He Came Eating and Drinking: God's Banquet

He brought me to the banquet hall, and he looked on me with love. 
The Son of Man has come eating and drinking.
-Song 2:4, Matt. 11:19 & Luke 7:34

Photo: Pixabay
This is from the forward to Winn Griffin's "God's Epic Adventure"

One of the best definitions of the gospel I've ever encountered is this one: "Jesus ate good food with bad people."  Goethe, in a famous essay, suggested that Leonardo's "The Last Supper" was written to convey Christ's words "one of you shall betray me."  But why not "Take, eat: this is my body?"  Why not Christ instituting the eucharist rather than foretelling his betrayal?

A Jesus revolution is a dinner party, the art of play more than work, celebration more than cerebration. Anything artistic involves "play", whether, sports, music, or video games.  You "play" baseball, not "work" baseball.  You "play" piano or violin, not "work" the instrument.  You "play" video games on PlayStation3 or listen to music on RealPlayer.  Liturgy (forms of worship) is not something you "work" at but "play with". If it's not "play", it's not a Jesus Revolution.

The bookends of the Bible are "Eat" and "Drink". God's first command in the Bible is "Eat freely" (Genesis 2;16). God's last command in the Bible is "Drink freely" (Revelation 22:17). In the middle: The Table.  In His book, God's Epic Adventure, Winn Griffin shows how everything in between is a never-ending banquet, not a snack, on which we feast on Him in our hearts with thanksgiving (eucharista).  If the revolution is to mean anything, and if Jesus has anything to do with the revolution, it must "revolve" around that Table.  For as Griffin shows in his winsome books, on that Table is spread out a feast that can give life to a dying people and planet.

-Leonard Sweet (2007)

Comments