Article June 23, 2008 Issue

MARTHA and MARY—two special friends of Jesus

BY VIRGINIA STOPFEL

Have you ever known two siblings who were as different as night and day? Martha and Mary were a lot like that. They were sisters who lived in Bethany, a village on the Mount of Olives, across from Jerusalem. And they were close friends of Jesus.

Once, Jesus and his disciples had been in Jerusalem all day, where it was hot, crowded, and busy. They left the city and walked to Bethany where it was quieter, cooler, and they could rest. There Jesus was welcomed into Martha's house.

In those days, it was quite unusual for a woman to have her own home. If a woman wasn't married, she lived in her father's or brother's house, or with a son if she had one. Martha must have been an exceptional woman.