He upheld her right to listen, think about ideas, and to develop her mind. Jesus was ignoring the traditional role of women, and encouraging Mary to think and learn.She was demanding that Mary keep to the traditional way of behaving. Her sister Martha was not merely asking for help.But disciples were usually male, so Mary must have been quietly breaking the rule that reserved study for males, not females. This was the usual posture of a disciple of any teacher in the ancient world. Jesus said that Mary had made the better choice. Martha objected to the fact that she had to work while Mary sat and listened. Mary was a thinker, interested in ideas.Martha was a doer, a capable young woman who organized and ran a fairly large household.
The two women obviously had complementary personalities – this is common in families. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her”.’ She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.īut Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.”īut the Lord answered her “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. ‘Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Wine, water, and curdled milk similar to liquid yogurt accompanied the meal. Fruits included fresh figs and melon, as well as dried pomegranates and dates – dried fruits were a staple item in the Middle East.
It was served with cheese made from sheep or goats’ milk, olives, onions and bread. It might consist of a lentil stew seasoned with herbs like cumin or coriander. Martha prepared food for the guests Mary sat and listened to Jesus. The first story about them happened in a town near Jericho, which is between Galilee, where Jesus came from, and Jerusalem, where he died. In any case, they seem to have been young, comparatively well-off, independent, and intelligent.It may mean that they were quite young, perhaps still in their teens, or that they were on the edge of society, and not acceptable in some way.This was unusual in Jewish society, where people were usually married before the age of 20. None of the three appeared to be married.It was a special gift, not an everyday item, but it showed they were people of means. But Mary could afford to buy a very expensive perfume called nard. They had a house large enough to accommodate many people, as their hospitality to Jesus and his group of friends shows. Read what modern writers say about Martha & Mary Leonardo da Vinci captures this isolation in his painting of The Last Supper (below): Jesus is sitting in the middle of a table with his friends all around him, but he seems alone, as those dearest to him lean away from him, separating themselves from him as they will do later, when he is arrested and faces death. People who are held in high esteem, as Jesus was, are often isolated, even though they are at the center of the crowd. Jesus, who was quite capable of overwhelming people with his presence, was informal and easy in their company. They behaved with him in a natural way, speaking openly about what they thought. The three young people were friends of Jesus. Martha and Mary were two sisters who offered hospitality to Jesus and the people traveling with him.
House plan of a well-to-do family in 1st century Jerusalem the house of Martha and Mary would have been smaller, but built along a similar plan
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