Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary (also referred to as Christ in the House of Martha and by other variant names) refers to an episode in the life of Jesus which appears only in Luke's Gospel (), and can be read immediately after the Parable of the Good Samaritan (). Jesus visits the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary of Bethany, the latter typically conflated in Catholic medieval tradition with Mary Magdalene, though the New Testament probably means a different person. According to the Gospel of Luke: As Jesus and
Parable of the Strong Man will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. (, NIV)</poem> It has been suggested that "Beelzebul" means "house of Ba'al," and that the image of the strong man's house was originally a wordplay on this. In the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, which does not have the context of the Beelzebul controversy, the parable has been interpreted as merely suggesting that "shrewd planning and careful strategy" are necessary in order to accomplish one's goals. Parable of the Strong Man The Parable of the strong man (also known as the parable of the burglar and the