WHY MARTHA MATTERS

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

On the feast day of St. Martha, I have thought it wise that we spend some time looking at the personality of this woman especially with reference to the roles she played in the life and ministry of Jesus. We are doing this in order to see how her examples could be of help to us in our own Christian life and vocation. Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus, all of Bethany. She and her siblings were close friends of Jesus (John 11:5) and she was one of the prominent female figures mentioned in the Bible especially in the New Testament (Luke 10:38-41 and John 11; 12:1-3).

Basically, Martha featured in three places in the Bible. Our first glimpse of her is in the tenth chapter of the gospel according to Luke. Here, she played host to Jesus and his disciples (Luke 10:41-42) in her family home. In this passage, we see Martha as one who puts herself wholly at the service of others and who tries to meet the needs of others. In that episode, she was very active, industrious and hospitable. She was so much consumed by her service to Jesus and his disciples to the point that she became enraged with Mary her sister for choosing to listen to Jesus instead of joining her in getting things prepared for their visitors (Luke 10:40). Martha is that type of friend who is always ready to open her home and heart for those who are dear to her. The house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus was a place of rest for Jesus and his disciples and each time they went visiting, Martha expended her time and resources to ensure they were well-taken care of. Truly, if you have got a friend like Martha, then, cherish him/her.

The next picture of Martha was reported in the eleventh chapter of the gospel according to John, at the raising of Lazarus, her brother (John 11). Here, Martha showed herself as someone who truly cared about the well-being of his sick brother. While Lazarus was sick, Martha and Mary sent words to Jesus informing him that the one he loved was sick but Jesus only got to their house after Lazarus had died and been buried (John 11:3-17). By inviting Jesus to come over to heal his brother, Martha teaches us to always invite Jesus into our lives especially when the storms of life-difficulties and other challenges rage and surge. Martha was truly a believer. By telling Jesus that if he had been around his brother would not have died, Martha demonstrated her complete faith that Jesus had the power to heal his sick brother (John 11:21). Even when Jesus arrived to their house four days after Lazarus had been buried, Martha’s response on meeting Jesus was a visible testimony to the fact that she as well believed that Jesus also had the power to raise his dead brother (John 11:22, 27). Truly, Martha’s attitude teaches us to always trust in God with a firm and childlike faith even when the situations seem hopeless.

The third instance of Martha in the Bible was shortly before Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover and his eventual passion and death. For the very last time, the three friends of Jesus invited him over to their house for a farewell dinner. It was on the course of that memorable dinner hosted in the honor of Jesus that Mary, the sister of Martha anointed the feet of Jesus with an expensive perfume while wiping them with her hair (John 12:3). Apparently, Martha served Jesus with everything she had, her life and resources. She served and gave without expecting any material thing in return. She teaches us therefore (in our different states in life) to put all we have- our time, resources, talents, strengths and even weaknesses at the disposal of Jesus for his mission on earth.

Martha truly matters and our world today needs other Martha(s). May St. Martha pray for us and may we learn from her to be the best of friends to our dear ones; to be great servants to the needs of others; and to be firm believers in the saving power of Jesus even when all hope seems lost.