Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. (Lk 10:28-32)
Even though the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) won’t even mention the name of the village (Bethany), nor anything about Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary whom Jesus raised from the dead, it is precisely in this home and with these friends where Jesus was most at home. And the community that gathered around Martha, Mary and Lazarus, has given us the Fourth Gospel, the one we call “according to John,” to preserve their memory.
