or . . .

Chewing the Fat of Relationships

Jesus carried out His ministry in a variety of ways. From casual encounters on the street, to standing up in the synagogue, to preaching from the side of a mountain or in a boat, He was able to spread the Good News of the Kingdom without having to have established a long term relationship first. However, there are examples scattered throughout the gospels that record a different approach.

Take Zacchaeus for example.(Luke 19: 1-10) Here was a guy that Jesus met as he was walking along the road. Clearly, the Father prompted Jesus to ‘do business’ with Zacchaeus. Rather than just talk to him there and then, get it all tidied up and be on His way, Jesus invites himself in for a meal and a night’s accommodation. Why? He had dealt with much bigger issues previously without having to do an overnighter, or even dinner. Maybe it was to make a point to the people looking on who were muttering about him associating with a ‘sinner’. (Could there be something in that for us?) Maybe it was because he wanted to invest some time into a relationship with Zacchaeus that went beyond what He could do on the road.

There is no question that coming around a table to share a meal is a great way to engage in conversation and get to know someone better. I guess that’s why it often forms such a major part of courting, and why it is considered to be so important in maintaining the marriage relationship. Even having attended Terry’s Tucker last night, I was reminded how vital fruit salad and ice cream can be in breaking down barriers and fostering the conversation that is necessary for relationship.

When Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, to “Follow me”, Matthew’s response was to get up, leave everything and follow him. (Matt 9: 9-13) The very next thing Matthew did was to hold a banquet for Jesus and invite lots of his tax collecting, sinning friends along. Matthew wanted to spend time with Jesus, developing in his home the relationship that had begun at his tax booth.

There are several other examples recorded in Luke’s gospel of Jesus having dinner at the house of a Pharisee. Probably the most important meal recorded in the bible is the one known as the ‘Last Supper’ We celebrate this when we participate in communion, but our way of doing so hides the fact that Jesus interrupted a meal to break bread, and waited until the meal was over to share the cup. He chose the setting of 13 guys sitting / lying around a table, sharing a meal, to establish a means of remembering and celebrating the new covenant that God was making with His people.

One of the occasions in which Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection, he did so by putting on a barbecue breakfast on the beach. (John 21: 1-14) After eating with the disciples, he took Peter aside and repaired the damage that had occurred when Peter had denied knowing him, and charged Peter with the task of “Feeding His sheep”.

The aim of this is not to suggest that sharing meals together is everything. Clearly it is not, and relationships can grow and flourish without doing so. Eating together is one way to invest in relationships, and a fun one at that.

Let’s eat !

Together!