Martha and Mary and me.

Caveat: I haven't written for a long time, and since I know I won't ever post this if I require myself to get it all organized and edited and logical, I am presenting it in its current only mildly digested state (as usual).

I am taking a New Testament institute class this semester (a bit of a story in and of itself), and in the last week I have been hit hard by the depiction of Martha in two stories from the new testament, the first in Luke 10 and the second in John 11. Something about them just struck a chord with me in a way that it never has before. Maybe just because it is more applicable to me right now, but I am not 100% clear at the moment why it is so much more applicable to me right now than it has been in the past. There are two aspects of these stories that have seemed more significant to me this time around. First, the depiction of Martha herself, and second, the depiction of Mary and Martha's relationship (which I may have to cover more another time as this turned out to be longer than anticipated).

When we first meet Martha, her weaknesses are what are most obvious. At this point, Christ has followers--at the very least the disciples--and it is likely that when "Martha received him into her house" she was also receiving many of them. Through several verses we clearly see that this house is Martha's and that Mary her sister lives with her. She holds the responsibility for the household, for caring for all of the daily tasks and practicalities of life. She is likely overworked without the comfort of that work being to care for a family of her own. She does have comfort in her relationship with her siblings, particularly such a sweet and loving relationship with Mary. But at this moment, with so many things to take care of, where she is described as being "cumbered about much serving," while her sister Mary is just sitting at Christ's feet, listening to him, she asks, "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me."

The author sees her actions, her busy scurryings about the house, trying to accomplish the often seemingly impossible amount of work that has been placed before her.

Christ answers, "Martha, Martha, thou art *careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her."

(The footnote says the greek translation could also be worried.)

I love in the scriptures when Christ addresses individuals by name. It feels so personal and tender because he really sees to the heart of that individual. Christ sees the heart of her busy-ness. He sees her worries and her troubles, her love for her sister and for Him. And as he begins to address her--"Martha, Martha"--although he does not excuse or justify her behavior by seeing to the root of it; he just states it as it is, showing that he truly understands the sorrows of her heart. He is so tender and gentle in his correction of her. He shows her, after her addressing him and opening up the opportunity for correction with a question, that while her actions are good, "one thing is needful."

I love that word: needful. Of all the things we can accomplish in this life, we are successful only if we have done all we can to learn of and follow Christ. That is the only necessity: to follow his teachings.

Such a tender teaching moment, probably laced with some pangs of regret for her actions with respect to her Savior as well as to her sister, must surely have been remembered.

The picture of Mary and Martha that presents itself to me through these two occurrences reminds me of relationship between the sisters in Sense and Sensibility. (Ok, feel free to laugh at me now.)

In Luke it says that Martha received Christ into "her house." And then in the Joseph Smith translation of John 11:2, it says that Mary "lived with her sister Martha." Martha seems to be the practical of the two. She carries the responsibilities. She is the one who is "careful and troubled." While in the previous story, this trait held her back from seeing what was really important, it is often a necessary trait. In many situations, a gift that allowed for the smooth functioning of everyday life. This practical tendency of Martha's, her determined self-discipline that allows her to accomplish so much, her head-over-heart personality, seems like it would balance itself with her sister's emotional personality (just as Marianne and Eleanor do, or many other real people I have observed seem to do). Their individual personalities, as well as the way they support each other struck me in the second story.

Later (it is unclear... at least to me... how much later) Mary and Martha's brother, Lazarus, dies. Luke states "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister and Lazarus," and so when he hears the news he goes to see Mary and Martha.

Martha,

"Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord if thou hadst been here, brother had not died.

"But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee."

I love that in this hour of extremity, her practical personality allows her to be a support to her sister. She has learned that one thing is needful and as she comes to meet Christ and through the following conversation, she shows her determination to hold fast to that knowledge.

"Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

"Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

She is not certain what Christ means. But this is what she does know. She has a testimony of this truth and she declares it with certainty.

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

And when she responds, we see her strength--likely built up by her experience of being corrected by her loving Savior and through a hundred experiences after. I love the determination behind her testimony and how she declares it without hesitation. It is especially poignant as we have had very few such straightforward testimonies declared yet.

"She saith unto him, Yea Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God, which should come into the world. "

I want to echo the strength of her testimony. I want to have the determination to stand before my Savior (or anyone) and declare that I believe that Christ is the Son of God, even when what I might have wished he had done, and what he absolutely could have done if he is who he said is, he hasn't seen fit to do. I want to know him when he is standing before me, and I want to trust in him that much.