The Mystery of the Marys and Martha

Names. They expose identity and claim reputations. Such is the case with Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany, and Martha.

There are two particular Marys, in two particular stories, who are at the centre of one particular mystery I’ve been fascinated with. I’m talking about the anointing of Jesus. On both occasions, Jesus was reclining at a dining table with other men as was the custom, when a woman arrives with a jar of expensive perfume, kneels at his feet, and anoints him.

Highly unusual. Extremely risqué in ancient times.

These stories occurred at different locations (Galilee and Bethany) and at different times (early to midway through Jesus three-year ministry and at Passover at the end of Jesus’ ministry). They also appeared to involve two different women, (one named, one unnamed).

Or did they?

Some say there were even three different occasions and three separate women because of the variations in the gospel accounts. But do variations in accounts mean multiplicity?

Can we unravel this little mystery that is often wondered about in conversation, discussed at great length by scholars, yet perhaps not commonly explored by the ordinary person?

As an ordinary person, I’d like to explore a rationale to the plausibility of what I believe to be true.

There is also more that I want to consider around this mystery. If what I’m exploring is true, how might it relate to the parable of the prodigal son? What of the message of transformation and renewal that Jesus died for? 

According to the gospel of John, Mary of Bethany did a most unconventional thing at Passover in a house at Bethany and anointed Jesus. John’s gospel account says it was Mary and it was at the house of Lazarus, Mary’s brother. Matthew and Mark’s gospel account recorded this event but don’t name the woman and they say it was at the house of Simon the Leper.

Could Mary of Bethany also be the unnamed woman who did the same thing earlier in Jesus’ ministry, which was only recorded in Luke’s account, and was at the house of a different Simon, the Pharisee?

What does the bible say about each woman? Could they be the same woman, known as Mary of Bethany but also known as Mary from Magdala (Mary Magdalene) who had led a sinful life and had seven demons cast out of her – the woman who prospered Jesus’ ministry, shadowed Jesus’ crucifixion, witnessed the laying of His body, and was still present, carrying anointing balms, the morning of His resurrection?

It's not a usual theory in the modern church, but I ask: If you’ve led a sinful life, been set free and transformed by the power of the Saviour’s love and forgiveness, and now follow Him with unreserved devotion, you may acknowledge this isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem.

First, let’s read in Luke’s gospel about the earlier story of a woman’s extravagant gratitude and love.

Luke 7: 36-38 (NIV)

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

A woman who lived a sinful life. A woman who was so overcome she touched a man she wasn’t married to, in public, her hair loose, in public, pouring perfume over Him and kissing Him, in public. Even today, this would raise eyebrows. But in ancient days, this was unthinkable.

Now, what does the bible say about Mary of Bethany, and Martha?

Luke 10:38-42 (NET)

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said. But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”

Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, absorbed by Him – understanding what He could do, or perhaps, what He had already done for her.

Martha served her guests, hosting Him – still focused on what she needed to do for Him.

Mary was commended by Jesus’ for doing ‘the better thing’ while He told Martha she was distracted. However, the double use of her name, when Jesus said, “Martha, Martha”, suggests He spoke to her with compassion, not censure.

Martha had many guests to receive when she welcomed Jesus. As most hostesses would, she immediately thought of how she needed to serve them and what she needed to do. When Mary wasn’t helping as expected, but rather, assuming a position like the rest of the men there, sitting with Jesus, she became agitated. I wonder if Martha wanted to sit too, and listen? Yet, because she had welcomed Jesus, she felt responsible to meet the needs of Jesus and His disciples. And she had never questioned the line of decency that her culture dictated was acceptable. It was vexing to her, that Mary was sitting there, like a disciple, while she did all the work.

To sit at Jesus feet was a place of devotion and rest; a place of transformation. The same happened to the Gerasene man who had a legion of demons cast out of him.

Luke 8:35 (NET)

So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

There was someone else who had demons cast out of her, who knew the torment they caused, and became a devout follower.

Luke 8:1-3,9 (NCV)

After this, while Jesus was traveling through some cities and small towns, he preached and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him, and also some women who had been healed of sicknesses and evil spirits: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, the wife of Cuza (the manager of Herod’s house); Susanna; and many others. These women used their own money to help Jesus and his apostles…. Jesus’ followers asked him what this story meant.

We usually think of these discussions, where the disciples asked what the stories Jesus preached meant, being just between the 12 disciples and Jesus. But these women were with Him too, having experienced His healing power personally. They followed Him and provided their finances and their time. Would Jesus not have included them in these discussions too? We know that Jesus didn’t follow conventional thinking. He treated women with a certain liberty other Jewish women didn’t experience.

These women still dealt with injustice, condescension and judgment, even from within this circle. We see that in the way they were spoken to around the table where the anointing took place, and how their testimonies were dismissed after the resurrection. Jesus was their only truly safe place. He was their liberator.

For women who relate, typecasting never really goes away. It clings like a wet rag. I can imagine that’s why these women clung so closely to Jesus.

Their love for Him came from their brokenness that, apart from Jesus, would never have been repairable. They may have always been typecast, even despite what Jesus had done; especially Mary Magdalene, the one described in Luke 7:47 who “loved much” because she had been forgiven much.

Mark 14:3-5, 8-9 (NLT)

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head. Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly…. (But Jesus replied) She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

This woman is named in John’s account as Mary (verse three). Presumably, she is Mary of Bethany because the story says Lazarus was there and Martha was serving. This would naturally indicate the family trio was hosting the dinner party. In this case, Mary of Bethany performed the same deed as the un-named woman in Luke’s account, earlier in Jesus’ ministry. She was censured, not for being indecent as had been the case in the other story, but for being wasteful with money. Why might that be?

John 12:7 (NIV)

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 

Could it be that she was recognised as the same woman, the sinful woman, who had been so tremendously set free and, unthinkably, re-established in society? Could she be the same woman anointing Him for burial ahead of time as the one who was there to prepare His body at the tomb? The same woman desperate to find His body after He had risen? Could this woman, identified as Mary of Bethany at the last anointing of Jesus, be the same woman, identified as Mary Magdalene after his death, still looking to anoint him?

Is it not possible that the woman known as Mary of Bethany was the same woman known as Mary Magdalene, who went home transformed, from Magdala where she had led a sinful life, to Bethany where she was accepted back into her family heritage, and then was close enough in the final days of Jesus’ life to fulfil what God had called her to do?

Who else could be so enamoured, so devoted, so shameless, for the One who truly saved her and allowed her to repossess her place of belonging, to turn around her sinful life into something full of hope and destiny?

Now, what about Martha? Here, I find an interesting parallel to a well-known parable of the Father’s forgiving love.

What triggered Martha at the earlier visit by Jesus may have been more than a sibling squabble. Perhaps Martha was the more proactive one. Perhaps she was the older child in the family, used to being ‘the responsible one’. A little like the parable of the prodigal son – only this time it was the Father’s daughters. One daughter had stayed at the family home and was diligent, looking after the family’s wealth and heritage with their brother Lazarus (meaning God has helped), who may have contracted leprosy and been healed by Jesus. The other daughter had moved away, lived a sinful life, only to return home and be commended for sitting at the Master’s feet. One was pragmatic, sensible and worried about practical things. The other was impetuous, head strong and passionately inclined. One was called Martha. The other was called Mary. Mary of Bethany or Mary of Magdala?

The bible doesn’t explain this family’s initial connection with Jesus, but it seems strange if none of the family that hosted Jesus so often and were named as His closest friends, who lived in Bethany not far from Jerusalem, were nowhere around during His greatest trial.

Notably it was Mary Magdalene who was named at every scene with the other Mary, likely Jesus’ mother. They didn’t leave Him at the crucifixion. They followed Him to know where His body lay, doggedly determined, somehow, to procure the body of the one they loved and anoint Him the way He deserved. They were there to anoint it after the Sabbath; they were the first ones to be told He had risen (Luke 8:1-3).

John 19:25 (NIV)

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Mark 15:47 (NASB)

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where He was laid.

John 20:1 (NLT)

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 

Nothing could dim Mary Magdalene’s gratitude, quell her love, and relieve her dependency on her Lord and Messiah. Even during His ministry, she expressed her love exquisitely, extravagantly, and unconventionally. Not even the harshness of the men around her could subdue her. Not even fear and profound grief could prevent her from following Him to His tomb. She knew the One who was her healer; the One who believed in her as a person; who saw her and loved her despite her past; He gave room for her to build a future as a new creature, and when she saw His resurrection, she understood best of all, how she too, had been resurrected.

The gospel writers could have been protecting her reputation or identity by not explaining the name variance. We see that other people’s names were exchanged but not always explained as it was with Simon/Peter. There is Bartholomew/Nathanael, Levi/Matthew, Simon the Leper/may be Lazarus, the other Mary/ Mary of Joses and perhaps Mary of James/ the wife of Clopas, “who incidentally might also be known as Alphaeus”. (Referenced from the Church Life Journal footnotes [12] article, below.)

There are well-documented conjectures and traditions arguing for and against whether Mary of Bethany and Mary of Magdala were one and the same woman. While the bible doesn’t explicitly say, the anointing of Jesus’ head and feet in two separate locations at two separate times in Jesus’ ministry, was such an extreme, uncommon, and prophetic expression of servitude and honour, it’s questionable that this is not the same woman.

I have finalised two articles that helped me puzzle out my conclusions over the mystery of the Marys and Martha.

https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/articles/is-mary-magdalene-the-sister-of-martha

https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/a-retrieval-of-the-traditional-view-of-mary-magdalene/