Scripture tells us little about Mary of Bethany. She appears in three scenes. In each one she is at Jesus' feet, first listening, then weeping, then anointing him with costly perfume.
She was quiet where her sister was active. When Lazarus died, Martha went out to meet Jesus and Mary stayed in the house until she was called. She was criticized twice, once by her sister and once by Judas. Both times Jesus defended her.
“
Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.
Name means
Greek form of Miriam; the meaning is uncertain
Home
Bethany, near Jerusalem
Role
Disciple, sister of Martha and Lazarus
Read in
; ;
Mary of Bethany's story
The house filled with fragrance
Beginning
Listening at his feet
She sits at the Lord's feet and listens while Martha serves. Jesus says she has chosen the good portion.
Turning point
Weeping at his feet
She falls at his feet in grief over Lazarus. Jesus is deeply moved, and he weeps.
Ending
Anointing his feet
She pours a pound of expensive nard on his feet and wipes them with her hair. Jesus says it was for the day of his burial.
Starts as a quiet listener at his feet. Ends as the one who anointed him for burial.
Where Mary of Bethany lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
Mary of Bethany appears only in Bethany.
How Mary of Bethany is wired
The Individualist
Enneagram 4, Investigator wing
To give herself fully and personally to what matters most, whatever others think.
Scripture doesn't give us much here, so treat this as a best guess.
At their best, toward 1 Under stress, toward 2
Why we think so
1
An extravagant gesture. She pours out a pound of expensive ointment worth a large sum and wipes his feet with her hair. ()
2
Stays with grief. She remains in the house while Martha goes out, then weeps at his feet. ()
3
Willing to be out of step. She sits with the disciples at his feet while the expected work of the house goes on around her. ()
She is a listener first, taking in his teaching. ()
The Reformer. Jesus reads her act as purposeful, keeping the ointment for his burial. ()
The Helper. Little recorded.
The case for 9
She is quiet and receptive, lets her sister speak first, and waits to be called. Those are peacemaker traits as much as individualist ones.
Other lenses
Big Five. Read from what she says and does in the Gospels.
ReservedOutgoing
SteadyReactive
ChallengingAccommodating
SpontaneousDisciplined
TraditionalCurious
DISC style: Quiet, devoted, wholehearted.
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Mary of Bethany
Attentiveness. Devotion. Willingness to be misunderstood for doing what was right.
Where Mary of Bethany struggles
In grief she stayed home and waited to be called (). Her quiet could look like withdrawal to those around her.
What Mary of Bethany wanted most
To be near Jesus and to hear him ().
What Mary of Bethany feared most
Scripture doesn't say. In her grief she said what Martha said, that her brother would not have died if Jesus had been there ().
Mary anointed the body of the one who would die for her.
She may not have understood everything, but Jesus gave her act its meaning. Her perfume pointed to his death and burial, the costliest gift of all. “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial” ().
Questions to sit with
1
What keeps you from sitting at Jesus' feet and listening?
2
Has your devotion ever looked wasteful to others, and how did you respond?
Study Mary of Bethany with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
