For the early part of my childhood we moved around a lot and I had attended 6 different schools between kindergarten and the fourth grade. I remember very well what is was like to be the new kid and to be desperately hoping to fit in. I was blessed to have an outgoing personality and I usually made new friends with ease.
I remember however in the fourth grade having to ride a bus across the city of Indianapolis to another school. This was due to what they called the "Busing Program" and since we lived in a more urban, multicultural, neighborhood, we were taken to another school across town in a different neighborhood.
At this school it took me a little longer to fit in. It seemed like most of the children there were wealthier and seemed to look down on us because we were from a poorer part of town. I remember trying to make new friends, and although it was harder, eventually I did.
Before this though I recall on many occasions eating alone in the lunch room and feeling for the first time in my life what it meant to be lonely. This was a feeling I didn't like and to this day I don't like to eat alone. Whenever I hear someone speaking about loneliness I always seem to flash back in my mind to that lunchroom in that strange, new, place.
As I listened to the radio this morning there was a preacher talking about the marriage supper of the Lamb and how we would all be gathered there to eat together. As Thanksgiving is just a week away this seems like a good seasonal message for many churches across America, but something else occurred to me.
Throughout the Bible the Lord invites us to eat with Him. In Revelation there is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb mentioned, but also we find Revelation 3:20.
Revelation 3:20
In Mark 2:13-17, we find that Jesus leaves a big crowd and chooses to eat dinner with Levi, a tax collector. This was a major offense to the religious people of that time - so much so, that even the disciples didn't even come in, but stayed outside.
In Matthew 22:2-14 Jesus tells a parable describing the Kingdom of Heaven being like an invitation to a Wedding Feast given by a King. However those invited didn't come, so the King sent His servants with the message again, "Come to the marriage feast!"‘ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.
Long story made short - The King considered the ones invited not to be worthy on attending and the servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good and the King's wedding feast was filled with guests.
In Luke 7:36 we see that Jesus even ate with His enemies, the people who were constantly plotting to kill Him.
Luke 7:36 say's,
Then there is of course the Lord's Supper. Most of us think of it for the symbolism of the body and blood of Christ. It seems also that there may have been more to this. Jesus chose one last time to have those closest to Him sit down at the dinner table. Then after His crucifixion and resurrection we see again Jesus eating with His disciples.
John 21:12,13
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
Like myself, I honestly believe that Jesus also enjoyed having friends to eat with. This isn't to say that Jesus had any type of inferiority, but simply saying that He did experience human emotions. He knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, tired, and every other physical feeling of being human, but also He knew the emotional side of it.
If we look at how many times Jesus invites people to eat, or accepts invitations to eat, and then considering at the end of the age we will be sitting at the ultimate dinner table with Him, it becomes clear to me that Jesus enjoys dining with others instead of eating alone. Likewise, I believe being created in His image, we are wired like that too.
This Thanksgiving maybe you know someone who is planning to eat alone, a family member, friend, or perhaps a neighbor. Why wait until Thanksgiving? Maybe there is someone you could invite over today. If you don't have a neighbor and have no plans for lunch, maybe there is someone at a Nursing Home you could "do lunch" with, or if you are still in school maybe there is a kid sitting at a table in the lunch room eating alone. I believe this would be the table that Jesus would sit at, so shouldn't we?
I believe when you sit down with someone else to eat, you will know in your heart that Jesus is sitting down too, because He never missed an opportunity to reach out to someone, and it seems too that He loved a good meal like the rest of us!
I remember however in the fourth grade having to ride a bus across the city of Indianapolis to another school. This was due to what they called the "Busing Program" and since we lived in a more urban, multicultural, neighborhood, we were taken to another school across town in a different neighborhood.
At this school it took me a little longer to fit in. It seemed like most of the children there were wealthier and seemed to look down on us because we were from a poorer part of town. I remember trying to make new friends, and although it was harder, eventually I did.
Before this though I recall on many occasions eating alone in the lunch room and feeling for the first time in my life what it meant to be lonely. This was a feeling I didn't like and to this day I don't like to eat alone. Whenever I hear someone speaking about loneliness I always seem to flash back in my mind to that lunchroom in that strange, new, place.
As I listened to the radio this morning there was a preacher talking about the marriage supper of the Lamb and how we would all be gathered there to eat together. As Thanksgiving is just a week away this seems like a good seasonal message for many churches across America, but something else occurred to me.
Throughout the Bible the Lord invites us to eat with Him. In Revelation there is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb mentioned, but also we find Revelation 3:20.
Revelation 3:20
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 he with me.
In Mark 2:13-17, we find that Jesus leaves a big crowd and chooses to eat dinner with Levi, a tax collector. This was a major offense to the religious people of that time - so much so, that even the disciples didn't even come in, but stayed outside.In Matthew 22:2-14 Jesus tells a parable describing the Kingdom of Heaven being like an invitation to a Wedding Feast given by a King. However those invited didn't come, so the King sent His servants with the message again, "Come to the marriage feast!"‘ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.
Long story made short - The King considered the ones invited not to be worthy on attending and the servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good and the King's wedding feast was filled with guests.
In Luke 7:36 we see that Jesus even ate with His enemies, the people who were constantly plotting to kill Him.
Luke 7:36 say's,
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
Then there is of course the Lord's Supper. Most of us think of it for the symbolism of the body and blood of Christ. It seems also that there may have been more to this. Jesus chose one last time to have those closest to Him sit down at the dinner table. Then after His crucifixion and resurrection we see again Jesus eating with His disciples.
John 21:12,13
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
Like myself, I honestly believe that Jesus also enjoyed having friends to eat with. This isn't to say that Jesus had any type of inferiority, but simply saying that He did experience human emotions. He knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, tired, and every other physical feeling of being human, but also He knew the emotional side of it.
If we look at how many times Jesus invites people to eat, or accepts invitations to eat, and then considering at the end of the age we will be sitting at the ultimate dinner table with Him, it becomes clear to me that Jesus enjoys dining with others instead of eating alone. Likewise, I believe being created in His image, we are wired like that too.
This Thanksgiving maybe you know someone who is planning to eat alone, a family member, friend, or perhaps a neighbor. Why wait until Thanksgiving? Maybe there is someone you could invite over today. If you don't have a neighbor and have no plans for lunch, maybe there is someone at a Nursing Home you could "do lunch" with, or if you are still in school maybe there is a kid sitting at a table in the lunch room eating alone. I believe this would be the table that Jesus would sit at, so shouldn't we?
I believe when you sit down with someone else to eat, you will know in your heart that Jesus is sitting down too, because He never missed an opportunity to reach out to someone, and it seems too that He loved a good meal like the rest of us!
