Meal
Convenience, fast food, and the loss of the family table have put us in a poor place to understand the importance of meals throughout the Bible. Meals were never eat-on-the-run, with the rare exception of the original Passover, during which the people ate with their bags packed, ready for God’s power to release them from slavery in Egypt (Exod. 12:6–11). Meals among Bible cultures were significant social events. In addition to the feasts and other special meals, eating together was a part of the fabric of daily living. The importance of hospitality was also highlighted by guests at the table. When Abraham welcomed three strangers into his home, he was only behaving as a responsible man of honor (Gen. 18:1–8). God himself indicated the spiritual significance of meals by designating them as one of the times in family life when conversations about the law of the Lord should take place (Deut. 6:4–9). The writer of Hebrews extended this idea in his letter to the early Christian church: “Continue to love each other. Don’t forget to show hospitality to believers you don’t know. By doing this some believers have shown hospitality to angels without being aware of it” (Heb. 13:1–2).
Fellowship
One of the interesting constants in the life of Jesus and his disciples was their meals together. As is still the custom in many places in the world, daily sustenance consisted primarily of a midday and evening meal. We can estimate that in their three years together, the disciples shared over two thousand meals with Jesus. Some of them, like the Last Supper, were historic, but many of them seem to have been significant sharing times. Certain patterns are apparent: Jesus often began the meal by thanking his Father, symbolically inviting his presence at the meal. Then he broke the bread, an expression that has come to mean sharing a meal. The two disciples who walked with Jesus from Jerusalem to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday (Luke 24:13–35) may not have recognized him visually, but once they sat down to a meal, Jesus revealed himself to them with his familiar actions. The long established habit of praying over a meal has its roots in Jesus’ consistent pattern.
Although a physical table was not always present, the ministry of Jesus, beginning with the wedding in Cana and ending with the breakfast on the beach in Galilee, was often advanced during meals. In the early years of the church, meals alongside the celebration of the Lord’s Supper were a significant part of practical fellowship, providing food for the less fortunate among those who were equal in Christ. Paul included warnings about the danger of losing the benefits of meals together by forgetting that they were part of the shared life of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 11:17–22).
A rediscovery of hospitality and renewal of the table as a central part of family life would certainly make an impact on today’s society, where many families seldom have a meal together. God has designed the family as the most effective context for learning. What happens during meals matters when the topics include all that God has to say to us. “Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up” (Deut. 6:7).
The Eschatological Meal
Meals were symbols of God’s abundant provision, and none more so than the prophesied marriage supper of the Lamb. This meal was first prophesied by Isaiah: “On this mountain the LORD of Armies will prepare for all people a feast with the best foods, a banquet with aged wines, with the best foods and the finest wines” (25:6). John also saw it in his revelation of heaven: “Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory because it’s time for the marriage of the lamb” (Rev. 19:7).
Jesus shared many meals with his disciples, even after his resurrection.
When someone mentioned to Jesus the banquet in the kingdom of God, Jesus used it as an opportunity to tell a parable (Luke 14). Those who were first invited to a wedding banquet were too busy to attend, so the poor and lame were invited in their place. The banquet, with its abundance and joy that is only available to those who have received an invitation, is a fitting symbol for the kingdom of God. The meals we enjoy on earth, especially the covenant meals enjoyed by the Jews in the Old Testament and the breaking of bread with other believers that we see in the New Testament, are a foretaste of the joyous fellowship we will enjoy with God in heaven.
Key Verse
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the lamb’s wedding banquet.’ ” (Rev. 19:9)