Jesus clearly loved the family of Mary, Martha and
Lazarus. They were close to His
Heart. He wept when Lazarus died; showed
special attention to their needs; and included them in His life and
ministry.
Martha is celebrated in the Church on July 29th
but not her sister Mary. In times past,
Mary the sister of Martha was assumed to be the same person as Mary of Magdala
(Magdalene). Mary Magdalene has also
been used as an “everywoman,” e.g. in Jesus
Christ Superstar she is given to bear the roles of the “sinful woman”
(usually interpreted as a prostitute) and the woman who wiped the feet of Jesus
in addition to her own personhood as a disciple out of whom Jesus cast seven
demons. For the witness of her great conversion
and her privilege as the first to see the Resurrection, she is a saint. In the year of Mercy, Pope Francis elevated the
celebration of Mary Magdalene to the dignity of a Feast in the Universal Church. By conflating the two Marys, we do a disservice
to both. Such a conflation makes Mary
Magdalene out to be a prostitute, when in fact she was not, and glosses over
the unique story of Mary of Bethany.
Back to Mary of Bethany.
Matthew, Mark and John all situate the anointing of Jesus in the context
of the Passion. Matthew and Mark both record
that a woman anoints Jesus while at table in the house of “Simon the Leper.” None of the three describe her as
sinful. John is specific about Jesus
being in the home of Marth and Mary.
Martha serves and Mary anoints Jesus, thus they both take on their
respective roles of service and devotion as in Luke chapter 10. Jesus quiets the indignant disciples by
saying that Mary has done an act of love which is her way of preparing Jesus
for His impending death and burial. Bethany
is clearly the home of Mary and Martha, a very distinct place from
Magdala. Bethany is in Judea, while
Magdala is in Galilee. Jesus visits the
home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10), which we are told is Bethany in the story of
the raising of Lazarus (John 11).
Luke, who is always unique in his writing of the Gospel
stories in order to emphasize Jesus’ ministry to the poor and marginalized,
contextualizes the anointing at the house of Simon the PHARISEE and earlier in
the life of Jesus than the others. Here
the woman is clearly a sinner, a woman of ill repute. Jesus pardons her sins in a great act of
mercy. Jesus is chastised for giving
time for a sinner but it is precisely to sinners that He came. Through this story, Luke shows the purpose of
Jesus’ incarnate life: not to entertain the prestigious but to save
sinners.
Notice how important this story must have been for the
disciples, since it appears in all four Gospels! They all remembered and treasured the lessons
of this encounter between Jesus and the woman.
Luke’s account includes many of the same details, even if it is situated
for literary purposes in a different time in Jesus’ life. What is Mary of Bethany is the “sinful
woman”? Then, all the more reason why,
after experiencing the mercy of Jesus and conversion from sin, she would remain
devoted to Him and would do anything for Him.
Perhaps she is even the “other Mary” (Matthew 28:1) who appears at the
Resurrection scenes. In that case, she
could not be the same person as Mary Magdalene.
But it would be no surprise that these two women, for whom Jesus had
revealed Himself as Savior and Divine Physician, would be spiritual friends and
travel to the tomb together.
All this having been said, it would seem appropriate to give
the converted sinner and devoted disciple of Jesus MARY OF BETHANY a feast day
in the Church. Mary of Bethany is a repentant
sinner who has learned to sit at the feet of Jesus and pour out her love to
Him. That is all of us if we are honest
and actively seeking to know Christ more every day. That image of hope deserves to be lifted up
for all to see.
Matthew 26
The Anointing at
Bethany.*
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the
leper,
7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly
perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and
said, “Why this waste?
9 It could have been sold for much, and the money given
to the poor.”
10 Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why do you
make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me.
11 The poor you will always have with you; but you will
not always have me.
12 * In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did
it to prepare me for burial.
13 Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed
in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”
Mark
The Anointing at
Bethany.*
3 When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house
of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly
genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.
4 There were some who were indignant. “Why has there been
this waste of perfumed oil?
5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred
days’ wages and the money given to the poor.” They were infuriated with her.
6 Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for
her? She has done a good thing for me.
7 The poor you will always have with you, and whenever
you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me.
8 She has done what she could. She has anticipated
anointing my body for burial.
9 Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed
to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Luke 7
The Pardon of the
Sinful Woman.*
36 A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he
entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.*
37 Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned
that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask
of ointment,
38 she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to
bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them,
and anointed them with the ointment.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said
to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of
woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something
to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one
owed five hundred days’ wages* and the other owed fifty.
42 Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave
it for both. Which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger
debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you
see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my
feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased
kissing my feet since the time I entered.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed
my feet with ointment.
47 So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.* But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves
little.”
48 He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this
who even forgives sins?”
50 But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you;
go in peace.”
John 12
The Anointing at
Bethany.
1 * Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
3 Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from
genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus* and dried them with her
hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 Then Judas the Iscariot, one [of] his disciples, and
the one who would betray him, said,
5 “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages*
and given to the poor?”
6 He said this not because he cared about the poor but
because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the
contributions.
7 So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for
the day of my burial.*
8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not
always have me.”
9 [The] large crowd of the Jews found out that he was
there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had
raised from the dead.
10 And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
11 because many of the Jews were turning away and
believing in Jesus because of him.
Luke 10
Martha and Mary.*
38 As they continued their journey he entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
39 * She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the
Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
40 Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and
said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the
serving? Tell her to help me.”
41 The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you
are anxious and worried about many things.
42 * There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the
better part and it will not be taken from her.”
John 11
The Raising of
Lazarus.*
1 Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of
Mary and her sister Martha.
2 Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with
perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who
was ill.
3 So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the
one you love is ill.”
4 When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to
end in death,* but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be
glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two
days in the place where he was.
7 Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go
back to Judea.”
8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just
trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of
this world.
10 But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the
light is not in him.”*
11 He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus
is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.”
12 So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is
asleep, he will be saved.”
13 But Jesus was talking about his death, while they
thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
14 So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died.
15 And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you
may believe. Let us go to him.”
16 So Thomas, called Didymus,* said to his fellow
disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already
been in the tomb for four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles*
away.
19 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to
comfort them about their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to
meet him; but Mary sat at home.
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died.
22 [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.”
24 Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the
resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never
die. Do you believe this?”
27 *She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe
that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the
world.”
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister
Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
29 As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went
to him.
30 For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was
still where Martha had met him.
31 So when the Jews who were with her in the house
comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming
that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32 When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she
fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would
not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come
with her weeping, he became perturbed* and deeply troubled,
34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him,
“Sir, come and see.”
35 And Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
37 But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened
the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have
died?”
38 So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a
cave, and a stone lay across it.
39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead
man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been
dead for four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you
believe you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes
and said, “Father,* I thank you for hearing me.
42 I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd
here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud
voice,* “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial
bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him
and let him go.”
