finals... and the cruel irony for those faith communities that name both Mary and Margaret. What a wake up call.
Vote for Martha!!! Neither blogger pointed out the portion of scripture that reveals Martha's growth after she whines about Mary. Jesus returns to her house when Lazarus dies and Martha expressly declares her belief that He is the Messiah! I LOVE Mary's contemplative heart and act of devotion. I always LOVE Martha's no-nonsense verbal statement of faith!
As an avid cook & former server, I gotta go with Martha. Also, I'm a big fan of common sense. And she slayed a dragon?? C'mon, that's an easy one!
Always the dance between divinity and humanity. Spiritual and physical hunger. I am reminded of a past sermon: “Usually I agree with Jesus...but I gotta say, who did he think was in the kitchen making sandwiches?” Sarah you know who you are. I am so with Sarah, and I want to vote for Martha with every fiber, but Jesus calls me to vote for Mary. He was there so briefly he so much he needed to teach.
She killed a dragon! I mean how could you not vote for her!#teammartha
I perceive an inclination among the electorate to favor action over contemplation, which is what our culture teaches us. So I’m going to vote for Mary, partly to push back against the culture but mostly because Jesus did. Happy Madness to all.
Same, Davis. Happy to see you back. Hope you have a gentle palfrey for this year's ride to Canterbury.
And you as well, St. C. Thank you for reminding me of “palfrey,” which I had to look up in my Webster’s New World Dictionary. The history of the word, including the other words it’s related to (such as “ride”), is especially interesting.
Hello St. c and Davis! I voted against my usual inclination to vote for contemplatives. I’ve been feeling very put-upon as an eldest sister...
As one who finds herself so often in the church kitchen, I had to vote for Martha. So many times I'd love to be in the parish hall figuratively at the feet of Jesus. but, hey, someone's got to feed the Marys of the world, and clean up after.
John 11:5 - my favorite verse since my name is Martha. “Now, Jesus loved Martha....” Can’t get any better. Martha’s stick together!!
Same here, though I've usually been unkind and pointed out it's John 11:5a to note the others are listed, but Martha is first. 🙂 This probably due to the negative attention Martha received over the years. Something to work on this Lent.
Because I am a Martha who needs a little more Mary in me, I voted for Mary.
I’ve always known I was a “Martha”, and have had a special place in my heart for her. Yet I’m becoming an amalgamation of both women as I’ve grown older. And perhaps that is what meant to convey to us, centuries later. There is no perfect way to be, busy or contemplative. Jesus loves all personalities. There are times in my life when the “Martha” in me emerges , and times when my “Mary” comes to the fore. And all is perfectly “me”. I voted for Mary today because it is at Jesus’ feet that I hope to be this Lent 2019.
I suspect that Mary will be the fan favorite (siding with Jesus would appear the wiser choice), but after almost 3 decades in parish ministry the Saints for me are the Marthas who stay to pickup after the Marys have long gone home. Out of the spotlight and the adoring sighs directed towards the Marys, the Marthas are the ones who show up early to make he necessary preparations for worship, fellowship, and the smooth running of ministries. And they’ll make sure that the garbage is taken out!
Blessed Martha. I stand with thee.
I'm impressed that Mary knows what spikenard is and can wield it appropriately, not to mention spell it correctly, but as an ardent amateur cook I am compelled to support one of my patron saints. And I'm hungry.
Why do we presume that Martha wasn't listening while she attended to chores? When she met Jesus as He arrived at Lazarus' tomb, she proclaimed Him "Messiah." She had acknowledged His teachings and His actions. And all of this was prior to His restoring Lazarus to life. If there was ever a time for doubt in Jesus, this might have been it. But she clung to His teachings and His words.
How many of us listen to music, discussions on NPR or other things while we do our chores? Yet we chastise Martha for doing just that. Many claim they are multi-taskers, yet can't believe that Martha could be one also? We need a little of both to be fully committed to following Jesus. After all, He told us to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, visit the sick, etc. I don't take His comment about "the better part" as a condemnation of Martha, just asking her to calm down -- "all will be well."
I see all the deacons have voted ahead of me, and that's why Martha is winning. I went with Mary, although I deplore the split between common sense and spirituality. I don't think it's an either-or; I think it can be a both-and. Yes, dragon slayers should be honored. But I cannot get the image of wiping Jesus' feet with one's perfume-slathered hair out of my mind. So many Marys at the tomb. My vote is for the "grieving Mary." Why the via media should still be so lined with sorrow, I don't know. But here we are, going forward to Canterbury.
I cried the first time I realized I was one more Martha than Mary. I didn’t want to be the practical. But to each of us, a gift is given. I grow every day into excepting my Martha side and strive to balance that with my developing Mary side. I had to support Martha.
I have great respect for the Martha's and their gift of hospitality. My challenge with Martha is that she "tattles" on her sister, disrespecting Mary's gift.
I think she's taking her wounded heart to Jesus, and her troubles, as we are told to do, and he responds. I'm assuming the rest of the story is that one of the men gets up to help her.
Martha gets my vote.
Went with Martha - if she hadn't been there, would Mary have been able to sit at Jesus' feet? Of course one of the men could have pitched in ...
Love the song, too - but don't know the tune. Will have to put it on while reading the lyrics. Thanks!
The side note things we learn from Lent Madness:
In case anyone else was confused like me, the write-ups say the three siblings died in Cyprus, but then later says Martha died in France.
From Wikipedia: “Died: traditionally Larnaca, Cyprus or Tarascon, Gaul (modern-day France)”. Here I thought Cyprus was part of Greece.
I noticed that too.
Cyprus is a Mediterranean island off the southern coast of Turkey that is currently partially occupied by Turkey. The occupation is disputed.
It is about 2,260 miles between Lamaca on the eastern side of Cyprus and Tarascon just a little inland from the Mediterranean coast of France.
Dying in cities that are over 2,200 miles apart is quite a feat. Bethany is, apparently, less than 500 miles from fLamaca where her brother Lazarus is believed to have permanently died.
Cyprus is partially occupied by Turkey.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus_dispute
Lamaca and Tarascon are about 2,260 miles apart. Comparatively Lamaca is apparently less than 500 miles from Bethany.
My first time. Its a great way to learn about the saints. They are more then stained glass.
Martha -- feeding the hungry and caring for others -- what Jesus called us to do. Her busyness and practicality does not diminish her faith -- she just lives it out.
I find it comical that you started Lenten Madness by stirring up a little sibling rivalry. . I voted for Martha. I identified with the organized care-giver int he family.
Wow! In just a couple of hours there are 200 comments and mearly 4000 votes.
DRAGONS!
What a way to kick off Lent Madness!
We have patiently been awaiting the kick-off of Lent Madness. Let the fun and madness begin! Go, Martha of Bethany!
Mary: Jesus said open up the tomb!!!!!
Do your part!!!!!!
I love both but the scale tipped to Mary.