Eating to Forgive

Is there someone you enjoy eating a meal with? Or someone you avoid during meals? Is there a reason why you feel that way? Do you ever use a meal as a way to get to know someone better? Of course, there are all kinds of special meals where you may or may not have a choice who gets to join in. . .birthdays, wedding receptions, Christmas, Thanksgiving. . .I suppose the list could go on and on.

There's one meal where everyone from all walks of life is welcomed, and we celebrate it in churches across the globe. That's the last supper, better known as communion. Even those who don't frequent the door of a church may know of this meal, since the scene is recreated in many paintings.

The last supper, or Passover meal, introduces the disciples to the new covenant with Jesus. He tells them how his body and blood will take away the sins of the people. They may not have understood what he was saying at the time but they did later on. Through him there is salvation. . .our ticket to heaven, so to speak. There is, however, another meal that carries as much or more weight in the end.

Not long after that last Passover meal the disciples did the unthinkable. All but two scattered. How did the disciples know they were forgiven for running away when it really counted? Especially after they told Jesus they wouldn't run; that they'd always be there.

According to Dr. James Martin, in his book Exploring Bible Times, there was an ancient custom known as a meal covenant that signaled to those invited that they were forgiven and accepted. He referred to the meal in Psalm 23 as being of this nature.

When Jesus ate in front of the disciples in the upper room in Luke 24 he was showing them not only was he alive and well but that he forgave them. And, in case there was any doubt as to his forgiveness, he did it again. In John 21, Jesus was the provider of the meal when he called the disciples over to join him on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. This second time he was assuring the disciples they were forgiven and accepted by him.

Now that's the meal to remember. Even when we deny him, even when we fail to accomplish all we set out to, even when we show our weaknesses to the world, Jesus will forgive us and accept us back to his celebration table.