Jesus spent time in Bethany with his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. One time he placed himself in the middle of a squabble between sisters. Martha was busy preparing dinner, but Mary chose not to help her. Instead, she sat at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. Jesus didn’t take sides but did make a point about priorities.

“‘Martha, Martha … you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41-43).

I hear kindness in his voice: I understand you are a person who feels responsible for many things, including getting a nice meal together for us. You are frustrated that you are doing the work and it seems like Mary is being lazy. I get that. But I would like you to recognize there are things even more important than food for the body. That is food for the soul. And right now, Mary’s soul is hungry.

Jesus didn’t ridicule people for being human. He understood that his followers would express devotion to him in ways compatible with their dispositions. He could empathize with all of them. He always redirected them to the spiritual priorities of love for God and for one another.

We are in a season of unprecedented rudeness enabled by multichannel platforms of personal expression. But being created in the image of God implies we show a level of decency animals don’t possess. We just don’t eat each other.