When did Jesus first visit Mary and Martha?

Answer 1

Answer The Gospel according to John records Jesus visiting Martha and Mary on two occasions: the first was after the death of their brother, Lazarus (John 11:1) and the second was the week before Passover (John 12:1). Upon considering how Jesus reacted to the death of Lazarus (He wept and people remarked how much Jesus loved Lazarus) it is quite safe to assume that Jesus was well known to the family and had visited on previous occasions.

Answer 2

A:

In Luke's Gospel at chapter 10, Martha and Mary are sisters and friends of Jesus, but are not related to Lazarus, who is mentioned only in a parable about resurrection. They live in a small village.

In John's Gospel at chapter 11, Martha and Mary are sisters and friends of Jesus, and Lazarus is their brother whom Jesus resurrected after more than three days. They live in the town of Bethany.

Answer 3

A:

Stories about Mary and Martha can be found in Luke's Gospel and in John's Gospel. Both gospels also mention Lazarus, but only John's Gospel says that he was the brother of Mary and Martha. The coincidences of name, death and hypothetical or actual resurrection of Lazarus is taken as strong evidence that the concept was taken by the author ofJohnfrom Luke's Gospel.

Luke 10:38-42 contains a brief story of Jesus visiting the sisters Mary and Martha in a village. He does not seem to know these sisters and the indications are they were relatively poor. Jesus tells a parable about Lazarus that mentions his death and resurrection hypothetically, and so he is entirely unrelated to Mary and Martha.

John 11:5 tells us that Jesus loved Mary and Martha, whose brother, Lazarus, he later raises from the dead. Mary and Martha lived in the town of Bethany and were clearly close friends of Jesus and wealthy enough to buy expensive ointment to anoint Jesus later in the gospel. Jesus was prepared to go out of his way to help their brother Lazarus, although he conspicuously delayed his arrival until after Lazarus had been dead more than three days, when Jewish tradition said that the soul departs the body, so that resurrection must no longer be possible. We are repeatedly told that Lazarus has been dead four days and his body stinks, yet Jesus commands him to rise up out of his tomb and he came forth.

Shortly before his final entry into Jerusalem, Jesus again visited Mary and Martha in Bethany and they served him dinner, after which Mary anointed his feet with a pound of expensive ointment.

Answer 4

Jesus first visited Mary and Martha in Bethany after the death of their brother Lazarus. This is recorded in the New Testament in the Gospel of John, chapter 11.