14. Martha
Martha plays a fascinating role in the Bible. She is a busy, anxious woman who hosts Jesus as at her home with her sister, Mary. While Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to his teaching, Martha frets about the responsibility of providing for him and doing chores. Jesus chastises her for being so fixated on earthly things and tells her, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” In the scene, Jesus reminds her that faith is all that is required and bids her to set aside her worries.
Martha is also present to one of Jesus’ great miracles: the resurrection of her brother, Lazarus. Both sisters weep to Jesus that their brother would still be alive had he only come earlier to prevent his death. In one of the Bible’s best-known passages, Jesus reminds Martha that he is “the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Both sisters then witness the resurrection of their brother. Martha’s anxious nature and moments of doubt allow Jesus to share one of his greatest miracles and much of his wisdom.