The name “Martha” is the feminine form of an Aramaic word meaning “lord” or “master.” Perhaps “Martha” was an Aramaic title (or term of respect) rather than a name, much like the Greek title or (term of respect) “ Kyria” which is used in 2 John 1:1, 5 for a lady. Martha seems to have been regarded as the mistress of the home (Luke 10:38). Or had the perfume been a donation from a wealthy benefactor for the work of the poor? Did Mary use perfume to anoint Jesus that was meant to be sold to help the poor? (See Matt. Moreover, Mary had in her possession very expensive perfume that was worth a year’s wages (John 12:3-8). If we assume the narratives about Mary and Martha were not set in a hospice run by an ascetic community, then the women appear to have been wealthy with a home large enough to accommodate Jesus and his entourage. His young age would have made his death especially lamentable. In comparison with his sisters, Lazarus plays a more passive role in the Gospel narratives, so he may have been considerably younger. Martha is often, but not always, mentioned first among her siblings, so she was probably the oldest (e.g., John 11:5). (It was not uncommon for Jewish girls to be legally betrothed before their twelfth birthday and married by their fourteenth.) Because we do not know about any husbands or children, it is difficult to estimate the ages of Mary and Martha and their brother. Jewish women were usually married by sixteen years of age.
Jesus may have been in such a hospice when he announced, “For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” (Matt. The ascetics were known for their acts of charity and it is likely their hospice also helped and accommodated the poor and destitute. One of the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests that these ascetics had a hospice in Bethany for the ritually unclean which included lepers (11QTemple 46:16-47:5). It is believed that a colony of ascetics (perhaps Essenes) lived in Bethany.
Another possibility is that Mary and Martha belonged to an ascetic Jewish sect and had chosen singleness and celibacy. It was unusual for women to be unmarried in Bible times, so it is possible that the sisters were young orphaned women who had not yet married or were widows who had not remarried. There is no mention of fathers or husbands in any of these accounts.
Mary and Martha are mentioned by name in Luke’s and John’s Gospels in various narratives. My hope is that this information may give a more accurate picture of these friends of Jesus. This article looks at some of the information we have on Mary and Martha, and their brother Lazarus. These polarised characterisations are caricatures that can obscure the real picture of the women, their faith, and their situation. The two sisters seem to have had different temperaments, and their characters are often polarised in the retelling of their story. Mary and Martha of Bethany are well-known Bible figures. “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5).
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