Mary and Martha

Two of my favorite Bible characters are Mary and Martha and the glimpse they give us into Jesus' domestic life and his friendships. I've always loved the way Jesus gives Mary--a woman!--a place at the table, or more exactly, a place of learning at his feet. I've always wondered, though, why Jesus didn't affirm Martha as well. On the Sojourners blog, I just read in one of the comments to an article about the two sisters: "If Mary had been the one to complain, Jesus would have said, "Well, Mary, someone has to fry the chicken.'" That made me laugh! Probably we shouldn't speculate, but it makes sense to me!