Martha Bethany and St Thomas in The Battle for Jesus

Martha Bethany and St Thomas in the book, The Battle for Jesus, are the main icons of the Holy Land who, together with Saint Matthew, join a cable of friends who support Jesus throughout the story.

Many theologians suggest that Mary Magdalene and Martha Bethany are/were sisters. I am not an expert on this matter and, in the book, they are very close, but I have not portrayed them as sisters. Mary Magdalene would know Martha Bethany in the Holy Land and in the story she speaks highly of her. Mary Magdalene describes her as ‘the quiet achiever, she does more than any of us’. Martha is older than Mary Magdalene and very different both physically and mentally. Martha is more introvert and responsible, whereas Mary Magdalene is more of an extrovert. So, in the picture below I think it is Mary Bethany (Martha’s sister) and not Mary Magdalene at Jesus’ feet.

‘Jesus at the house of Mary and Martha’ by Harold Copping. Courtesy of Harold Copping—1st art-gallery.com/Harold Copping/Martha-and-Mary-1927. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

This picture shows how we envision Martha in the Holy Land. Martha is busy with the chores of the house while her sister, Mary Bethany (Not Mary Magdalene), is entertaining (or listening) to Jesus.

In the story (21st Century), Martha and Thomas (that’s ‘doubting Thomas’) have hitched up. They are not married but they live together on a farm with a child that they have adopted called Nicholas, who is also from the Holy Land. All three are ‘volunteers’ from Heaven. This means that they are mortals who have been given a second chance to complete their previous lives. (See: Behind the Scenes; Associations, the worlds within the story.)

Thomas runs ‘Pains End’ farm which is at the end of Duckmore lane just off the Orchard Road in the firmament.

If you drink a complementary glass of apple juice at any of Mother Mary’s restaurants called ‘Momma’s’ you will see the signs on Highway 95 pointing to the Orchard Road. It is a beautiful, rustic, short cut in the firmament between New York and Washington. It will also take you to St Michael’s Crossroads Chapel which inside is a magnificent cathedral.

Nicholas is a strapping twelve year old, mature beyond his years. He was a slave in the Holy Land and will not leave the safety of the farm to go to school because he says ‘I can smell slavery’. This is one of the dilemmas within the story. They all sympathise with Nicholas and are ‘softly, softly’ trying to encourage him to go to school. But, he just won’t leave the firmament. He is happy to work on the farm with his dad; he loves the animals and they, in turn, love him.

In the story, I have re-invented Martha Bethany as President George W. Bush’s Personal Assistant. So her day job is in the White House, (note: the story is set in 2006) and she only works part-time on the farm.

George W. Bush has no clue as to Martha’s origins, even so he treats her with absolute respect and will not tolerate a word said against her.

Martha runs the ‘business end’ of the Oval Office. She is a brilliant administrator. She vets all the documents in his in-and-out trays, types all his sensitive letters, keeps his diary, and ensures that nothing untoward slips through. The President trusts her completely. Rightly so, because the Souls in Heaven have a very high regard for her too. In the White House, she does not make any political comment. She simply steers the President away from any further ‘mischief’. She makes no comment on any of his misadventures, but she does try to minimise any further consequence of his invasion of Iraq, which for her is a part of the Holy Land.