A relatively important figure in the New Testament, she is known as the sister of Lazarus, who Christ brought back to life and as the woman who “served,” Christ. She also has a sister called Mary who is often conflated with Mary Magdalene.
We first meet Martha, at her house, hosting Christ. While Martha is busy serving her guests, Mary is listening to Christ’s words. When Martha asks Christ to urge her sister to help her with her work, Christ merely replies that Mary had chosen, “the better part.” That is, it was more important to listen to Christ’s words than to serve him as Martha had done. It was this line that changed and remained with Martha her entire life. Being told that her way of life was wrong by the Son of God was something that Martha could not accept.
“I am not wrong,” she told herself after her guests had left. “It wasn’t that my service was wrong. It was because my service was lacking. Next time… next time I shall do better, next time it shall be me, not Mary, who shall be praised.”
However, the next time she saw Christ was when her brother died. There, she questioned his decision and was berated yet again.
The final time she is mentioned in the Bible, or rather, implied to have appeared, was at the Anointing of Christ. However, since this occurred in Simon the Leper’s house Martha had no opportunity to “serve.” Eventually Christ died and was resurrected, yet Martha did not receive her closure.
According to later legends, she and her siblings left for France. There, she tamed a dragon, saved a man from drowning, and created her own little church where she preached. A year before her death the Lord revealed that her death was nigh. Eight days before her death she heard a choir of angels and gathered her students, telling them what was happening and what was to be done. They surrounded her with candles. However, in the dead of the night, evil spirits visited her so she prayed to God, and saw the spirit of her sister, carrying a torch, come to her with Christ who said,
“Come, dear hostess and where I am so will you be. You, who received me at your house, I will receive you in heaven.”
And with that, she was teleported outside underneath the starry sky. Weakly grasping her cross, she could only berate herself as Christ had done after her brother had died.
“Ah – There’s still so much to do. But… I was an idiot wasn’t I? He never resented me. While He didn’t praise my efforts, I shouldn’t have taken the absence of that praise as condemnation. Truly, I was an idiot. He knew that I never needed praise to continue, and therefore, I was never given praise. He knew this better than anyone else, yet all these years, I’ve agonized and questioned His love. My role, my being, all of it was “to serve,” perhaps that is what makes up my being. But – even so, even if that is who I am, even if I am okay with that, even if I didn’t need praise, it was something I wanted. Yes, all I’ve ever wanted was for someone, anyone, to look at my work and say: ‘good job, Martha.’ But such a regret is trivial and filled with pride; definitely, it’s something that I don’t need. Therefore, Father, my soul is now in your hands.”
With that prayer, she died.
Later, in 1538, it was said she saved a Spanish town from a fleet of pirates. If she was actually the one who did this is unknown; however, if asked about it, she will say, “Well, that is what I read on the Throne. But can you stop talking to me? Can’t you see how busy I am?”
Also there are legends that her father was the governor of Syria, and that she and her siblings actually lived in castles: “Castles? Well, back then there was so much work we may as well have been living in a castle.”
Gah – she is truly a difficult person to talk to.
Originally Posted by Lycodrake
