Come to the Table
- The Narrow Path
- Sep 9, 2022
- 3 min read
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, NIV).
After I bought my house, I started slowly accumulating furniture, decor, and anything that would make my house a home. With finances in mind, I worked my way through the house one room at a time, focusing first on the rooms where I would be spending most of my time. Soon, I was ready to make some purchases to spruce up my dining room, the space where I would host friends, family, and others.
Can you guess my favorite purchase? If you guessed the dining room table, you were right! It’s a beautiful piece, and I remember being okay with spending a good chunk of money on it. A dining room table represents so much more than just a surface on which to eat.
Matthew 25:35 says: “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.” I love this verse because it reminds us of just how loved we are. My prayer when purchasing my dining room table was that it would help create a space where I could invite others to gather and share a meal.
For me, there isn’t much that has played a more valuable role on my spiritual journey than gathering around a table with those I love. So many names and images are flooding my mind right now of friends and families that have welcomed me into their homes to gather around their tables. Though sharing a meal was the excuse to get together, it opened the door for us to cultivate relationships, learn more about ourselves, dive into connections centered around Jesus, and simply have so much fun—all the while filling our bellies.
Gathering around the table is such a simple concept, but it’s one that is Biblical and so incredibly important as part of our walk with Jesus. I think it’s important to note that Jesus met the “worst of all sinners” at the table, too. Mark 2:15 says: “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.”
Though this decision yielded scrutiny from everyone around Him, Jesus chose to eat with them anyway. He not only chose to eat with them, but He also invited them. Continue reading in Mark 2, and you’ll arrive at verse 17: “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.'”
The truth contained within these verses is so critical. To be sick means I need a doctor. To call myself a sinner means I need a Savior. Enter Jesus and his free gifts of grace, mercy, and unconditional love. It is His table around which all followers of Jesus will one day gather. The best news of all is that He loves and invites everyone to the table!
As someone who loves Jesus, friendships, and food, I am especially grateful for those who intentionally choose to cultivate relationships around the table. Each time I walk through my house and pass my dining room table, my prayer is to remember all those who have so lovingly extended the invitation to me to come to the table. In return, I pray I am intentional to do that for others, too.
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