Martha (Aramaic: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem and witnessing Jesus resurrecting her brother, Lazarus.
Etymology of the name The name Martha is a Latin transliteration of the Koine Greek Μάρθα, itself a transliteration of the Aramaic מָרְתָא Mârtâ, "the mistress" or "the lady", from מרה "mistress", feminine of מר "master." The Aramaic form occurs in a Nabatean inscription found at Puteoli, and now in the Naples Museum; it is dated AD 5 (Corpus Inscr. Semit., 158); also in a Palmyrene inscription, where the Greek translation has the form Marthein.
Biblical references In an episode from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus visits the home of two sisters named Mary and Martha. While Martha is "encumbered about many things" as she worriedly attends to their home and guest, Mary had chosen "the better part" by sitting at Jesus's feet and receiving his teachings with attention. The name of their village is not recorded, nor (unlike in John 11:18) is there any mention of whether Jesus was near Jerusalem. Biblical commentator Heinrich Meyer notes that "Jesus cannot yet be in Bethany, where Martha and Mary dwelt [according to the Gospel of John]". However, the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges claims that it was "undoubtedly Bethany".
In the Gospel of John, Martha and Mary appear in connection with two incidents: the raising from the dead of their brother Lazarus (John 11) and the anointing of Jesus in Bethany (John 12:3).
In the account of the raising of Lazarus, when Jesus hears of the death it is noted that "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus" (John 11:5). Upon arrival, Jesus meets with the sisters in turn: Martha followed by Mary. Martha goes immediately to meet Jesus as he arrives, while Mary waits until she is called. As one commentator notes, "Martha, the more aggressive sister, went to meet Jesus, while quiet and contemplative Mary stayed home. This portrayal of the sisters agrees with that found in Luke 10:38–42." In speaking with Jesus, both sisters lament that he did not arrive in time to prevent their brother's death: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died". But where Jesus' response to Mary is more emotional, his response to Martha is one of teaching, calling her to hope and faith:
As the narrative continues, Martha calls her sister Mary to see Jesus. Jesus has Mary bring him to Lazarus' tomb where he commands the stone to be removed from its entrance. Martha objects, "But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Jesus replies, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" They then take away the stone and Jesus prays and calls Lazarus forth alive from the tomb.
Martha appears again in John 12:1–8, where she serves at a meal held in Jesus' honor at which her brother is also a guest. The narrator only mentions that the meal takes place in Bethany, while the apparently parallel accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark specify that it takes place at the home of one Simon the Leper. As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, "We are surely justified in arguing that, since Matthew and Mark place the scene in the house of Simon, St. John must be understood to say the same; it remains to be proven that Martha could not 'serve' in Simon's house." It is at this meal that a woman (Martha's sister Mary, according to John) anoints Jesus with expensive perfume.
Western traditions
In medieval Western Christianity, Martha's sister Mary was often equated with Mary Magdalene. This identification led to additional information being attributed to Martha as well:
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are represented by St. John as living at Bethania, but St. Luke would seem to imply that they were, at least at one time, living in Galilee; he does not mention the name of the town, but it may have been Magdala, and we should thus, supposing Mary of Bethania and Mary Magdalene to be the same person, understand the appellative "Magdalene". The words of St. John (11:1) seem to imply a change of residence for the family. It is possible, too, that St. Luke has displaced the incident referred to in Chapter 10. The likeness between the pictures of Martha presented by Luke and John is very remarkable. The familiar intercourse between the Saviour of the world and the humble family which St. Luke depicts is dwelt on by St. John when he tells us that "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus" (11:5). Again the picture of Martha's anxiety (John 11:20–21, 39) accords with the picture of her who was "busy about much serving" (Luke 10:40); so also in John 12:2: "They made him a supper there: and Martha served." But St. John has given us a glimpse of the other and deeper side of her character when he depicts her growing faith in Christ's Divinity (11:20–27), a faith which was the occasion of the words: "I am the resurrection and the life." The Evangelist has beautifully indicated the change that came over Martha after that interview: "When she had said these things, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying: The Master is come, and calleth for thee."
The Greek word used for Jesus' 'love' towards the two sisters in the Gospel of John account of the raising of Lazarus, is agapaō meaning divine or self-sacrificial love.Kenneth S. Wuest. (July–September 1961). "The Holy Spirit in Greek Exposition". Bibliotheca Sacra. v. 118. no. 471. p. 220. The Internet Archive website Retrieved 29 July 2025.
Eastern Orthodox tradition
In Eastern Orthodox Church tradition, though not specifically named as such in the gospels, Martha and Mary were among the Myrrh-bearing Women. These faithful followers of Jesus stood at Golgotha during the Crucifixion of Jesus and later came to his tomb early on the morning following Sabbath with myrrh (expensive oil), according to the Jewish tradition, to anoint their Lord's body. The Myrrhbearers became the first witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus, finding the empty tomb and hearing the joyful news from an angel.
Orthodox tradition also relates that Martha's brother Lazarus was cast out of Jerusalem in the persecution against the Jerusalem Church following the martyrdom of St. Stephen. His sister Martha fled Judea with him, assisting him in the proclaiming of the Gospel in various lands, while Mary Magdalene remained with John the Apostle and assisted him with the Church of Jerusalem. According to Cyprian tradition, Lazarus and Martha later came to Cyprus, where Lazarus became the first Bishop of Kittim (modern Larnaca). All three died in Cyprus.
Veneration Martha is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, and commemorated by the Lutheran Church and the Anglican Communion. Through time, as the reverence for St. Martha developed, the images of maturity, strength, common sense, and concern for others predominated.
Feast days Roman Catholic
The Latin Church celebrates the feast day of Martha, Mary of Bethany and their brother Lazarus on 29 July.Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ), p. 398
The feast of Martha, classified as a "semi-double" in the Tridentine calendar, became a "simple" one in the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII, a "third class feast" in the General Roman Calendar of 1960, and a memorial in the present General Roman Calendar. Until 2021, the liturgical celebration had been solely of Martha, except among the Benedictines. In that year, Pope Francis changed it to commemorate all three siblings. He further pointed out that Mary of Bethany was not to be confused with Mary Magdalene, which tradition "resulted in the inclusion of Martha alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar".
Orthodoxy The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches commemorate Martha and her sister Mary on 4 June. They also commemorate them collectively among the Myrrh-bearing Women on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers (the Third Sunday of Pascha – i.e., the second Sunday after Easter Sunday). Martha also figures in the commemorations of Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday).
Lutheran Martha is commemorated on 29 July in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church, together with Mary and Lazarus.
Anglican Martha is also commemorated on 29 July in the Calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church.
Martha is remembered (with Mary and Lazarus) in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 29 July.
Patronages
The Sisters of Saint Martha are a religious congregation founded in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, in 1894.
Churches
A number of churches are dedicated to St. Martha including: Roman Catholic churches Europe: Église Sainte-Marthe de Tarascon in Tarascon, France; United States: St. Martha Catholic Church in Morton Grove, Illinois, and others in East Providence, Rhode Island; Valinda, California; Kingwood, Texas; Harvey, Louisiana; Plainville, Massachusetts; Sarasota, Florida; and Prestonsburg, Kentucky Asia Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig: Diocesan Shrine of St. Martha and Parish of St. Roch, Pateros, Philippines, and St. Martha Parish of Kalawaan Pasig. Roman Catholic Diocese of Imus: Saint Martha Parish, Greengate Homes, Malagasang II-A, City of Imus, Province of Cavite. Australia: Strathfield, New South Wales Anglican Communion: Canada: St Mary and St Martha in Toronto England: St Martha-on-the-Hill in Surrey Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire United States: St. Martha's Episcopal Church in: Papillion, Nebraska Bethany Beach, Delaware Lexington, Kentucky Saints Martha & Mary, Eagan, Minnesota
Methodist: St Martha's Methodist Church in Tring, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom Lutheran: St. Mary and St. Martha Lutheran Church, San Francisco, United States
Legends and myths
The Golden Legend According to legend, St. Martha left Judea after Jesus' resurrection, around AD 48, and went to Provence with her sister Mary (conflated with Mary Magdalene) and her brother Lazarus. With them, Martha first settled in Avignon (now in France). The Golden Legend, compiled in the 13th century, records the Provençal tradition:
The Golden Legend also records the grand lifestyle imagined for Martha and her siblings in its entry on Mary Magdalene:
St. Martha in Tarascon
A further legend relates that Martha then went to Tarascon, France, where a monster, the Tarasque, was a constant threat to the population. The Golden Legend describes it as a beast from Galatia; a great dragon, half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than a horse, having teeth sharp as a sword, and horned on either side, head like a lion, tail like a serpent, that dwelt in a certain wood between Arles and Avignon. Holding a cross in her hand, Martha sprinkled the beast with holy water. Placing her sash around its neck, she led the tamed dragon through the village.
There Martha lived, daily occupied in prayers and in fastings. Martha eventually died in Tarascon, where she was buried. Her tomb is located in the crypt of the local Collegiate Church.