Friday, May 6, 2022
Sharing a meal....
And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
Luke 24:41
I read a commentary that said sharing a meal was considered a warm, intimate time of sharing life together.
Isn't that true? I just set up a time to meet with my small group and someone asked if we were eating? Of course! Beginning with a meal and fellowship is perfect for catching up....it's warm and it's intimate and it's fun and it's relaxing and so very beneficial for our well-being. It's a great time to share life together and to love and care for each other.
"There is something particularly enjoyable about sharing a meal with someone. But now researchers believe it may provide some health benefits, too. Frequently eating alone can have a negative impact on health, especially for mature women. Researchers discovered that eating alone may increase heart health risks."
verywellfit.com
I so get it! My beloved and I cooked together, ate together and cleaned up together. We had wonderful conversation and held each other accountable. Now high cholesterol and blood pressure have me medicated. My doctor's advice? "You need to eliminate stress" I haven't figured out how to do that.....yet.....🤦🏻♀️
Jesus sought to create friendships and relationships. Can you imagine a more intimate conversation than when he revealed what he knew about the woman at the well and her many husbands? Even a drink of water provides an opportunity for relationships.
And the Pharisees....
"While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him."
Mark 2:15
The Pharisees were indignant!
"When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Mark 2:16
But Jesus.....❤️
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:17
Eating is very prevalent in the Bible. From the Garden of Eden, to the Passover, to The Last Supper.
I was listening to a sermon the other day and it was talking about inviting people to your house to share a meal. And the question was, "Who would you invite?"
It was mentioned that we would naturally invite family and friends...but would we dare invite the "unlovely".....the least of these.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40
I was so convicted. Of course I would invite friends, those I'm comfortable with. But that's not Jesus' example to me.
"Jesus often used meals to engage with people and teach important lessons. And he continues to call us to his table to feast on who he is and learn more about him through his Word. Jesus’ example provides an opportunity to invite friends, outcasts and even enemies to know God’s story of love and salvation."
(ibelieve.com)
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and him with me."
Revelation 3:20
“This was the meal at which a man sat and talked for long, for now there was time, for work was ended... it is not a mere courtesy visit, paid in the passing, which Jesus Christ offers to us. He desires to come in and to sit long with us, and to wait as long as we wish him to wait.” (Barclay)
Fellowship and deep relationship is what God desires with us. But he also desires that WE share fellowship with those that may not know him.
Food draws people. Food starts conversations. Lord knows I have had my share in a grocery store over a package of pork chops. 🤭
How am I reaching out to share a meal? How could I do better? I need only look at my own need for fellowship and of course to Jesus' perfect example to offer it to others.
"Just as he shared food with all sorts and conditions of people as a sign of the inclusivity of God's kingdom, so too did the early church. The gatherings to eat together were earthly representations of the heavenly banquet imagery that had been reinforced by Jesus through his teaching as well as his actions."
(holyhabits.org)
Can you imagine what dinner will look like in heaven? Glorious beyond glorious. 🙌
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