Ecumenical Commemoration
Siblings & Friends of Jesus
July 29
also known as The Bethany Family, Lazarus the Four-Days Dead, Mary of Bethany, Martha of Bethany
Lazarus, Mary, and Martha of Bethany were three siblings whose home near Jerusalem offered Jesus a place of rest and intimate friendship during his ministry. Luke presents Martha as active and practical, Mary as contemplative; John's Gospel elevates their story to profound theological significance through the raising of Lazarus from the dead — presented as the seventh and greatest of Jesus's signs, and as the immediate cause of the Sanhedrin's plot to kill him. Mary's anointing of Jesus with costly nard, wiping his feet with her hair, was interpreted by Jesus himself as a prophetic act anticipating his burial.
Traditionally, the Eastern Orthodox Church has maintained that Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene, and the 'sinful woman' of Luke 7 are three distinct figures — a conviction it maintained even as the Western Church conflated them under Gregory the Great in the 6th century. The Eastern tradition honors Mary of Bethany as a distinct contemplative figure.
A widespread medieval French tradition claims that Lazarus, Martha, and Mary fled persecution in Jerusalem and traveled to Provence in southern France. According to the legend, Lazarus became the first Bishop of Marseilles, and Martha became famous for taming a dragon (the Tarasque) at the town of Tarascon. These traditions are late medieval elaborations with no historical foundation. They appear to represent a confusion of biblical Lazarus with Lazarus of Cyprus (a later bishop) or other early Christian figures.
Luke 10:38–42 presents the household of Martha and Mary. Martha opens her home to Jesus, but busies herself with preparations while Mary 'sat at his feet and listened to what he was saying.' When Martha complains that Mary has left her alone to do the work, Jesus replies: 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.' This brief exchange has generated centuries of theological reflection on the relationship between the active and contemplative lives.
John's Gospel provides a far richer account of the household and of Lazarus. In John 11, Lazarus falls ill, and the sisters send a message to Jesus: 'Lord, he whom you love is sick.' Jesus delays for two days, and by the time he arrives, Lazarus has been dead for four days. Martha meets Jesus with a declaration of faith: 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.' Jesus responds with one of the Gospel's central I AM statements: 'I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live; and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' Martha affirms her faith: 'Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.'
Mary comes to Jesus, falls at his feet, and says the same words as Martha: 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' The Gospel records the profound moment: 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35) — the shortest verse in Scripture, expressing Jesus's authentic sorrow and his solidarity with human grief.
Jesus commands the stone to be rolled away from the tomb and calls: 'Lazarus, come out!' 'The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth.' The raising of Lazarus is presented as the seventh and greatest of Jesus's signs in John — the climactic demonstration of his power over death. The Sanhedrin's response is immediate: if Jesus continues, 'everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation' (John 11:48). From that moment, the council resolves to kill Jesus.
Six days before Passover (John 12:1–8), the household hosts a dinner. Martha serves; Lazarus reclines at table; Mary takes a pound of costly spikenard nard (approximately 300 denarii in value, a year's wages for a laborer), anoints Jesus's feet, and wipes them with her hair. 'The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.' Judas objects — this ointment could have been sold for the poor — but Jesus interprets Mary's act: 'She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.'
Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servants Lazarus, Mary, and Martha of Bethany, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at last, with him, we attain to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.