A Place at His Table: Fellowship

"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”  Revelation 3:20

Take a moment and let your mind wander back to your middle school cafeteria.   Do you remember the sounds?  The smells?  The taste of the soggy pizza?  Who did you sit with?  Did you hang out with the same people every day?  Or did you sit alone?   Did you ever have to change schools and become “new kid” who had to try to find a place in the social strata?  Did anyone ever invite you to sit with them?   Dig really deep and see if you can remember what it felt like to be left out, sitting alone.  And what about the joy that came in being invited to take a place on the cafeteria bench? 

Time and time again we see Jesus inviting the “new kid”, the down-and-out, the social outcast to share a meal with him.  To join him at the table for some sacred fellowship.   Jesus made time to break bread with his closest friends and disciples, as well.  But unlike the religious leaders of that day who avoided those whom they considered “sinners” and “unclean”, Jesus prioritized his dinner-time fellowship to include the least of these.  More than a dozen references are made in scripture to Jesus reclining at the table with those he was ministering to, because “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”  He had not come to call the righteous, but sinners.   (Mark 2:17)  Unlike the exclusive elite who had a clean image to maintain, Jesus looked beyond his culture and into the hearts of the people.

Here’s a short list of guests at Jesus’ table:

Many tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10)

A sinful woman (Matthew 26:7)

A leper (Mark 14:3)

A Pharisee (Luke 7:36)

A group of Pharisees and a man with dropsy (Luke 14:1-11)

Zaccheus, a “sinful man” (Luke 19:5-7)

His closest friends and disciples (Mark 14:18, John 12:2, John 13:28, Matt. 26:20)

All of this unauthorized and scandalous fellowship led the religious leaders to complain, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30)

Jesus intentionally sought out people who needed a little TLC.  Spending time with those who were brokenhearted and outcast was a regular part of his mission.  In order to reach the lost, he knew he needed to spend some time with them.  And he wasn’t just there to fill their stomach.  His ultimate goal was to fill their soul.   More than the temporary satisfaction of a plate full of food, Jesus was truly offering them the gift of salvation—eternal fellowship—based on their repentance and faith in Him. 

We were designed for fellowship with our Creator.   In the garden, man and woman walked and talked with the Lord, sharing in the goodness of His bountiful creation.  Have you ever wondered if they sat down together under the pear tree and shared a snack with the Almighty?  After the fall, God still desired fellowship with his beloved, and instructed Moses in the way of the fellowship offering.  “You must make an earthen altar for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats, as well as your cattle.  I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause My name to be remembered.” (Exodus 20:24) Here in Exodus, we see God offering His people sacred fellowship over a sacrificial table. 

And finally, Christ himself, the final sacrifice, offers us a seat at his table.  He invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” and to take refuge in this intimacy with him.  (Psalm 34:8)  The bread of life wants to fill our hungry souls with His presence, and to satisfy our thirst with the living water that never runs dry.  

Are you in need of a little TLC today?  Maybe you don't have leprosy or are socially outcast, but you might be dealing with some STUFF and need a little love.   Take some time for fellowship with Jesus today.  For me, this is hiding in my closet, door closed, face to the carpet.  It's the place I meet with Him.  Where is this place for you?  If you don't have a special place where you regularly meet with him, maybe you could get outside for a little walk and just focus on Him.  Or take a drive by yourself (....to Starbucks...) and turn off the radio and just be quiet before him.  Think about his face, imagine yourself reclining against him, sharing a meal with him at the table.  He is faithful to meet with you if you just invite him in.  

Hope you have a blessed day,

Katie