COME TO THE TABLE
We just had Thanksgiving where we got together with family and friends and gathered around the table. We like to hear that call, "dinner's ready, everyone come to the table". But that's not just a call to come and eat. The table is more than just a place to have a meal. Other things happen at the kitchen or dining room table. Conversations take place at the table; people play games and do projects at the table. Special things happen at the table.
It's interesting that we have a living room but how much living happens there when the focal point is the TV? [Joey from Friends]. That's not the case at the table. When you remove the cell phone from the equation, the table becomes the place where people actually engage with one another.
Jesus had some special things happen at the table. When he was at a Pharisee's house having dinner a woman came to him and anointed him with expensive perfume. That caused quite a stir but Jesus turned it into a teachable moment on love and gratitude.
Another time when Jesus was eating at a Pharisee's house he noticed people took the important seats at the table. He gave a lesson on humility. He also taught a lesson on love and generosity when he challenged them to invite the poor and crippled to their banquet instead of friends, relatives or rich neighbors. Come to the table.
Fixating on the table.
So much preparation goes into the cooking, the table setting and everything in between. And then everyone digs in and it's all over in a matter of minutes. It almost doesn't seem like it's a valid payoff for the ones who put so much into making sure everything looked and tasted just right.
Although all the hard work is important and should not go unnoticed, it can take the focus off what is most important-each other. The table can look nice and the food can taste great but what's more important is who's around the table not what's on the table. It's not a the turkey, the trimmings, or the dessert, it's not the football game afterwards; it's the people who make it so special. But sometimes we can lose sight of that.
Luke 10:38-42, "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I'm sure some of the ladies can relate to Martha. When you know someone's coming over you go through the house to get everything ready for presentation. Then you focus on the meal prep and all that goes into that. And this was no ordinary guest coming over for dinner-it was Jesus! Martha had that hospitality thing going on.
Then you have Mary. Martha's running around but Mary is just sitting at Jesus' feet. One may think Mary is being selfish and lazy; which is really Martha's complaint. Under normal circumstances I'm sure Mary didn't leave her sister to always do everything around the house. But with the special guest in her presence, she was more focused on the person in the house than the house.
Martha was distracted. To be distracted means your focus is being taken away from where it should be. In this moment, the focus should not have been the prep work but listening to Jesus. Martha made the mistake of thinking the things she was busy with needed to come first but Jesus tells her what she should've been focused on in that moment.
Jesus wasn't telling Martha what she was doing wasn't important. Jesus appreciated her hard work and hospitality but he points out that Mary was making the better choice. Martha wondered if Jesus cared. The fact is he did care but not about what Martha cared about; he cared about Martha joining her sister and not missing out on what he was saying.
Sometimes we can become too busy with lesser things and miss out on what's more important. Sometimes we think what people care about is how things look when what they actually care about is being in our company. Not that we shouldn't care at all what the place looks like or that the food is done well, but what's more important when your guest is there is spending time with them.
We can become preoccupied with many things when only one thing is needed. Even after the meal is over what do we have the tendency to do? Clean-up. But that can wait. Take the dishes to the kitchen, leave them on the counter and go back to your company.
Fighting at the table.
Have you ever fought with your siblings at the table? Brothers-he got more than me! Take out a ruler and measure the glasses to see if one had more kool-aid than the other. Jesus had to deal with this type of immaturity at the Passover table.
Luke 22:14-24, "When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.”
They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest."
Here Jesus is, about to embark on the most agonizing night of his life and the disciples are fighting at the table. How is our attitude when we come to the Lord's table? Do we take communion with a fighting spirit against one of our brothers or sisters? We need to let the sanctity of the Lord's Supper cause us to put things in perspective. Thanksgiving may be over, but we still need to be thankful. When the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest, Jesus chimed in with a teachable moment.
Vs. 25-27, "Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves."
Scene in The Chosen where the disciples are arguing and Jesus walks by after having spent many hours healing people. Here he was, spending hours loving on people and the disciples were just a few yards away verbally attacking each other. All the bickering came to a screeching halt when they saw Jesus. He didn't need to say a word; for in that moment they saw how unloving they were toward each other.
As we gather around the table, whether it's the Lord's table or the kitchen table, let's make sure our attitude toward each other is sweet, not bitter. Humility goes a long way. With humility there is no fighting at the table. With humility there's no jockeying for position, there is love and servitude. With humility, we realize Jesus is the greatest one at the table and his will supersedes mine. With humility, there's love at the table.
Acceptance at the table.
The place where you should feel loved and accepted is home. Thanksgiving is the day when that should be most evident. We gather around the table with family and friends and experience and enjoy a sense of belonging, acceptance and comfortability. In biblical days, sharing a meal was very important. Being invited to come to the table was an honor. It's like that today. Inviting someone to share a meal with you involves generosity and intimacy. It shows acceptance and a desire to form or build a relationship with someone.
David and Jonathan were close friends. After Jonathan and Saul were killed in battle, David became king and was victorious in battle. At some point, he wanted to honor his friendship with Jonathan and asked if there was anyone in the family to whom he could show kindness. There was-Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. So David gave orders to go get him.
2 Sam. 9:6-13, "When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “Your servant,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
Mephibosheth referred to himself as a dead dog. That means a despised person. Why did he feel this way? Because of his condition.
2nd Sam. 4:4, "(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)"
Mephibosheth had an unfortunate accident that changed his life forever. He came to see himself as despised, probably because that's how he was made to feel. He couldn't do what a typical person could which would make him feel less of a person. We can feel less than or despised when we have a condition that makes us different than everyone else. There was no medicine that was going to make Mephibosheth's condition any better.
Then we see what David did. With an exclamation point after his greeting it shows his excitement when he saw him. David wanted him to live a better life so he invited him into the palace to be treated like one of his sons and eat at his table. Mephibosheth may have been despised; he certainly felt despised, but he encountered the kindness and generosity of David and came to be despised no more.
In retrospect, we're Mephibosheth and God is David. We were lame and then we were invited to eat at the king's table as one of his children. We who have encountered the kindness and generosity of God realize that we're no longer despised; we're loved, blessed & forgiven. Come to the table.
