be put on the list to be cared for on the basis of the expression that they intend to devote themselves exclusively to Christian ministerial activities, it is better for them to remarry. This is because, he says, their sexual impulses may induce them to go contrary to their expression of faith wherein they might accept the congregation’s financial support as hard workers, while at the same time trying to get a husband and becoming unoccupied and meddlers. They would thereby bring themselves under an unfavorable judgment. To marry, bear children and manage a household, while still maintaining the Christian faith, would effectively occupy them, protecting them against gossiping and talking of things they ought not. This would enable the congregation to relieve those who were actually widows and who qualified for such aid.—1 Tim. 5:9-16; 2:15.

CELIBACY

The apostle Paul warns that one of the identifying features of the apostasy that was to come would be enforced celibacy, “forbidding to marry.” (1 Tim. 4:1, 3) Some of the apostles were married. (1 Cor. 9:5; Luke 4:38) Paul, in setting forth the qualifications for overseers and ministerial servants in the Christian congregation, says that these men (if married) should have only one wife.—1 Tim. 3:1, 2, 12; Titus 1:5, 6.

CHRISTIANS AND CIVIL MARRIAGE LAWS

At the present time, in most lands of the earth, marriage is governed by laws of the civil authorities, “Caesar,” and the Christian should comply with these. (Matt. 22:21) The Bible record nowhere sets out the requirement of a religious ceremony or the services of a clergyman. According to the arrangement in Bible times, the requirement would consistently be that a marriage be legalized according to the laws of the land, and that marriages and births should be registered where such a provision is made by law. Since the “Caesar” governments exercise such control of marriage, the Christian would be obliged to apply to them for the legalizing of a marriage. And even if he should desire to use the adultery of his mate as Scriptural grounds for divorce, he could not properly consider the marriage legally dissolved until a divorce decree was granted by the government. A Christian who remarries without Scriptural and legal freedom, therefore, would be violating God’s laws.—Matt. 19:9; Rom. 13:1.

MARRIAGE AND THE RESURRECTION

A group of Jesus’ opponents who did not believe in the resurrection asked Jesus a question that was calculated to embarrass him. In answering them he revealed that “those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.”—Luke 20:34, 35; Matt. 22:30.

SYMBOLIC USES

Throughout the Scriptures Jehovah speaks of himself as a husband. He considered himself as married to the nation of Israel. (Isa. 54:1, 5, 6; 62:4) When Israel rebelled against God by practicing idolatry or some other form of sin against him, this was spoken of as committing prostitution like an unfaithful wife, providing cause for his divorcing her.—Isa. 1:21; Jer. 3:1-20; Hos. chap. 2.

In Galatians chapter 4 the apostle Paul likens the nation of Israel to the slave girl Hagar, the concubine of Abraham, and the Jewish people to Hagar’s son Ishmael. Just as Ishmael was the son of the secondary wife of Abraham, so the Jews were the children of the secondary “wife” of Jehovah. The tie binding Israel to Jehovah was the Law covenant. Paul likens “Jerusalem above,” Jehovah’s “woman,” to Sarah, Abraham’s free wife. Of this freewoman “Jerusalem above,” Christians are the free spiritual children.—Gal. 4:21-31; compare Isaiah 54:1-6.

As the great Father, Jehovah God, like Abraham, oversees the selection of a bride for his son Jesus Christ—not an earthly woman, but the Christian congregation. (Gen. 24:1-4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 2:5) The first members of Jesus’ congregation were presented to him by the “friend of the bridegroom,” John the Baptist, whom Jehovah had sent ahead of his Son. (John 3:28, 29) This congregational bride is “one spirit” with Christ, as his body. (1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:22, 23) Just as the bride in Israel bathed and adorned herself, Jesus Christ sees that in preparation for marriage his bride is bathed so that she is perfectly clean without a spot or blemish. (Eph. 5:25-27) In Psalm 45 and Revelation 21 she is shown as being beautifully adorned for the marriage.

Also in the book of Revelation, Jehovah foretells the time when his Son’s marriage would draw near and the bride would be prepared, arrayed in bright, clean, fine linen. He describes those invited to the evening meal of the Lamb’s marriage as being happy. (Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2, 9-21) On the night before his death Jesus instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal, the memorial of his death, and instructed his disciples to keep observing it. (Luke 22:19) This observance is to be kept “until he arrives.” (1 Cor. 11:26) Just as in ancient times the bridegroom arrived at the house of the bride in order to take her from her own parents to the home he had provided for her in the house of his father, so Jesus Christ comes to take his anointed followers from their former earthly home, taking them with him so that where he is there they may be also, in his Father’s house, in heaven.—John 14:1-3.

MARROW

A soft and fatty vascular tissue that fills the interior cavities of most bones. There are two kinds of marrow, yellow and red. In adults, the long, rounder bones are filled with yellow or inactive marrow composed mainly of fat, and the flat bones of the skull, the ribs, the sternum and the pelvis contain red or active marrow. Red marrow plays an important role in the formation of blood. It yields the oxygen-carrying red blood corpuscles, the important clotting agents called platelets, and a large percentage of white corpuscles, which primarily serve as fighters of infection. As a blood-forming organ, the marrow has a direct effect upon an individual’s health and vigor. Hence, Job (21:24) appropriately alludes to a well-nourished and healthy person under the figure of one whose bone marrow “is being kept moist.”

Bone marrow was apparently used for food by the Israelites. (Compare Micah 3:2, 3.) It has a very high nutritional value, being rich in protein, fats and iron. The banquet prepared by Jehovah for all the peoples, therefore, fittingly includes symbolic “well-oiled dishes filled with marrow.”—Isa. 25:6.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews compared the “word of God” to a weapon that is sharper than any two-edged sword and can penetrate the very motives of an individual, piercing, as it were, clear to the marrow, the innermost part of the bones.—Heb. 4:12.

MARSENA

(Mar·seʹna) [forgetful man].

One of the seven princes consulted by Ahasuerus on Vashti’s refusal to obey.—Esther 1:14.

MARS HILL

See AREOPAGUS.

MARSHMALLOW

The Hebrew term hhal·la·muthʹ, found only at Job 6:6, has been variously rendered “egg” (AS, AV), “purslain” (AT) and, as defined in a recent Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon by Koehler and Baumgartner, “marsh mallow” (NW). The marshmallow is a perennial plant that is closely related to the hollyhock. Its woody stems commonly measure from two to four feet (.6 to 1.2 meters) in height. The plant’s large, wide leaves are notched and terminate in a sharp point. Both the stems and the leaves are covered with soft downy hair. The pale-pink five-petal flowers are about one inch (2.5 centimeters) across. In times of famine, the marshmallow’s white carrotlike root has been used for food. The sole Scriptural reference to the “marsh mallow” alludes to its tastelessness.

MARTHA

(Marʹtha) [Gr., transliteration of an Aramaic proper name meaning lady, mistress].

A Jewess and the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany. (John 11:1, 2) Evidently Christ often visited their home when he was in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Bonds of affection existed between him and these three, for it is specifically said: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”—John 11:5.

Luke reports that when Jesus entered “a certain village” there “a certain woman named Martha received him as guest into the house.” (Luke 10:38) On the basis of Matthew 26:6, Mark 14:3 and John 12:1-3 the thought has been advanced that Martha was the wife or widow or even the daughter of Simon the leper. However, the Scriptures do not make any specific statements in support of these views.

On one occasion when Jesus visited the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, Mary “sat down at the feet of the Lord and kept listening to his word,” whereas Martha “was distracted with attending to many duties.” Martha tried to obtain Mary’s assistance, saying: “Lord, does it not matter to you that my sister has left me alone to attend to things? Tell her, therefore, to join in helping me.” Obviously Martha was concerned about satisfying Jesus’ material needs. But Christ then emphasized the excelling value of spiritual things and gave her kind reproof, saying: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things. A few things, though, are needed, or just one. For her part, Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her,” (Luke 10:38-42) Christ would have been satisfied with one item of food, so that Martha too could gain some advantage from his teaching.

While it may seem that Martha was overly concerned with material things, it should not be concluded that she lacked interest in spiritual matters. After the death of Lazarus it was Martha who went to meet Jesus as he journeyed to Bethany, while Mary, at first, sat at home (possibly because of grief, or because of the many visiting friends). Martha showed faith in Christ when she said that Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been present. She also acknowledged: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day,” showing she believed in the resurrection. During that conversation Jesus explained that he is “the resurrection and the life,” pointing out that though one exercising faith in him died, he would come to life. When Christ asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” she clearly showed her faith in replying: “Yes, Lord; I have believed that you are the Christ the Son of God, the One coming into the world.” (John 11:19-27) This, of course, does not rule out the possibility of her having some doubts as to what Jesus could or would now do in her dead brother’s case. (Compare the apostles’ attitude related at Luke 24:5-11.) At Lazarus’ tomb, when Christ ordered that the stone be taken away, Martha said: “Lord, by now he must smell, for he has been dead four days.” But in response Jesus asked: “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” That she witnessed when her brother was resurrected.—John 11:39-44.

After the resurrection of Lazarus, Christ departed. Later, he returned to Bethany and gathered with others, including Martha, Mary and Lazarus, in the home of Simon the leper. An evening meal had been prepared and again “Martha was ministering.” Lazarus was at the table and it was on that occasion that Mary anointed Jesus with costly perfumed oil. (John 12:1-8; Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9) The Scriptures are silent regarding subsequent events in Martha’s life and the time and circumstances of her death.

MARY

(Maʹry).

The Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, the meaning of which is not certain. There are six Marys mentioned in the Bible.

1. Mary the mother of Jesus. She was the daughter of Heli, though the genealogy given by Luke lists Mary’s husband Joseph as the “son of Heli.” Says M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopœdia, Volume III, page 774: “In constructing their genealogical tables, it is well known that the Jews reckoned wholly by males, rejecting, where the blood of the grandfather passed to the grandson through a daughter, the name of the daughter herself, and counting that daughter’s husband for the son of the maternal grandfather (Numb. xxvi, 33; xxvii, 4-7).” It is undoubtedly for this reason the historian Luke says that Joseph was “the son of Heli.”—Luke 3:23.

Mary was therefore of the tribe of Judah and a descendant of David. Hence it could be said of her son Jesus that he “sprang from the seed of David according to the flesh.” (Rom. 1:3) Through his foster-father Joseph, a descendant of David, Jesus had a legal right to David’s throne, and through his mother, as the “offspring,” “seed” and “root” of David he held the natural hereditary right to “the throne of David his father.”—Matt. 1:1-16; Luke 1:32; Acts 13:22, 23; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 5:5; 22:16.

If tradition is correct, Heli’s wife, the mother of Mary, was Anna, whose sister had a daughter named Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. This tradition would make Elizabeth the cousin of Mary. That Mary was related to Elizabeth, who was “from the daughters of Aaron” of the tribe of Levi, the Scriptures themselves state. (Luke 1:5, 36) Mary’s sister, some have thought, was Salome, the wife of Zebedee, whose two sons, James and John, were numbered among Jesus’ apostles.—Matt. 27:55, 56; Mark 15:40; 16:1; John 19:25.

VISITED BY ANGEL

About the end of 3 B.C.E. the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the virgin girl Mary in the town of Nazareth. “Good day, highly favored one, Jehovah is with you,” was the angel’s most unusual greeting. When he told her that she would conceive and give birth to a son called Jesus, Mary, who at the time was only engaged to Joseph, asked, “How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?” “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son,” the angel explained. Thrilled with the prospect, yet with fitting modesty and humility, she replied: “Look! Jehovah’s slave girl! May it take place with me according to your declaration.”—Luke 1:26-38.

To strengthen her faith further for this momentous experience, Mary was told that her relative Elizabeth, in her old age, was already six months pregnant, because the miraculous power of Jehovah had removed her barrenness. Mary paid her a visit and, when she entered Elizabeth’s home the infant in Elizabeth’s womb leaped with joy, whereupon she congratulated Mary, saying: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:36, 37, 39-45) Thereupon Mary broke forth in inspired words magnifying Jehovah for his goodness.—Luke 1:46-55.

After a visit of about three months with Elizabeth in the Judean hills, Mary returned to Nazareth. (Luke 1:56) When it came to Joseph’s notice (likely through disclosure of the matter to him by Mary) that she was pregnant, he intended to divorce her secretly rather than expose her to public shame. (Engaged persons were viewed as married, and a divorce was required to dissolve the engagement.) But Jehovah’s angel appeared, revealing to Joseph that Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled, that a “virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son.” Joseph thereupon complied with the divine instruction and took Mary as his wife, “but he had no intercourse