conceive that Jesus would have done so - especially on the Feast of Tabernacles; and

the inference is obvious, that Jesus had tarried in the immediate neighbourhood, as we

know He did at Bethany in the house of Martha and Mary.  68

Other things, also, do so explain themselves - notably, the absence of the brother of

Martha and Mary, who probably spent the festive days in the City itself. It was the

beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles, and the scene recorded by St. Luke69 would take

place in the open leafy booth which served as the sitting apartment during the festive

week. For, according to law, it was duty during the festive week to eat, sleep, pray,

study - in short, to live - in these booths, which were to be constructed of the boughs of

living trees.70 And, although this was not absolutely obligatory on women,71 yet, the rule

which bade all make 'the booth the principal, and the house only the secondary

dwelling,'72 would induce them to make this leafy tent at least the sitting apartment alike

for men and women. And, indeed, those autumn days were just the season when it

would be joy to sit in these delightful cool retreats - the memorials of Israel's pilgrim-

days! They were high enough, and yet not too high; chiefly open in front; close enough

to be shady, and yet not so close as to exclude sunlight and air. Such would be the

apartment i n which what is recorded passed; and, if we add that this booth stood

probably in the court, we can picture to ourselves Martha moving forwards and

backwards on her busy errands, and seeing, as she passed again and again, Mary still

sitting a rapt listener , not heeding what passed around; and, lastly, how the elder sister

could, as the language of verse 40 implies, enter so suddenly the Master's Presence,

bringing her complaint.

To understand this history, we must dismiss from our minds preconceived, though,

perhaps, attractive thoughts. There is no evidence that the household of Bethany had

previously belonged to the circle of Christ's professed disciples. It was, as the whole

history shows, a wealthy home. It consisted of two sisters - the elder, Martha (a not

uncommon Jewish name,73 being the feminine o f Mar,74 and equivalent to our word

'mistress'); the younger, Mary; and their brother Lazarus, or, Laazar.75 Although we

know not how it came, yet, evidently, the house was Martha's, and into it she received

Jesus on His arrival in Bethany. It would have b een no uncommon occurrence in Israel

for a pious, wealthy lady to receive a great Rabbi into her house. But the present was

not an ordinary case. Martha must have heard of Him, even if she had not seen Him.

But, indeed, the whole narrative implies,76 that Jesus had come to Bethany with the

view of accepting the hospitality of Martha, which probably had been proffered when