A Glimpse of Jesus, Chapter 3: Healing Through Meal Sharing

I think I was taken most by the reminder that Jesus had such a heart for the humble of means, status, situations and any other thing that was looked down upon. The book states that modern Christianity - and in particular in our western culture - just doesn't get what a big deal it was at the time for Jesus to sup with these. The best understatement of all was that Jesus was no social climber!

My heart is both warmed and encouraged by the stories that make time and space for the disenfranchised and how letting Jesus flow through us can be a ministry of healing and reconciliation in their lives. When I think about how this might play out today, I can just imagine putting off your friends to make this kind of time. But oh how cool it would be if our friends were already of the same mindset that we could bring them along to minister God's love and mercy to those God puts in our path - and catch up with your friends afterwards.

Another thought came to mind that I'm still thinking about. The book was clearly talking about having a meal in someone's home. In today's culture, many of us share a meal but at a restaurant or similar setting. My thought is that while you can share of yourselves in conversation and ministry at a restaurant - including even picking up the bill for the meal - having someone in your home takes it to a whole other level for today. When I think about having someone to my home for a meal, it means that I've prepared it for them myself. It means being in the very surroundings that I live my life in day to day. It means that how I live is open an available to them. It means that they know where I live, how I keep house, who else lives there with me and other things like this that can still be kept private when we use the convenience of a restaurant. I believe there are advantages to both, but my thought is that to really draw someone near to you, there isn't anything quite like being in their home. There is a place for both and it's good to keep in mind the possibilities.

What I liked/learned: "In the East, to share a meal with someone is a symbol of peace, trust, brotherhood, and forgiveness; the shared table is a shared life." Inviting non-believers into my home and into my life speaks more than quoting scriptures and sharing doctrinal truths.

What I wrestled with: Manning gives the example of salvation being present when we share a meal and enjoy fine food and good wine and great company. Though we are exorted to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, I felt uncomfortable with taking the great act of Christ death as salvation once for all and reduce it to our own acts.

What I want to put into practice: I was exorted to be more proactive in extending my life to the yet-saved. As an active Christian, my life is busy with church life and therefore often surrounded by my fellow Christian brothers and sisters. It must be an intentional and sometimes sacrificial act of my will to carve out time and energy to be in relationship with those who don't know Christ. And not only this, but to make sure my heart and mind do not view this as some great act for the kingdom but as a blessing that I will miss out on should I choose to stay where life is comfortable.

Chapter 3 - Healing through meal sharing

"In the East, to share a meal with someone is a symbol of peace, trust, brotherhood, and forgiveness; the shared table is a shared life."

"It would be impossible to overestimate the impact these meals must have had upon the poor and the sinners. By accepting them as friends and equals Jesus had taken away their shame, humiliation and guilt. By showing them that they mattered to him as people he gave them a sense of dignity and released them from their old captivity."

"...they would have interpreted his gesture of friendship as God's approval of them. They were now acceptable to God. Their sinfulness, ignorance and uncleanness had been overlooked and were no longer being held against them."

Brennan discusses many great truths in the third chapter of this book, but the first and probably most obvious is the one that strikes me the deepest. Jesus is always about those on the outside, those who are still hurting, lost and broken. The ones who are unlovable or hard to love. Jesus wasn't afraid to be close to them, to be seen with them, to love on them.

The interesting thing is that the idea of being "invited to someone's house for a meal" is not the same for our Western culture as it is for the Eastern culture. But still, some of the same implications remain. We have friends and we have strangers. Jesus invited the strangers to become friends. We have friends and we have "the homeless". Jesus invited those without homes to become friends. We have friends and we have homosexuals. Jesus invited the homosexuals to become friends.

These ideas are not easy for me. To open myself up, to seek out, those who are friendless. But I realize most of that comes from fear. A fear of having to be something or convince someone. The reality is I just need to be me, to befriend the friendless. I can do that. It may mean stepping out of my comfort zone. A favorite professor of mine once had a large group of teens do an exercise. He had everyone in the room put their hand on the shoulder of the person next to them, and then look each other in the eye. We were to stand their unwavering for one minute. It felt like an ETERNITY!

I wasn't there to witness it, but I'm sure Jesus looked every person He interacted with in the eye. It shows the person you see them. You don't see through or past, but you see them. They matter. Putting down the cell phone, not multi tasking, but looking that person in the eye and being present.

I don't have to convince or prove people of their forgiveness and acceptance, I just have to treat them like it.