Lord of the Feast

In Luke 22:19, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper with the words, “This is My body, which is given to you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

The Supper is a meal in which we remember, and God affirms, the forgiveness of all our sins. A little later in verse 29, while still at the same meal and seated at the same table, Jesus ties this meal to a future promise,

And I assign to you as My Father assigned to Me, a Kingdom, that you may eat and drink at My Table in My Kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:29)

Here we have a King in His Kingdom, residing over a Table in which He shares, not only His bread, but also His reign. And so, our seat at the table not only brings the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to mind, but it also teaches us what we are to do when the meal is over.

Throughout scripture, the sharing of food is an aspect of stewardship and inheritance . In Genesis, God provides a garden of food. Taking food from His hand is an acknowledgement of His rule. And so, when Man takes food from the hand of the serpent, he is brought under the sway of Satan. He becomes a steward of sin and inherits death.

Later on in Genesis, we see Jacob sharing his food with his older brother Esau. The event signifies a reversal in fortune for Esau. Taking food from the hand of Jacob will mean that the elder will now be ruled by the younger (Genesis 25:23).

Joseph’s rule is also established by feeding all Egypt. Sharing food with his brothers is the prerogative of the one in power. Here, as in the Lord’s Supper, this exchange signifies mercy and inclusion, and establishes the rule of Joseph, both materially, and in the hearts and minds of his brothers.

David invites Mephibosheth to eat at the Kings table as a sign of acceptance and an act of mercy on an enemy (2 Samuel 9:1, 7, 13). David can do this because he now rules the kingdom (2 Samuel 8:15).

This helps us to understand why the people try and make Jesus King when He feeds the 5,000.

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”. Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:14-15)

Sharing food is a thing that victors do. It’s a thing that those in power do. This is why we cannot, Paul says, eat at two tables (1 Corinthians 10:21).

You can’t serve two masters. You can’t get up from the Lord’s table on Sunday, and live like a pagan on Monday.

Sitting at the Saviour’s table and taking food from His hand is to acknowledge, not only His sacrifice, but also His Lordship. Here, at the table, Jesus is not only expressing His mercy, but also His rule and reign.

And so, circling back to His words in Luke, it also provides us with our marching orders. Having eaten at His table, we are to go out into the world as stewards of God’s Kingdom and proclaim His mercy, and His Lordship over all things.

We do this with words, but we also do it with actual bread as we show hospitality and invite others to sit at our tables. Tables which are to reflect the character of His table. Tables where others can witness life under the Lordship of Jesus.

…That bit at the end

Jesus also makes reference to the role that the disciples will play in the judgement of Israel. What are we to make of that?

This too is tied to the meal.

We are sometimes inclined to think of judgement as a declaration made by somebody elses arbitrary will over somebody else’s life. But this leads to a picture of Peter sitting on a throne pondering his verdict and then standing up and pointing a quivering finger at Israel and shouting, “guilty!”

But this is not the bigger picture we see going on in the New Testament. Israel, and the whole world, had already been judged as guilty of sin and of falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The Apostles were simply proclaiming the verdict. In the New Testament, what we typically see is judgement bearing down on sinners whose guilt and shame were exposed in the righteous living and speaking of the faithful under the Lordship of Jesus.

…if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head”. (Romans 12:20)

Have you ever been shamed, your conscience convicting you of your guilt, by someone else’s simple act of goodness or righteousness? Or because somebody else’s true words, though not taking aim at you directly, somehow pricked your heart?

Just as Mephibosheth was the subject of mercy by simply attending at David’s invitation to sit with him and eat, so Judas was declared guilty and handed over to Satan in judgement while sitting at the the Lord’s Table.

We see something similar going on in the Corinthian church with those who were sick and dying under the judgement of God for taking the bread and the wine with a careless and selfish spirit (1 Corinthians 11:29-30).

This is what the Lord’s Table does, and what our own tables are to reflect. They are places of mercy, but they are also places where people are called to account.

I’ve seen this happen on more than one occasion. I’ve seen people invited into Spirit-filled Christian homes to eat with them only to breakdown in tears with conviction saying that they wish they had what that family of believers had. I’ve seen the Christ-like act of men, sitting at the head of their own banqueting table get up, and much to the stunned surprise of the guests, proceed to walk around the table as servants, pouring everyone a glass of wine.

Simple acts of hospitality by men and women, living under the Lordship of Jesus, shaped by the joys and characteristics of sitting at His table we by week, and thereby bringing others into the company, conviction and mercy of Jesus at their table.