Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 'Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. The first one is the dinner given to Jesus in his honor. There are two things we know about Mary and Martha in the Bible that could lead to this conclusion. If Mary and Martha did not belong to the Essene sect, then it is possible they were women of financial means. They were possibly women of financial means. Had they been much older and Lazarus much older I wonder if there would have been that same sense of urgency. It is also safe to assume that Lazarus was their younger brother which could be why they were so concerned when he got sick and died. They may have been widowed or if they did indeed belong to the Essene sect, then they could have taken a vow of celibacy which was part of the practice of this group. Also because of the way the culture was designed, it was rare in those days for a woman to be unmarried. In the Jewish culture of that day women were often married during their teenage years. In the mentions of Mary and Martha in the Bible, there is no mention of husbands or children. There is no way of definitively determining their age, but here are some clues that might help get us in the ballpark. One thing we don’t know about Mary and Martha in the Bible is how old they were.

Either way, many Jews came to comfort them after the death of their brother. This could be because they were part of the Essene sect mentioned above and if they weren’t then it’s possible Lazarus was. Upon news of her brother’s death, the Bible tells us that many Jews had come to comfort them. It appears from this verse that Mary and Martha and their family were well respected in the Jewish community.

Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.' – John 11:17-19 'On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. They were well respected in the community. It is not far-fetched to believe Mary and Martha were part of this community even though the Bible does not say this explicitly, we can make this assertion from a historical context. Essenes (a Jewish sect) were known for their commitment to serve the poor and sick.” These centers were spread throughout the ancient Jewish world. It is likely that this village served as one of the Jewish Essene diaconal centers. There are many reasons to think it was a very special village. “Bethany was not far from Jerusalem (there was also a Bethany across the Jordan river). Here is a quote from the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies on this place in Bethany. One of the hallmarks of this community is their devotion to serving the poor and caring for the sick. Since Mary and Martha lived in Bethany, it is possible they belonged to a Jewish sect known as the Essenes.

They were possibly part of a Jewish sect called the Essenes. I am not sure how this relationship formed or developed, but we know these people were special to Jesus. We see this especially when Lazarus dies and Jesus’ emotional response when he arrives at the tomb of Lazarus. This relationship extended not just to Mary and Martha but also to their brother Lazarus. They truly held a special place in his heart. What this tells me is that Jesus had more than just a casual relationship with Mary and Martha. However, there are very few places in Scripture that highlight this level of love on such a personal level. We know that Jesus loves everyone because that is his nature. Perhaps the most obvious thing to know about Mary and Martha in the Bible is they were loved by Jesus. 'Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.' – John 11:5

Story of lazarus bible