Week 2: Ministry

The Ministry of Shared Meals

Jesus doesn't kick off his earthly ministry with a press conference filled with local reporters. There's no mock turtleneck or hype music. According to john, his ministry begins at a wedding banquet. You can imagine Jesus at the table with his disciples, as you'll read about shortly. They are all reclining and laughing. They enjoy the festivities, but Jesus is about to do something beyond their expectation or imagination.

There are a lot of prevalent themes throughout the gospels, such as healings, teaching, parables, etc., but one of the themes that I think is most overlooked is shared meals. Jesus loves to host a meal. He also loves to be received for a meal. Sometimes he even invites himself to people's homes, such as in the case of Zacchaeus. In our fascination with the miraculous, we often overlook the significance of the central practice of shared meals throughout the Gospels.

In his excellent book on the Gospel of Luke called “Meals with Jesus,” Tim Chester writes, “Jesus spent his time eating and drinking—a lot of his time. He was a party animal. His mission strategy was a long meal, stretching into the evening. He did evangelism and discipleship around a table with some grilled fish, a loaf of bread, and a pitcher of wine.”

This week's Gospel formed practice is hospitality. It’s a simple yet profound practice. Invite someone to share a meal this week or accept someone else’s invitation to eat together. It can be a long weekend dinner or a quick bite over lunch break. It can be sandwiches in the park or dessert in a café. Intentionally share a meal with someone you usually don’t eat with or haven’t in a while.

Today’s reading focuses on that banquet scene in John 1:1-12. As you read through the text, pay attention to the way Jesus interacts with various people at the banquet. Don’t overlook the people that appear to side characters.