Tasting GraceNäide

An Invitation into Compassion

As a child, I was often hungry. I was one of the have-nots. When people shared with me and made sure I was fed, I felt their compassion and I felt community. I felt that I belonged.

Turns out, this is a universal truth. Hunger and despair are inextricably linked, which is probably why Jesus talked about hunger and thirst so often—and why He is called the Bread of Life. While Jesus is our truest, deepest nourishment, our earthly food is a small experience of that deep eternal satisfaction.

Food is one of God’s great equalizers and unifiers. Without food, we realize quickly that we human beings are similar more than we’re different. All of us also need God and his goodness and grace. Every meal we eat is a reminder of our shared dependence on him and can be a reminder to share God’s provision with others. 

Countless scriptural examples demonstrate our responsibility to share the earth’s food. In Exodus, when the Israelites complained to God about their hunger as they were being delivered from Egyptian slavery, God offered them manna. This food literally fell from the sky for people to pick up according to God’s command to take only according to their need. No one was to hoard. Those with access were commanded to share the excess rather than assume privilege, and in fact if anyone did try to squirrel away extra manna for themselves, it became rotten. In the New Testament, Paul quoted this very verse from Exodus right after he declared, “The goal is equality” (2 Corinthians 8:14–15).

Jesus used food to break down the artificial barriers we humans build. He fed the hungry, miraculously using small portions to serve many. And Jesus didn’t just give food to the marginalized; he ate with them. It wasn’t just what he gave but who he sat with to share a meal that unified. He welcomed the marginalized tax collector, the prostitute, the sinner, and the misfit to the table. 

Meals in the modern world divide us sometimes more than unite us as they reflect socioeconomic and other divisions. But God’s plan is for us to use food to bring us together on equal terms instead.

When have you seen food equalize a group of people? What could you do to initiate in sharing a meal with someone who has a different socioeconomic background than you?