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.
To experience the fullness of the Lent Madness experience, the Supreme Executive Committee encourages you to do several things. First, like Lent Madness on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Second, subscribe to the Lent Madness e-mails so you never miss a vote. You can do this by going to the home page of our website and entering your e-mail address (near the top right). Third, you can support the ministry of Lent Madness by heading over to the Lentorium and purchasing Lent Madness swag.
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.
[poll id="239"]
537 comments on “Mary of Bethany vs. Martha of Bethany”
I voted for Mary; I'm married to a Mary. My wife acts more like a Martha and I chide her because of that and explain to her my preference for Mary because personally I have to sit and listen to Jesus undisturbed and not distracted.
I like Mary of Bethany because as Christ said, she has chosen the better part. That being the prayer and contemplation. No One can take your heart and mind from you, where " they " are there will be your treasure, peace on the planet
Good morning, Supreme Executive Committee.
Please note that Nancy and I both use the same email address. Therefore you will receive duplicate votes votes from us, sometimes the same and sometimes cancelling each other out. We are not ballot box stuffing even though we may sometimes wish to do so.
all right, let's get this Halo to someone.
Im pretty much a Martha myself ... so I voted Martha. I’m so happy Lent Madness is here again!
Well written and a difficult choice
I've always been partial to dreamy Mary with her proto-feminist cred, daring to sit and learn at the feet of the Teacher alongside the men. But today, I have to vote for her historically underappreciated sister, in honor of my delightful mother-in-law, another hard-working Martha who raised six wonderful children, including the father of my own. Let's all be grateful for the lessons both sisters teach us!
The left-brained side of me slightly edges the right-brained side just as the Martha in me edges the Mary. Being a Martha is easy so I struggle to be more like Mary. I have always been practical, detail oriented and independent. Alas, I need Mary's contemplative nature. I still had to vote for Martha. I hope all of the saintly choices aren't this difficult.
So, Jesus was for the education of women and obviously the ordination of women. Other than that I've never really liked this particular scripture. I wonder at Martha's face. Was it fury or hurtful resignation. Did she stomp out or what? Did she pull herself together and lovingly put together a wonderful meal? Did Martha ever appreciate that Mary dared to walk in there and sit at Jesus' feet? Did Mary share the teaching of Jesus with Martha later or did the rising of Lazarus make all that insignificant. I wish a woman had written this or better yet, Martha. Everyone must have taken notice or we wouldn't know. Wish I could have seen Mary walk in there AND sit down...AT Jesus feet! Kudos to Martha for doing her part. Because—on his own, Jesus didn't ask either one of them to join him. I guess he could have winked or given a little nod to her. No one wrote that. Obviously both sisters got over it and they're both saints. I like Martha better.
Martha, being the patron saint of servants, gets my vote.
I was certain that my vote for Martha was going to make me an outlier; after all, Mary was the "holier" one. I see, though, that I am not alone as a Martha who needs to be open to more of her "Maryness".
Gee, I thought I was voting for the loser! That is my strategy this year and it is working!
I voted for Martha because in John 11:20-27 she expresses one of the most beautiful journeys from doubt to faith in the Bible. I read recently that Jesus rebuked her for her resentment, not her active life. The world needs both active and contemplative people of faith.
Taming a dragon did it for me!
Wait Martha of Bethany died in Cyprus and in France?
I get how Lazarus could die in Bethany and again in Cyprus, we know that story. Did something similar happen to Martha? With a few notable Biblical exceptions people tend to only die a physical death once.
I have a horrid & miserable head cold and am staying home from work today. So since Mary also skipped working to seek healing* I vote for her.
*Not saying she was physically sick, but all of us need some sort of healing in our lives: physical, mental, psychological, &/or spiritual, and Jesus is the master healer.
Feel better, Miss Jan!
In the church growing up (non-Episcopalian), I feel like this is what 'the women' did - we cooked. Someone died? Make the funeral lunch. Someone is sick? Bring a casserole. Carry-in dinner? The church ladies will bring the food. I'm not saying it is that different in the Episcopal church, but I like the fact that Mary took time out to listen, to learn, to be present, despite her 'place' as a hostess of the household. Sometimes doing the unexpected is right, and Jesus shows this time and again by telling us to love those that hate you, that are different than you, those that despise you. Mary reminds us to take time out to truly listen to the divine, and in this world of busyness and action, that speaks to me.
Today would have been my mother's 85th birthday. I am missing her greatly, as Joy Sargent died six months ago and is in the communion of saints now. To me, she embodied both Mary and Martha all rolled into one person, a busy doer who got things done while delighting in choosing her own roles and ways of growing her faith. She was not computer savvy, so we shared a vote in Lent Madness every year, enjoying reading the bios together each day, then agreeing on who to vote for. She always favored women over men, hoping to pass on recognition neglected by history. Whoever wins this vote, it is cast with Joy.
What a beautiful comment. Condolences to you in your sorrow-and-joy mingled together as you remember your mother.
So sorry for the loss of your mother, Jan. It sounds as if her name was perfect for nature. Now Joy is experiencing the joy of heaven and the Beatific Vision. Thank you for sharing your story of Joy. Thinking of you both especially today.
Every sympathy in your loss. May Joy rest in peace and rise in glory.
My daughter is named Joy. This is the first year we'll be doing Lent Madness together. As we do I'll remember you and your mother.
That's wonderful Jan
My Aunt Dorothy was compared to Martha at her funeral. That’s good enough for me.
If Mary had been the more saintly, she would have helped Martha so they could BOTH sit at the feet of Jesus.
THIS!
Faught a dragon? Whoa! Go Martha.
Sometimes I think that the author of Luke and Acts may indeed have BEEN a woman, given how much attention to the hearts and minds of women you find in those two New Testament books.
I admire and love the Marthas. The church (and most other organizations) could not manage without them. I am so grateful for the many Marthas at our church. Nonetheless I voted for Mary because it's OK for women to diverge from the standard set of "female" expectations, and be scholars, teachers, writers, deep thinkers, or devoted to the life of prayer. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit; those diversities of gifts are not bound by gender or cultural expectations.
The Mary-types, however, had better listen not just to Jesus but also to the Marthas, when they say, Hey I need help, or PUT YOUR DISHES IN THE SINK PLEASE, and DON'T LEAVE YOUR DIRTY BOOTS IN THE FRONT HALL.
As a female eldest child, I vote for Martha! I’m becoming more Marylike the older I get, but my heart will always be with the under-appreciated Martha, whose motto must have been, “Somebody’s gotta do it!”
Welcome back, Susan! I recognized your avi.
Nice to hear from you, Susan, and I like your motto for Martha.
As a Martha, I like to set the record straight. 🙂
According to the Greek used in Like's gospel, Martha was a deacon. Martha also is the one to give the profession of Jesus being the Messiah in John's gospel (11:27).
Martha was far more faithful than she is typically given credit. She was not just triangulating Jesus in her sibling rivalry.
Martha vs. Mary on the first day? Seriously? Madness for sure. Also, very bold. Today I vote for Mary, but tomorrow I'll have second thoughts. Thanks for keeping us perpetually, spiritually humble and uncomfortable. A Lenten blessing.
Thank you for this insight!
Luke indeed uses the Greek words diakonia and diakonein to describe the work Martha does in this story about Jesus , but I think it would be an error to leap to the conclusion that Martha was a Deacon, an officer of the Church. The Greek words in question were the ordinary words to describe serving and service or waiting on table, and after all Luke’s story is about a pre-resurrection event in the life of Jesus, before the Church had come into being.
That Martha may have later become a deacon of the Church is not impossible, since we know from Paul (Romans 16) that there were women Deacons in the Church from earliest times. Could Luke’s double use of the Greek words associated with later diaconal ministry in the Church be a subtle allusion to the later status attained by Martha during the time of the Church? Perhaps. But during the time of Jesus Martha could not have been a Deacon, since there was no Church for her to be one in.
James, you are correct Luke's text is set pre-church. Even with the high probability that Martha was a deacon of the church once it was established (since she was remembered in two different gospel accounts), does not mean we should diminish Martha's service prior to its beginning. She is serving, not just at table, but she is serving Jesus. The Luke passage has been used to vilify the biblical Martha and I don't think that is helpful. Both sisters were followers of Jesus and both show vital roles of discipleship. In pointing out that Luke uses the Greek word for deacon, I think it helps to show Martha was also a faithful follower, not just an angry woman who doesn't get what she wants.
She tamed a dragon. Love Martha.
I’m always frustrated when Jesus scolds Martha. I wanna blurt out “well Jesus, who do you think made that food you’re eating...Huh?” I’ve been a Martha my whole life. It’s only in later life, I’ve come to realize, I can be both.
I have a question for the admins. Do our text boxes no longer auto-populate? I am having to type my name and email address in manually each time, and they always auto-populated before, once you had made your initial post. Has the software changed? or am I doing something wrong (entirely possible)?
I wondered the same thing, St. C! It kind of discourages one from interacting too much....
Exactly! (now typing all my info in again just for you!) 🙂
I’ll ask my local Supreme about it at Morning Prayer tomorrow.
I’m so happy to see that Martha is ahead in today’s voting! I’ve long thought that she got a bum rap: SOMEONE must step up to take care of the practical side of life! Martha’s confession of faith in John 11 is one of the most profound and moving in Scripture.
As someone probably known as a Martha, I'm working to become more like Mary
Most of the girls in my youth group in high school used to often claim to be 'Marthas', complaining that they wished they were Marys. I always kept silent, feeling that, as a Mary, I was in fact looked down upon for failing to carry my part of the prep/serving/clean-up, because I didn't want to miss the teaching. I'm not surprised amarthas winning, but my vote is always for Mary.
My thoughts exactly! Even Jesus says Mary has chosen the better part, and yet she loses this round. Not a good start for Lent!
Never knew before that her sitting at his feet was regarded as a special position for those close to the rabbi. Enjoyed this tidbit, even though the doers trumped Jesus.
And does Mary have a feast day? Otherwise Martha won that round, too; the church depends too much on women playing the part of "doers."
I just had to vote for Martha! She gets a bad rap but have you thought of this? Ever try to live with 12 hungry men? It was all fun and games until dinner time care around. THEN...they appreciated Martha's kitchen work! She didn't love Jesus less. She wished she could be sitting down too (..don't all of us stuck in the kitchen during a party). She was a servant believer. I vote....MARTHA OF BETHANY!