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~I Peter 4.9

Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

Enough said. :-]

~I Peter 4.3

You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

The word "feasting" here in the New Living Translation is not the best choice, since clearly God sees feasting as a way to celebrate, even in heaven. See April 11, 2012, entry and Revelation 19.7 & 9. No, I take Peter's meaning here to be gluttonous eating, not just feasting.

God's Table for Us

~Psalm 23.5

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

I have been reading in Romans in the chronological Bible and not hit on any food references for a week, so I decided to jump to Psalms in the meantime.

How wonderful that in David's most famous poem, his shepherd-influenced picture of how God loves and cares for his children, we have a table set for us. I picture it as an amazing feast. Perhaps it is the one Jesus mentions in the references below.

~Matthew 8.10-11

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said . . . “many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

~Luke 13.29

People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

~Luke 14.15 [ The Parable of the Great Banquet ] When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus,

“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Wow! Wonder what's on the menu. :-]

Multipurpose Meal

~Acts 16.33-34 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

This was a meal of comfort given to men who had recently been beaten, a meal of thankfulness for Paul's integrity which had saved the life of the host, a meal of celebration for newcomers added to the Kingdom of God. I wonder what was served.

Eating together is a valuable part believers' lives.

~Acts 2.42-43, 46-47 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. . . . . They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

For all the wealth it contains, the Bible is not a big book, and the New Testament only about a quarter of the whole. Therefore, every detail carries weight and repetition carries more weight. Twice in this short passage Luke says that the first believers in Christ ate together. He wants readers to hear this. Eating together is part of the life of the church, of the fellowship of believers. We need to eat; we eat together. Christianity is not a solitary pursuit.

Thanksgiving Secret

My brother-in-law Charles came to Thanksgiving dinner asking if I was serving tofu turkey. Certainly not! I did however slip something by my guests at TG. Steve dislikes celery, which I think adds so much to certain dishes, turkey dressing being one. He said since I had put celery in the dressing anyway, that I should put the turkey giblets in it as well. We always cook up the giblets--you know, the gizzard, liver, and heart--to make broth for the gravy. I accepted the challenge, chopped them really fine, and added to the dressing. I was prepared to hear complaints as soon as the liver was tasted, but all I got were compliments. Gotta say, it was the best dressing I've ever made. Shhhh.

The Risen Lord Eats

~Luke 24.30-31 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

I love the Emmaus Road story. Love it. We learn nothing new about food here, but it's a beautiful picture of the risen Lord taking bread, giving thanks for it, breaking the loaf and sharing it. I do wonder why it was the guest who did this and not the host.

~Luke 24.39-43 "Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

~Mark 16.14 says he appeared to the disciples as they were eating.

Remember the little girl Jesus raised from the dead? The first thing he said to her parents was to get her something to eat. Here in his first recorded post-resurrection appearance to his disciples, Jesus also asks for food. Was he really hungry or was he just reassuring them again with the reality of his physical presence?

Dining Room

~Mark 14.13-15 (also in Matthew 26 and Luke 22) So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”

Jesus traveled light. But he sometimes used the resources of people who had more material wealth at their disposal. Here it's a dining room. Let's make our dining rooms, which may not be used every day, available to him.

Hunger

~Matthew 25.37-40 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? . . . .’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’"

If we see hunger, the Lord expects us to share.

The problem is that most hunger is hidden from Americans. And when we do see it in the news, it's so far away and outside our experience as to seem unreal. We cannot give from our abundance directly into those reaching hands on the screen. We must give through others, aid agencies with generously paid administrators and overhead costs.

And there are other problems as well. A book called The Crisis Caravan (Linda Polan) documents some of these. In Three Famines: Starvation and Politics Thomas Keneally asserts that it's not lack of food production or availability as much as political instability and logistics which keep food from hungry people. Local armed militia can confiscate the food aid or for a number of complex reasons it may rot in storage, etc.

What does this mean for us?

Some advice and a story from the dinner table in Luke 14

~Luke 14:2, 7- One Sabbath, ... Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee . . . .
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Not a word about the food at this meal, but Jesus advises us as guests on choosing a seat at the table.

~Luke 14:12-13 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Here's advice for the host on choosing guests for your banquet.

~Luke 14:15-24 ...one of those at the table with him ... said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field,. .. . Please excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I’m on my way to try out my new oxen.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

The Kingdom of God is like a banquet--plenty of good things to share as we rejoice together. Abundant good food is one picture of what God has waiting for us.

the Serving Lord

~Luke 12.35-37 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.

What a picture! Coming from a wedding feast himself, the master of the estate will show appreciation to those servants who are ready and anticipating his return by--what else?--putting on an apron and serving them a meal.

On the other hand, as seen in the following verses, those who abuse their responsibility to feed others and abuse their own bodies with food and alcohol will be called to account.

~Luke 12.42-48 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

~Luke 11.37-41 As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

Another shared meal, but, alas, not a word about the food.

Priorities, My Dear

Jesus is welcomed into Martha's home as he travels. Here's Kenneth Wuest's translation.
~Luke 10.40-42 Martha was going around in circles, over-occupied with preparing the meal. And bursting in upon Jesus she assumed a stance over Him and said, "Lord, is it not a concern to you that my sister has let me down to be preparing the meal alone? Speak therefore to her at once that she take hold and do her part with me." And answering, the Lord said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and excited about many things, but of few things there is need, or of one, for Mary chose out for herself the good portion, which is of such a nature that it shall not hastily be snatched away from her."

Nothing here specifically about food, but Martha's yikes!-company's-here flurry as she works to prepare this meal is familiar to me. This thought of keeping the higher priority in mind even as we take care of physical needs is also beautifully stated in Matthew 5's Sermon on the Mount. Yes, of course! I know; I know. Still, a peek at that meal Martha was preparing would be fascinating.

Bad hospitality

Luke 7.36ff When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. . . . . Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” . . . . “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Again we get a peek at a dinner party. Jesus observes that, despite the invitation, the host's hospitality is sadly lacking. For a guest to so bluntly state this to the provider of his dinner would certainly be considered bad manners by Emily Post. It's intriguing to note the Lord's lack of concern for what people in power think of him. I wonder what was served and if he cleaned up his plate. Young's Literal Translation says, "he reclined (at meat)" which isn't much to go on for menu.

My refrigerator and the scary verse

~Luke 6.25a New International Version
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
~Luke 6.25a The Message
And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long.
~Luke 6.25a Amplified Bible
Woe to (alas for) you who are full now (completely filled, luxuriously gorged and satiated), for you shall hunger and suffer want!
~Luke 6.25a New Living Bible
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
~Luke 6.25a Young's Literal Translation
Wo to you who have been filled -- because ye shall hunger.
~Luke 6.25a Contemporary English Version
You well-fed people are in for trouble. You will go hungry!

Let's take a peek in my refrigerator. Dairy items include unsalted butter; Swartzendrubers' beautiful eggs; skim milk; unsweetened chocolate soy milk; kefir (made with a start from Helen Lee*); tofu, and five kinds of cheese. How about produce? Of course I have the typical potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms, but there's also beets, sweet potatoes, parsley, swiss chard, kale, green beans, broccoli, fennel, grape tomatoes, avocado and, as a preview of spring, some asparagus and strawberries. I won't list condiments on the frig door and items in the freezer, nor does this include food from our pantry, cabinets, and counter. Would you say I'm well fed? Definitely!

So what do I do with this verse? Does it mean Jesus wants me to be hungry?

Perhaps, as Peterson suggests in the Message Bible, it's another analogy and Christ is speaking of spiritual hunger. He certainly does use metaphors a lot, so that would be a reasonable interpretation, especially given that we just read about some people around Jesus complaining that he himself ate too much and was not doing enough fasting.

+Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so we are to take good care of them and fuel them the best we can.
+We are also to have times of fasting and restraint.
+We are to feed the hungry.

How do I relate these principles to my refrigerator?

Steve and I host quite a bit, but I don't think our guests are seriously hungry although it may have been hours since they ate.

If we were giving regularly and sacrificially to agencies that fight world hunger, perhaps I'd have less income for my fresh veggies and dark chocolate.

Please don't hesitate to share if you have thoughts on this. *(Also, let me know if you want a kefir start. I don't know much about it yet, but it's a fermented milk, and I'm using it like fat-free plain yogurt or sour cream--a good staple to have.)

How do we celebrate? Serve a banquet!

~Luke 5.27-32 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Turncoat tax collector Matthew must have been amazed and happy to have the most popular man in town include him, disliked as he was, in the inner circle. How does he show his appreciation? How does he celebrate? Throw a party, serve a dinner, host a banquet. And Jesus honors this by accepting the invitation. To the annoyance of his critics, he shows up and eats with the "disreputable sinners." Sharing a meal with someone shows acceptance.