[VIII. At Bethany]
There seems to have been one home especially where the Lord Jesus loved to visit.
We hear a great deal about the people who lived in this home, perhaps more about them than any other of the friends of Jesus.
Their names were Lazarus, Martha and Mary.
One day the Lord Jesus was going about healing the sick, and teaching people about His Heavenly Father, and in His journey He came to the village of Bethany, where Martha and Mary and Lazarus lived.
Martha was a very industrious, energetic woman, and when she saw Jesus and His disciples coming, I dare say she ran out to meet them, and invited them into her house to have something to eat.
She bustled about and spread the table; she told her servants what to bring to set before the large company who had suddenly come to her; and with joyful willingness she hurried to put before them whatever she could think of to make them welcome.
Suddenly her eyes fell upon her only sister, Mary. She was not bustling about and getting the dinner ready; she was sitting near Jesus, eagerly listening to His words, and satisfied to be in His presence.
Poor Martha! She loved to hurry about and make Jesus welcome, but to have her sister sit idle and enjoy to hear Him talk, was more than she could bear.
So she got quite cross and vexed. She felt that it was too hard; and she ran to Jesus and asked Him how it was He did not care that Mary had left her all the work to do alone, and begged Him to bid Mary come and help her.