by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
In his book, A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission Around the Table, pastor and author Tim Chester points out,
“Jesus didn’t run projects, establish ministries, create programs, or put on events. He ate meals.”
During his three-year ministry on this earth, Jesus ate with so many people and with so many outcasts of society that his critics called him a “glutton and a drunkard.” Eating with others was a central aspect of his ministry. The reason the Pharisees had such a hard time with Jesus eating with “sinners” was because they had such rigid rules regarding keeping themselves “clean” by not associating with the “unclean”—particularly on the day when they were to be set apart for God—their Sabbath. Of course, Jesus lambasted them for appearing “clean” on the outside, but being very “unclean” on the inside (see Matthew 23:25-28).
And, 2,000 years later, sometimes we still judge others by who we see them eating with. From time to time, I have offered to buy a meal for a homeless person, and when my schedule has allowed it, I have taken them out to eat with me. One specific instance stands out in my mind. I was driving down Hamilton Ave. in College Hill one day on my way to some hospital visits downtown, when I noticed a bearded, unkempt homeless man on the street, carrying his green, bulging, dirty pack with him. I pulled over and offered to take him out to eat. I don’t remember where we ate that day, but I know it was an all-you-can-eat buffet.
After we sat down together with our food, I asked him his name, and he could barely look up from his heaping plate of food to tell me his name was Harry. We didn’t talk much that day, as he went back and got seconds and kept shoveling the food in his mouth, spilling some of it on his beard as he did so. It was obvious to me he hadn’t eaten a decent meal in quite some time. As we shared the meal together, I couldn’t help but notice others checking us out. I don’t know what they were thinking, but Harry was a bit of a spectacle (or maybe I was!) in that place.
Eating, Drinking, Seeking, and Saving
In Jesus’ day, sharing a meal with others was a big deal. In the Gospels much of the time we read that he was either at a meal, heading to a meal, or coming from a meal. If he wasn’t seeking his Father in prayer in solitude, he was with people, often sharing a meal with them, and sharing the good news of the Gospel during that meal. Mealtime was a big deal to Jesus because it was a chance to deepen friendships, welcome strangers, and serve the poor. One of the most well-known stories of Jesus sharing food involved just a few barley loaves, a couple of fish, and 5,000 men, plus women and children. Jesus didn’t have to stay and feed them, but he chose to be with them, teach them about God’s provision and generosity, and welcome everyone to his table.
Luke’s Gospel finishes the phrase, “the Son of Man” in two ways:
“The Son of Man came . . . to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10, NIV).
“The Son of Man came . . . eating and drinking” (Luke 7:34, NIV).
If Jesus could do both at the same time, so can we.
Not only did Jesus choose a meal through which we could remember him, he reinstated Peter to a right relationship with him after his denial of his Lord. As they sat on the shore by the Sea of Galilee after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, Peter affirmed his love for Jesus as they shared in a breakfast of . . . what else? . . . bread and fish (see John 21).
Opening the Door
This past Sunday we celebrated our Moms at Christ’s Church. One of the things we love about Mother’s Day is that we get to sit down with family, encourage Mom to take the day off from cooking, and eat a meal together. At our house, we grill out on Mother’s Day, the guys clean up the dishes after lunch, and then we play whiffle ball in the backyard with our grandkids.
And, just yesterday, because of a meal orchestrated by my good friend George Thankaraj, I got to hear the unique story of an Australian missionary who has recently moved his family to Mason so that others in the Western world can hear of their meaningful work of trauma recovery and reconciliation for the persecuted church worldwide. Our conversation quickly went to a deeper level . . . as we shared over a meal.
Last Sunday at Christ’s Church, our lead pastor Brad Wilson shared that a relationship tends to go to a deeper level when we share a meal together. When you invite someone to meet you for coffee or for lunch, it’s more than just sitting down with them. It’s an invitation to your life. When you invite someone to your table, you are making a significant investment in their life. When you welcome people into your home and you mark that moment with a meal, you are reflecting the heart of God, whose Son came “eating and drinking.”
Brad asked our church a very penetrating question: “Are you just hanging around other Christians?” Then he added, “You don’t age out of the command Jesus gave us all to go and make disciples” (see Matthew 28:19, 20). Brad shared these words: “An open door to your table may open the door for them into God’s kingdom. Because many people see church as a place of judgment based on a bad former experience, they are more likely to meet with you for a meal rather than coming to church.” In case you missed Brad’s teaching last Sunday, you can check it out here.
Jesus invited the outsider and the overlooked into his life and he still does that today through us. Who’s been at your table recently? Who is God prompting you to invite to your table? Will you obey him?