We all enjoy our holidays. Most are usually accompanied by a wonderful meal with family and friends. There is something special about sharing a meal together. As I read the stories in the Bible I came to realize how many times the Lord used a meal as a teaching tool! I found more information concerning eating and feasting in a recent newsletter I received, and thought I would share some of the comments in this blog.
The Loaves and the Fishes……(Matt 15:32 Luke 9 We all learned this story as children. Perhaps the teacher had us play the part of the little boy who shared his lunch and how Jesus multiplied those five barley loaves and two little salted fish. All four Gospels relate this miracle so it was something really special. That tiny bit of food was multiplied and enough to feed the hungry crowd and still some left over. Jesus used this miracle to remind the people how God had provided the quail and the manna for their ancestors on their escape from Egypt. This hillside crowd now witnessed the promise that God had made to their ancestors many years before. They in a sense were reliving those events. You can read about it in Deut. 18:15.
Our Lord provided this type of meal two times. First , with five loaves and the second time with seven making a total of twelve. The Priests of the temple were required to bake twelve loaves of bread every day. According to the rabbis, the priests would only consume a small bite but they were satisfied. These loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel. When the Master multiplied the loaves He was also alluding to the twelve loaves found in the temple. Everyone ate and they were satisfied. God was to be their provider.
The Prodigal Son….. (Luke 15:22-24)
There are so many layers of meaning in this story. But the basic parable involves a wayward son who returns home to a loving father after he had taken his inheritance and it squandered it. He is starving and in order to survive he devises a plan. He knows his father is a forgiving and kind man and so he takes a chance that perhaps his father will take him back……..if only as a servant in the home. Of course he is right. The father completely forgives this ungrateful young man and provides a feast to honor his return. Jesus uses this story to describe the attributes of God. He is always loving and forgiving and willing to take us “back” after we repent of wrong doings and seek His forgiveness. The Prodigal now realizes the great love of his father for him despite all he has done. There is reconciliation for one who has “returned.” This calls for a celebration!
The Last Supper…. (Luke 22: 14-10)
Jesus would share his last Passover Seder with His disciples in a small upper room in Jerusalem. This was one of the three annual feasts that every good Jewish man was to attend. Of course the Seder meal involves more than just the bread and the four cups of wine. Jesus however used this part of the Seder to tell his disciples that the broken bread and the cup of wine were to remind them of his suffering and death. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:27-29) also tells his gentile readers to remember the body and blood of the Messiah and to take these elements in a worthy manner. Always realizing that even though they are gentiles, they are deemed worthy of taking this part of the feast, in remembrance of their being grafted into the “body” of the Messiah and that He died for them as well as the Jews. We today continue this tradition, remembering the sacrifice of our Lord and making a renewed commitment in our discipleship.
Breakfast by the Sea (John 21 1-14)
This meal took place after the resurrection. Jesus made a breakfast for those fishermen disciples. The Master called to them and He was recognized. Jesus was frying fish on the beach and the disciples saw him from their boat. I imagine the aroma blowing on the wind first caught their attention. After the meal Jesus purposely talked to Peter. He had charged Peter with “feeding His sheep.” He was giving Peter a major job. He was to guide this ragtag group of disciples into a driving force for bringing to others the good news of the gospel. Jesus was again alive and had been resurrected from the dead and that a New Kingdom was at hand. I imagine the Master had more teaching to do before His final ascent.
Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
In Revelation 19:9 it was revealed to John there was to be another great feast. Knowing the marriage rituals of the 1st c. Jews would help in understanding the traditions of this final supper. However, Jesus represents the Bridegroom and the Bride as represented by the congregations of believers. When the Lord returns for us there will be a marvelous feast. It will be a great celebration and the most joyous occasion of all time!
Be sure to prepare yourself for grandest feast of all!!!
AbideLines 