“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.” (Luke 11:37 NLT)
Do you like to eat? Is the Pope Catholic? Of course, most everyone loves to eat, even Jesus, as we can see in the above verse.
Growing up in West Virginia I didn’t acquire a taste for “fine dining.” My favorite “go to” meals were pinto beans and cornbread, spaghetti, and hot dogs and burgers on the grill. Yeh, I know, you can’t beat those choices!
We rarely ate “out,” except to go to someone’s house, usually a relative, and, on occasion, we would host. I always looked forward to those times – going to my grandparents’ house or having my uncles and their families visit. There’s something special about eating together that’s just plain fun.
As I read in Scripture about the many times Jesus and His disciples would eat together, it causes me to wonder how many conversations they had while eating, resulting in insights, and understanding about the things Jesus taught. “Oh, so THAT’s what that means!” Can you hear them laughing and trying to talk over each other? We’ll get to do that someday. I can’t wait!
In the verse above, did you notice the sequence of events. “As Jesus was speaking…” Pharisees could be rude and abrasive, but I wonder how that went down. Did he quietly gesture? Walk up close, get Jesus’ attention, then whisper his invitation? Did he wait for a break? We don’t know. All we know is Jesus said yes. But the context suggests He didn’t stop teaching.
What’s my point? Eating together can be a very effective evangelistic tool for reaching the lost, but it can also be helpful in meeting with other believers. David and Meg Robbins wrote: “But the table is not just for ‘us’; we join God by welcoming others too. Setting a place for guests communicates love, acceptance, and grace. To the hungry it says, eat. To the lonely it says, welcome. To the needy it says, receive. To all it says, God loves you. We used to think: What do we really have to offer the people God has placed around us?”
Some are hesitant to invite others to their home because, like the Robbins, we tend to think that we have nothing to offer anyone. We also can get very introspective about our house, furniture, dishes, etc. What will they think of __________, and besides, we have two obnoxious dogs. And, of course, this is a two-way street.
Maybe the friend or family you’re seeking to reach is experiencing rough times, so to invite them into your very nice house could be intimidating or discouraging to them. I suppose that’s possible, but my experience has been that YOU are the attraction, not your house. A lot of ground can be covered through hospitality and kindness.
My rule of thumb is treat them like family and they’ll feel like family! You put on an heir of superiority and make them think you’re really doing them a favor by inviting them and, I assure you, they’ll get the picture. But if you be yourself and treat them with respect and they’ll not just see you, they’ll see the Christ who lives in and through you.
Let’s look at this from another angle in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 