'Being' (Mary) and 'Doing' (Martha)."

"Martha and Mary represent two of the earliest women Christian leaders, say contemporary biblical scholars. Their story, found in the gospels of Luke and John, is one of tension between the two sisters over the attentions of their guest, Jesus. In reality, scholars now say the two women weren't adversaries, but represent two aspects of Christian adherence: 'being' (Mary) and 'doing' (Martha)."

Martha and Mary Are Complementary Characters

Unfortunately, early Christian male leaders often used the story of Martha and Mary to justify excluding women from performing public ministry, according to New Testament Women. It was quite all right for a woman to engage in a private act of "listening" to Jesus' teachings (Mary), but she was not to be allowed to perform public ministry and to demand support for it (Martha). This prejudice against women as public ministers still persists in some forms of contemporary Christianity.

In reality, Martha and Mary symbolize the complementary tension between the two parts of following Jesus' teachings: "doing" (Martha) and "being" (Mary). New Testament Women asserts that a more accurate understanding of Martha and Mary recognizes that both were early Christian leaders who welcomed disciples into their household, learned Jesus' teachings, and proclaimed and performed them for others.