Laughter at meal time

LAUGHTER AT MEAL TIME
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Ecclesiastes 10:19 19A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry, and money is the answer
for everything.
NOTE-Most commentators see only a negative in this verse. It is the old
saying of wine, women and song of the wild parties of sinners or of
pagan drunkeness, and this does seem to be the case. However, the fact
remains that it is at times of feasting with family and friends that we do
much of our laughing, and so in godly fashion we all prepare meals with
the hope of the enjoyment of laughter in fellwship with others. There are
both godly and ungodly parties, and we can choose which they will be.
In this study we will look at both sides, but in the end we will focus on
the positive side of food and laughter, and of how Jesus invites us to dine
and laugh with Him.
Proverbs 15:15 - All the days of the afflicted [are] evil: but he that is of a
merry heart [hath] a continual feast.
“The highlight of my childhood was making my brother laugh so hard
that food came out of his nose.”
Garrison Keillor
Food is more than survival. With it we make friends, court lovers, and
count our blessings. The sharing of food has always been part of the

human story. From Qesem Cave near Tel Aviv comes evidence of ancient
meals prepared at a 300,000-year-old hearth, the oldest ever found,
where diners gathered to eat together. Retrieved from the ashes of
Vesuvius: a circular loaf of bread with scoring marks, baked to be
divided. “To break bread together,” a phrase as old as the Bible,
captures the power of a meal to forge relationships, bury anger, provoke
laughter. Children make mud pies, have tea parties, trade snacks to
make friends, and mimic the rituals of adults. They celebrate with
sweets from the time of their first birthday, and the association of food
with love will continue throughout life—and in some belief systems, into
the afterlife. Consider the cultures that leave delicacies graveside to let
the departed know they are not forgotten. And even when times are
tough, the urge to celebrate endures. In the Antarctic in 1902, during
Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery expedition, the men prepared a fancy
meal for Midwinter Day, the shortest day and longest night of the year.
Hefty provisions had been brought on board. Forty-five live sheep were
slaughtered and hung from the rigging, frozen by the elements until it
was time to feast. The cold, the darkness, and the isolation were
forgotten for a while. “With such a dinner,” Scott wrote, “we agreed
that life in the Antarctic Regions was worth living.” — Victoria Pope
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
A feast is made for laughter - The object of it is to produce merriment,
to banish care and concern of every kind. But who are they who make
and frequent such places? Epicures and drunkards generally; such as
those of whom Horace speaks:
Nos numerus sumus, et fruges consumere nati.
Epist. lib. i., ep. 2, ver. 27.
"Those whose names stand as indications of men, the useless many; and
who appear to be born only to consume the produce of the soil."

But money answereth all - This saying has prevailed everywhere.
Scilicet uxorem cum dote, fidemque, et amicos,
Et genus, et formam Regina Pecunia donat;
Ac bene nummatum decorat Suadela, Venusque.
Hor. Ep. lib. i., ep. 6, ver. 36.
"For gold, the sovereign Queen of all below,
Friends, honor, birth, and beauty, can bestow.
The goddess of persuasion forms her train;
And Venus decks the well-bemonied swain."
Francis.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
"A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money
answereth all things."
"Feasting makes you happy, and wine cheers you up, but you can't have
either without money."[22] "Men make a feast for enjoyment, and wine
makes life pleasant, but money is everyone's concern."[23] This
relationship between drinking wine and feasting on the one hand, and
providing the funds to pay for it on the other hand, reminds us of a song
that became popular back during the days of the depression, "If you've
got the money, Honey, I've got the time."
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
A feast is made for laughter,.... Or, "who make bread for laughter"F9.
Not bakers, who make bread for common use, and for all sorts of
persons, sorrowful ones as others; but luxurious men, particularly such

princes as are before described; they "make bread", that is, a feast, as
the phrase is used, Daniel 5:1; not for mere refreshment, but to promote
mirth and gaiety to an excessive degree; being attended with rioting and
drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, with revellings and dancing;
and wine maketh merry; or, "and they prepare wine"F11; which is
provided in plenty at feasts; and which is sometimes put for a feast
itself, and called a banquet of wine, Esther 7:2; which wine makes
merry, and men drink of it till they become drunk with it, at such
profuse feasts: or, "which maketh life cheerful"F12; as it does, when
moderately used: "cheers the living"; so Aben Ezra;
but money answereth all things; is in the room of all things, and by it
men obtain everything they want and wish for; it answers the requests
of all, and supplies them with what they stand in need of, or can desire:
particularly such expensive feasts, and sumptuous entertainments, are
made by means of money; and, in this luxurious way, the coffers of
princes are drained, and they are obliged to raise new levies, and impose
new taxes upon their subjects, to the oppression of them. Or else the
sense may be, that princes should consider, and not be so profuse in
their manner of living, but be more frugal and careful of the public
money, and lay it up against a time of need; since it is that that answers
all things, is the sinew of war when that arises, and will procure men
and arms, to secure and protect them from their enemies, and obtain
peace and safety for them and their subjects, which otherwise they
cannot expect.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Referring to Ecclesiastes 10:18. Instead of repairing the breaches in the
commonwealth (equivalent to “building”), the princes “make a feast for
laughter (Ecclesiastes 10:16), and wine maketh their life glad (Psalm
104:15), and (but) money supplieth (answereth their wishes by
supplying) all things,” that is, they take bribes to support their
extravagance; and hence arise the wrongs that are perpetrated

(Ecclesiastes 10:5, Ecclesiastes 10:6; Ecclesiastes 3:16; Isaiah 1:23;
Isaiah 5:23). Maurer takes “all things” of the wrongs to which princes
are instigated by “money”; for example, the heavy taxes, which were the
occasion of Rehoboam losing ten tribes (1 Kings 12:4, etc.).
Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
“Meals they make into a pleasure, and wine cheereth the life, and money
maketh everything serviceable.” By , wicked princes are without doubt
thought of-but not immediately, since Ecclesiastes 10:16 is too remote to
give the subject to Ecclesiastes 10:19 , He, Jahve, loves, thus: those
princes, or, from Ecclesiastes 10:18 : such slothful men; but 'osim is
better rendered, like e.g. , omrim , Exodus 5:16 (Ewald, §200 a ), and as
in the Mishna we read and the like with gramm. indefin. subj.: they
make, but so that by it the slothful just designated, and those of a
princely rank are meant (cf. a similar use of the inf . abs. , as here of the
part. in the historical style, Isaiah 22:13). Ginsburg's rendering is
altogether at fault: “They turn bread and wine which cheereth life into
revelry.” If and as its object stand together, the meaning is, “to prepare
a feast,” Ezekiel 4:15 of with which adv. conceptions are formed, - e.g. ,
Lamentations 4:5, , where Jerome rightly translates, voluptuose ( vid .,
E. Gerlach, l.c. ), - but, which is most natural and is very appropriate, it
is the of the aim or purpose: non ad debitam corporis refectionem, sed
ad hera ludicra et stulta gaudia (Geier). is laughter, as that to which he
utters the sentence (Ecclesiastes 2:2n : this epitheton ornans of wine
would here be a most unsuitable weakening of the figure intended. It is
only an apparent reason for this, that what Psalms 104:15 says in praise
of wine the author cannot here turn into a denunciatory reproach. Wine
is certainly fitted to make glad the heart of a man; but here the subject
of discourse is duty-forgetting idlers, to whom chiefly wine must be
brought (Isaiah 5:12) to cheer their life (this sluggard-life spent in
feasting and revelry). The fut. is meant in the same modal sense as ,

Ecclesiastes 10:10 : wine must accomplish that for them. And they can
feast and drink, for they have money, and money . Luther hits the
meaning: “Money must procure everything for them;” but the clause is
too general; and better thus, after Jerome, the Zürich Bible: “unto
money are all things obedient.” The old Jewish interpreters compare
Hosea 2:23., where , with accus. petentis , signifies, “to answer a
request, to gratify a desire.” But in the passage before us is not the obj.
accus. of petentis , but petiti ; for 'anah is connected with the accus. of
that to which one answers as well as of that which one answers, e.g. ,
Job 40:2, cf. Ecclesiastes 9:3. It is unnecessary, with Hitzig, to interpret
as Hiph .: Money makes all to hear (him who has the money), - makes it
that nothing is refused to his wish. It is the Kal : Money answers to
every demand, hears every wish, grants whatever one longs for, helps to
all; as Menander says: “Silver and gold, - these are, according to my
opinion, the most useful gods; if these have a place in the house, wish
what thou wilt ( ευξαι τιβουλει ), all will be thine;” and Horace, Epod . i.
6. 36 s.:
“Scilicet uxorem cum dote fidemque et amicos
Et genus et formam regina pecunia donat.”
The author has now described the king who is a misfortune and him
who is a blessing to the land, and princes as they ought to be and as they
ought not to be, but particularly luxurious idle courtiers; there is now a
warning given which has for its motive not only prudence, but also,
according to Ecclesiastes 8:2, religiousness.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry:
but money answereth all [things].

Ver. 19. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry.] Slothful
governors, Regni dilapidatores (so our Henry III was called for his pride
and prodigality), (a) are all for feasting and frolicking. See Proverbs
31:4, Daniel 5:3-4. This cannot be maintained without money, for the
getting and gathering in whereof the poor people are peeled and polled,
and rich men’s gifts are received, to the perverting of justice by those
corrupt rulers, qui vili precio nihil non humile et vile parati sunt facere,
as Gregory Thaumaturgus speaketh in his note upon this verse.
But money answereth all things.] It gives a satisfactory answer to
whatsoever is desired or demanded. Seneca saith, circa pecuniam
multum vociferationis est, that about money there is much noise, great
crying; but though never so nmch, never so great, money answereth all -
it effects all. (b) What great designs did Philip bring to pass in Greece
by his golds the very oracles were said, ψιλιππιξειν, to say as Philip
would have them: Antipater non tenuis fuit pecuniae, et ideo
praevalidae potentiae, saith Egesippus; (c) he was a well moneyed man,
and therefore a very mighty man. The Hebrew, or rather Chaldee, word
(d) used for money [1 Chronicles 29:7 Ezra 8:27] signifies to do some
great work, because money is the monarch of the world, and therein
bears most mastery. Among suitors (in love and in law especially) money
drives the bargain and business to an upshot.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible
The design and effect of feasting and drinking wine is, that men may
exhilarate their minds with the society of their friends, and with the use
of the creatures.
Money answereth all things; it procures not only meat and drink for
feasting, but for all other things; as the heavens are said to answer the
earth, when they give it those showers which it desires and needs to
make it fruitful, Hosea 2:21. And this clause seems to be added as an
aggravation of the sin and folly of luxury, because princes do thereby

waste that money and treasure which is so highly necessary for the
support and preservation of themselves, and of their kingdoms, and are
forced to squeeze money out of their people by oppressive, and
dishonourable, and dangerous practices, that they may have more to
spend in riotous courses.
Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
The Value Of Silver (Ecclesiastes 10:19).
Ecclesiastes 10:19
‘A feast is made for laughter, and wine gladdens the life, and silver
answers all things.’
The thought here would seem to be that feasting and wine temporarily
produce merriment but that a man’s wealth is the mainstay of his whole
life. The wise man will therefore make sure that his wealth is preserved
and will not fritter it away in feasting and drinking and fruitless
activities.
Or the idea may be that while a feast and wine bring a kind of
happiness, it is only silver which can be fully persuasive with regard to
life.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
19. Made for laughter — This verse should read, The bread and the
wine, which cheer the life, are made into laughter, or revelry; that is, by
the luxurious rulers still spoken of.
Money answereth all things — Better, And the money furnishes both.
Whose “money?” It is artfully suggested, rather than told, that it is the
“money” wrung from the subjects that is thus squandered in feasting.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments
Ecclesiastes 10:19. A feast is made for laughter, &c. — Not merely for
caring, but chiefly for pleasant conversation, and the society of friends;
not the laughter of fools, which is madness, but that of wise men,
namely, that cheerfulness by which they fit themselves for business and
severe studies: and wine maketh merry — Hebrew, , maketh glad the
life, exhilarates the mind; but money answereth all things — Procures
not only meat and drink for feasting, but all other worldly advantages.
Therefore be frugal, and spend not all in luxurious eating and drinking,
remembering, that money is wanted for a great many other purposes.
Some refer this verse to rulers, and consider this last clause as being
added to aggravate the sin and folly of luxury, to which, when princes
give up themselves, they not only neglect their business, but thereby
waste that money and treasure which are so highly necessary for the
support and preservation of themselves and their kingdoms: and, in
consequence thereof, are obliged to squeeze money out of their people
by oppressive taxes, and other dishonourable and dangerous practices.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Feast. As if they were born for this purpose, (Philippians iii. 19.;
Calmet) fruges consumere nati. (Horace, i. ep. 2.) --- Money. --- Scilicet
uxorem cum dote fidemque et amicos,
Et genus, et formam regina pecunia donet. (Horace, i. ep. 6.)
--- Hebrew, "money answers all purposes," (Haydock) to procure meat,
drink, &c. (Calmet)
Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible
"Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and

money is the answer to everything."
Points To Note:
Various ideas exist concerning the contextual tie-in of the above verse: 1.
"The point is that at least some money is essential for enjoying life, and
steps must therefore be taken to insure that the economy (be it national
or personal) is sound" (Garrett pp. 336-337). 2. Others believe that the
verse reveals the attitudes that lead to sloth, "It is because of the three
erroneous attitudes expressed in this verse that the condition discussed
in verse 18 existed" (Kidwell p. 258). Hence, "men prepare a meal for
enjoyment"-instead of eating for strength (17), such men try to turn
every meal into a party or an excuse to eat and drink to excess. "wine
makes life merry"-the sluggard or the fool is constantly needing a drink
to put them in a cheerful mood. "money is the answer to everything"-
even many people in our government have bought into the philosophy
that money can fix everything, resolve every problem, and the supply
the answer to every human desire.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27.
maketh merry = will gladden life. Compare Psalms 104:15.
answereth all things = maketh everything respond [to their
requirements]: i.e. will procure both [feast and wine]. See note on
Ecclesiastes 5:19, the only two occurrences of "anah in this book.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money
answereth all things.
A feast (Hebrew, bread) is made for laughter. Their meals are taken, not

for strength, but for self-indulgent excess. Referring to Ecclesiastes
10:18. Instead of repairing the breaches in the commonwealth (the
"building"), the princes 'make a feast for laughter' (Ecclesiastes 10:16),
and wine maketh their life glad.
But money answereth all (things) - i:e., by having money they can have
what they wish; all things are at the call of money, and it answers all
charges; so they take bribes to support their extravagance; and hence
arise the wrongs that are perpetrated (Ecclesiastes 10:5-6; Isaiah 1:23);
e.g., the heavy taxes, which were the occasion of Rehoboam losing ten
tribes.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(19) I look on these verses as isolated proverbs, and believe that the
obvious meaning suggested by the English of this verse is the right one.
Those who strive to trace a continuity of thought take Ecclesiastes 10:18
as a figurative description of the ruin of an ill-governed land;
Ecclesiastes 10:19 as describing the riot of those rulers who make feasts
for merriment, and have money freely at their disposal; and
(Ecclesiastes 10:20) as a warning to the subjects to beware how,
notwithstanding all this mis-government, they venture to rebel.
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money
answereth all things.
feast
2:1,2; 7:2-6; Genesis 43:34; Daniel 5:1-12; 1 Peter 4:3
and wine

9:7; Psalms 104:15; Isaiah 24:11; 1 Samuel 25:36; 2 Samuel 13:28; Luke
12:19; Ephesians 5:18,19
maketh merry
Heb. maketh glad the life. but. Money which would have answered
every good purpose, and served for every emergency, is too often spent
in feastings and revellings.
7:11,12; 1 Chronicles 21:24; 29:2-9; 2 Chronicles 24:11-14; Ezra 1:6;
7:15-18; Nehemiah 5:8; Psalms 112:9; Isaiah 23:18; Matthew 17:27;
19:21; Luke 8:3; 16:9; Acts 2:45; 11:29; Philippians 4:15-19; 1 Timothy
6:17-19
Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:19". "The Treasury of
Scripture Knowledge".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/ecclesiastes-10.html
Ecclesiastes 10:19. Bread they make to laughter. Here it is quite clear
that the author is not giving general observations, but depicting things
as they really and truly existed. Hitzig says, "That which in Ecclesiastes
10:16 was not affirmed, to wit, that the home of the speaker was such an
unhappy country, is here added." Laughter is used in Ecclesiastes 2:2,
for extravagant merriment. Elsewhere always means "to laughter," and
consequently may not in this place be translated, "amidst laughter." If
signifies, "to become laughter," then will mean "to make to
laughter,"—to laughter, not in the passive, but in the active sense.
Besides, along with is employed in other places to designate that into
which anything is made: compare Isaiah 44:17, "the remainder he
maketh to a God," . Bread, which should serve to give strength, serves
them only as a vehicle of laughter. Their meal times are scenes of excess.
And wine maketh glad the living. This is plainly a dictum taken from
the mouths of the "merry carousers." It is a compendium of Isaiah

22:13, (compare 1 Cor. where the godless say, "let us eat and drink, for
to-morrow we die." And money answereth all things: nay with the
accusative signifies "to answer," (Job 31:35) and then "to be answerable
for," (Job 33:13). Money is the answer to all charges, the apology for all
crimes: he who has money may allow himself any liberty. cannot signify
"to afford, to confer."
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Ecclesiastes 10:19 Parallel Verses
Ecclesiastes 10:19, NIV: "A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life
merry, and money is the answer for everything."
Ecclesiastes 10:19, ESV: "Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens
life, and money answers everything."
Ecclesiastes 10:19, KJV: "A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh
merry: but money answereth all things."
Ecclesiastes 10:19, NASB: "Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and
wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything."
Ecclesiastes 10:19, NLT: "A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness,
and money gives everything!"
Ecclesiastes 10:19, CSB: "A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine
makes life happy, and money is the answer for everything."

10:19 Money answers every need
Following the previous verse which opposes laziness, this verse
encourages man to be industrious and to earn money. Metzudat David
comments that unlike other pleasures, money is helpful in all situations.
Whether a person is sick or healthy, happy or depressed, everybody
benefits from financial stability. The Hebrew word for ‘money’ is kesef
(), related to the verb kasaf () which means to ‘yearn.’ Money is
something for which all people yearn, and that is what gives it its value.
However, as King Shlomo warns in other verses (see 5:9), the pursuit of
wealth for its own sake is futile; it must only be used in the service of
Hashem. https://theisraelbible.com/bible/ecclesiastes/chapter-10/verse-
19
Ecclesiastes 10:19
Passage:
"Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers
everything" (Ecclesiastes 10:19 RSV).
Question:
I am currently going through a financial challenge. Is it okay to desire
money to resolve my issues?
Comment:
Ecclesiastes is also known as "The Preacher," which is not quite
accurate since the work calls into question all the spiritual beliefs set
forth in the other books of Hebrew scripture. "The Teacher" might be
more accurate since it represents a philosophical, rather than a

spiritual, perspective. The author essentially questions whether there is
any point or purpose to living what would be considered a "good" life.
He suggests that what's important is that we enjoy this life experience
(although he qualifies that attitude somewhat toward the end of his
teachings).
The passage, then, sort of sums up the message of the entire book: Life
is meant to be experienced richly, and the means of that enjoyment are
available to us. Bread and wine are used as symbols of pleasure and
enjoyment, and money as the immediate source of both.
Our spiritual understanding has both expanded and deepened since
Ecclesiastes was written. I don't question the sentiment of this verse, but
it's incomplete because it doesn't realize the Spirit that is the Source of
everything. So, to answer your question, it is certainly okay to
appreciate the importance of money in this human experience. But
money alone will never be the answer to your financial challenge. Your
oneness with Divine Spirit is the Source of everything. It is a Spirit of
infinite abundance and infinite possibility; and it may express as money
and/or in other ways that are beyond the understanding of your ego
mind. If you focus on "desiring" a realization of the Source of money
and all good things, instead of focusing only on the money itself, your
financial challenge will be more easily dissolved.
Blessings!
Rev. Ed http://www.unity.org/resources/bible-
interpretation/ecclesiastes-1019
Why does Solomon say, “money is the answer to everything” in
Ecclesiastes 10:19? - AFTB
Posted on May 2, 2017

I believe we all know that this can’t be taken literally, for experience has
taught us just the opposite. The old saying, “money can’t buy
happiness” still holds true, so why did Solomon make this statement? To
answer this we have to understand the CONTEXT in which he said it, so
let’s read verses 16-19 from the New King James Version: “Woe to you,
O land, when your king is a child, and our princes feast in the morning!
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your
princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness!
Because of laziness the building decays and through idleness of hands
the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry;
but money answers everything.” The contrast in verses 16-18 is clear; a
country with a noble king who rules with sobriety and strength is
blessed, but the country with a lazy and drunken ruler will come to
ruin. With this in mind verse 19 shows us the attitude of the drunken
ruler. They live for PLEASURE (“a feast is made for laughter”) and
becoming DRUNK (“and wine makes merry”), and MONEY will
provide everything they need to continue their life of partying. So, this is
NOT Solomon’s personal opinion, but as he observed life around him,
he found this to be the opinion of lazy, pleasure-seeking kings. A good
example of this kind of king was Belshazzar, the King of Babylon (see
Daniel 5:1-4).
We had mentioned that “money can’t buy happiness” and it also can’t
buy you a ticket to heaven. Many believe they can purchase a place in
heaven by giving to charities or by putting money in the collection box
on Sunday morning, but Scripture is crystal-clear that eternal life is a
GIFT. God has given everyone a beautiful INVITATION to receive
eternal life in Isaiah 55:1-3. Those verses say: “Ho! Everyone who
thirsts, come to the waters; and you WHO HAVE NO MONEY, come,
buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk WITHOUT MONEY AND
WITHOUT PRICE. Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and
eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline
your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live.” Let’s break
this down and see what we can learn:

We must THIRST for eternal life. In other words, we must feel our need
of God’s gift of eternal life.
We must COME. It’s not enough to desire eternal life, we must come to
the One Who offers it. In verse 3 it says, “Come to Me.” Jesus said this
very thing on several occasions. In Matthew 11:28 He said, “Come to
Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” In
John 6:35 He declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me
shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” And in
John 7:37-38 He issued an invitation very similar to the one in Isaiah 55:
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in
Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water.” Jesus is the source of eternal life!
We must come WITHOUT MONEY AND WITHOUT PRICE. We have
nothing to offer God to merit eternal life. As we said, it is a GIFT.
Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We must HEAR AND LIVE. The gift of eternal life is ours the moment
we hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. John 5:24 says, “Truly,
truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent
Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed
out of death into life.” (240.7) (DO) http://answersfromthebook.net/why-
does-solomon-say-money-is-the-answer-to-everything-in-ecclesiastes-
1019/
All things are ready: come unto the marriage. Mt. 22:4. A feast is made
for laughter. Eccles. 10:19. When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the
maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shall be blessed. Lk. 14:13, 14.

Come and Dine | Charles B. Widmeyer
Jesus has a table spread
Where the saints of God are fed,
He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”;
With His manna He doth feed
And supplies our every need:
Oh, ’tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!
Refrain:
“Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
He Who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”
The disciples came to land,
Thus obeying Christ’s command,
For the Master called unto them, “Come and dine”;
There they found their heart’s desire,
Bread and fish upon the fire;
Thus He satisfies the hungry every time.
Soon the Lamb will take His bride
To be ever at His side,
All the host of heaven will assembled be;
Oh, ’twill be a glorious sight,

All the saints in spotless white;
And with Jesus they will feast eternally.
“Come And Dine, The Master Calleth”
September 10, 2014 Stephen C. Weber
Listen to this message on your audio player.
“Come And Dine, The Master Calleth”
“Jesus saith unto them, ‘Come and dine'” (John 21:12). “Here I am! I
stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the
door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” (Revelation
3:20).”Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the
Lamb. These are true words of God” (Revelation 19:9).
Jesus has a table spread
He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”;
Oh, ’tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!
The last couple of days I have drawn illustrations from a men and boys
campout I attended this last weekend in the mountains of central PA.
Our main physical activity is biking but if you include eating as a
physical activity we did a lot of that as well!

All food is cooked outside by our own men of course (no women at this
campout); most over an open fire, although one of the men brings along
a propane griddle for pancakes. We eat real good but probably not the
best food for long-term health since there’s lots of bacon and fried foods.
I will share some representative photos below. Forewarning: it just
might make you hungry.
An old phrase, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”,
speaks of the value a man places on good cooking. Well, it seems that
Jesus used food to reach people’s hearts on various occasions as well.
Today we share three daily texts regarding eating. “Come and dine” is a
literal invitation from Jesus during a post resurrection experience as He
welcomed the disciples to join Him for a breakfast he had prepared over
a hot fire beside the lake shore (John 21:1-14). Other versions state,
“Come and have breakfast.” It was the first men’s breakfast of note, a
staple fixture in many churches these days.
Breakfast was followed by one of His final teachings prior to the
Ascension. The disciples had been fishing all night and were surely very
hungry. Any of us who have worked real hard know this type of hunger.
How considerate of our Lord to meet their physical needs prior to
ministering to their spiritual. When they got off the boat He had fish
grilling over a fire and bread. “Jesus came and took the bread and gave
it to them, and the fish likewise” (v. 13).
The disciples came to land,
Thus obeying Christ’s command,
For the Master called unto them, “Come and dine”;
There they found their heart’s desire,
Thus He satisfies the hungry every time.
The second text is a familiar passage from the Book of Revelation and is

often used in an appeal for someone to open his or her heart to Christ.*
In fact one of the most famous works in Christian art is based on this
passage. Christ has promised He will come in and eat with anyone who
opens the door, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door.”
“I will come in and eat with him, and he with me”. Eating here conveys
the idea of close fellowship (Luke 19:5-7; John 13). Jesus says He will
“eat with him” through ongoing fellowship as we hear His voice and
opens the door.
Our biggest and most important meal though is future, the promise of
dining with Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. “Blessed are
those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Perhaps I
will be seated right next to you or across from you on that day when we
enjoy the feast of a lifetime and fellowship divine!
Soon the Lamb will take His bride
All the host of Heaven will assembled be;
O ’twill be a glorious sight,
Today we urge our readers to have living fellowship with our Living
Lord. Experience the joy in the old song that states, “And He walks with
me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own; And the joy
we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.”
“Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,

To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, just as we enjoy the nourishment of food at
mealtime to grow us physically, so we enjoy the nourishment of Your
Word that builds us spiritually. We have tasted and seen that You are
good. Fill us to overflowing through the reading and application of Your
Holy Word and through the daily fellowship of Your Holy Spirit. We
gladly accept Jesus’ invitation to come and dine at His table of
forgiveness, compassion, humility, acceptance, and joy beyond measure.
It is a table fit for royalty and peasant alike, for we are one and the same
in the eyes of our Creator, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen.
https://dailyencouragement.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/come-and-dine-
the-master-calleth/
COME AND DINE
Many years ago when we first moved to our present home, we were
surrounded by fields of corn grown by a neighboring farmer. Quite
early in the morning his wife would walk through the rows to check on
the condition of the corn and as she walked she would sing hymns. And
because of the quietness of the morning hours we could often hear her.
And the hymn we heard the most often was "Come and Dine". Today
the fields and the farmer and his wife are gone, replaced by a housing
development. And we do miss her and her frequent morning concerts.
But we often think about what appeared to be one of her favorite

hymns. Pastor Charles B. Widmeyer (1894-1974) wrote the words and
music for this gospel song in 1906. He studied vocal music from age 12
and, at age 15 began teaching classes of his own. His first song was
actually written at age 15. He wrote more than 350 songs and edited or
contributed to many songbooks. "Come and Dine" was written
following the reading of John 21 and his meditation on the similarity
between the tired, hungry disciples and people of his day who were both
spiritually and physically hungry. It is based on an incident described
in John 21:1-14 in which Peter and half a dozen of the other disciples
had fished all night and had nothing to show for it. This was
discouraging and they had probably worked up a big appetite. But
Jesus was on the shore and had apparently not only caught fish, but
prepared them, along with some breakfast toast. He called for them to
make one more cast of their net "on the right side of the boat". The
amazing result was a catch so great that they had trouble hauling the
net into the boat. They found that they had caught 153 "large fish".
When they came ashore, the Lord invited them to "come and eat
breakfast", or, in the KJV that Widmeyer was using, "Come and dine."
This was an example of the loving care and provision of the Lord. He
provided for them in a very practical way as He does for us today. He
had anticipated their need and was prepared in advance to meet it.
What a joy to be able to trust in God's provision, knowing that He
already knows what we'll face tomorrow and stands by ready to help us.
"My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). And so, even today, the Lord knows our
needs, often before we even know them, and He says "Come and dine"
with me, at any time, and trust me to provide and meet those needs.
Listen to His call today and rest at the table He has spread for you. He
will supply your every need.
1. Jesus has a table spread

He invites His chosen people, "Come and dine";
Oh, 'tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!
"Come and dine," the Master calleth, "Come and dine";
You may feast at Jesus' table all the time;
To the hungry calleth now, "Come and dine."
2. The disciples came to land,
Thus obeying Christ's command,
For the Master called unto them, "Come and dine";
There they found their heart's desire,
Thus He satisfies the hungry every time
.
3. Soon the Lamb will take His bride
All the host of heaven will assembled be;

Oh, 'twill be a glorious sight,
https://barryshymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/come-and-dine.html
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my
mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate
every false way.” Psalms 119:103-104
After surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from my stomach, which
required a third of my stomach to also be removed, I lost my appetite.
In addition, my taste buds were out of whack. I ate because I had to. It’s
been about two months since the surgery and my appetite is much
stronger now and my taste buds are much improved.
Do you have taste buds for the Word of God? How about your appetite
for the Word; is it weak or strong? When we have little delight or
appetite for the Word of God, this is a sign of spiritual ill health.
What causes this serious malady in the Christian? In a way, Christians
must acquire a taste for God’s word through the Spirit as we take time
to read, study and meditate upon it. However, many don’t take time for
the word of God or, if they do, they eat it in a hurry. Have you ever said
to someone who invited you for dinner, “I’m sorry, but I have to eat and
run”? We will eat the food in order not to offend the person who took

time to prepare it. But we really don’t have time to sit with the person
who prepared it and enjoy the meal with them. Sadly, this is how many
often approach God’s Holy Word.
God’s word is the feast that He has prepared for us to enjoy with Him.
But too often, if we do eat, we do so in the hurry—we eat it while our
minds are on the things we need to do or the places we need to go.
Sometimes what we do is settle for the Pop Tart one minute devotional
because anything more than that would take too much time.
Surely there are difficult passages in the bible that will take some time
to study, meditate upon and digest in order to savor its goodness. But
that just it, we don’t take the time to acquire that taste. So the Pop Tart
that someone else cooked up will have to do. But the truth is that this
approach to the bible will not sustain us. It will not increase our
affections for God and His word in such a way that causes our affection
for sin to decrease.
God desires for us to sit down and enjoy the meal He has prepared for
us. More than that, He desires that we enjoy the meal with Him. “Jesus
said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with
me” (Revelations 3:20). This kind of communion with Jesus doesn’t
happen on the run. You can’t get it to go. You see, what we need is not
simply information from God, but transformation, as we behold His
glory. We need our minds to be renewed (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians
3:18). This renewing of the mind happens when we stay for the meal
because we want to enjoy communion with Jesus. When we dine with
Jesus we do much more listening than we do talking. When we dine with
Jesus we eat slowly because we want to savor every moment with Him.
While we are enjoying the meal, we are asking, “Lord, tell me more
about the wonder of who you are and your ways.” When we dine with
Jesus the cares of this life and the affections for this world diminished in
the presence of His Majesty. “Come and dine,” the Master calleth,
“Come and dine.”

https://mbcblog.home.blog/2019/02/06/come-and-dine-the-master-
calleth/
There are things that we do out of necessity and other things we do with
great delight. Sometimes the things we do that are a necessity can also
be things that we desire to do and that bring us great delight. One
example of this is eating. But, as I mentioned in my previous blog, we
can lose our appetite for food, like I did after a recent surgery. However,
I continued eating. And I did so not because I desired to eat, but because
I desired to live.
If you don’t have a longing for the Word, read it anyhow. Read and or
listen to it, whether you feel like it or not. Why? Because it’s a matter of
life or death? We will not live a spiritually vibrant and fruitful life apart
from the intake of the Word of God. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”
(Matthew 4:4).
Furthermore, you will not develop longings for the Word of God, unless
you get into it. The more you read the Word of God the more you’ll
want to read it. The less you read it the less you’ll want to read it. It’s as
simple as that.
Delight in Jesus (the Savior)
In relation to desiring the Word of God, Peter writes, “if indeed you
have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3). Desire for the Word of
God comes from having tasted the grace and goodness of the Lord.
Having tasted His goodness in salvation and living your life in close
communion with the Lord will stir within you a greater longing for His
Word.
The reason that someone would have no desire for the Word is either
they’ve never tasted the grace and goodness of God in Salvation or they
have little intimacy with God, which apart from God’s Word you can’t

experience. Have you tasted that the Lord is good?
“The image of milk and of tasting the Lord’s kindness brings up the fact
that the Word is not just to fill your head with knowledge. It is to fill
your life with delight as you get to know the Divine author and enjoy
Him in all His perfections. Taste points both to personal experience and
enjoyment. I can’t taste for you, nor you for me. We can only taste for
ourselves. To taste something, we’ve got to experience it up close. You
can see and hear and smell at a distance, but you can only taste
something by touching it to your tongue. You can only taste God’s Word
by drawing near to God and personally appropriating the riches of
knowing Him. Once you like the taste of something, you don’t just eat it
to live; you live to eat it. You want it as often as you can get it. God’s
Word is that way for all who have tasted His kindness” (Steven Cole).
Do you want to taste the goodness and grace of God? Do you want to
experience the delight of a close and intimate relationship with the
Lord? You must get to know Him through His word for yourself. The
following are some keys for how to come to the table to dine with Jesus:
Prioritize the Word: Make time for the Word.
Ponder the Word: Meditate upon a portion of scripture and think about
how it applies to your life.
Pen the Word: Have a pen in hand (or electronic device) to make notes
and a journal to write what God is teaching you. Writing has a way of
making you think deeply upon the word.
Personalize the Word: “Personalizing Scripture” means taking God’s
Word and applying it to yourself by re-phrasing it in the first person
singular.
Pray the Word: Pray for illumination and pray from that illumination.
Let your time in the Word and the scriptures that you personalize
become your prayer to God
Practice the Word: To be blessed by the word you must do more than

hear it and read it; you must obey it.
Proclaim the Word: Share what God is showing you with others.
Someone said, “The more of the word of God you give away the more it
will stick with you.
https://mbcblog.home.blog/2019/02/07/come-and-dine-the-master-
calleth-what-do-you-do-when-you-have-no-appetite-part-two/
Come and Dine
by John Janzen © 2017
“Come and dine”, the Master calleth, “come and dine”
Not your righteousness or worthiness, but Mine
Is it true you question how
You can dine with Christ just now
When in truth He is the One who cleanses you
To the table, He is able, come and dine
And remember now the Lord with bread and wine
Body broken now as bread
Wine to show the blood was shed
It’s the finished work He did, not what you do
Thus remember now your Savior, come and dine

Know for certain you’re in Christ and you are fine
Don’t be searching deep for sin
Rather let His peace come in
And rejoice that He has called you now His own
Deal indeed in righteous anger with your sin
Deal the moment that the sin has entered in
Don’t put off to put away
‘til you’re near communion day
To make right the wicked seed that you have sown
Come and dine, the Master calleth don’t delay,
Don’t judge worth by all those things you do and say
It’s in Christ you stand complete
Not upon your own two feet
Now be still and rest in what His worth ensures
Rest assured the Lord completes the work he starts
Showing patience as He heals our broken hearts
As He works with what remains
Let us lift our glad refrains
And partake of what His finished work secures

Blessed hope you have in Jesus Christ the Lord
Trade for sin His righteousness as your reward
He alone has paid the cost
For salvation on the cross
King of kings and Lord of lords in Heav’n adored
Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine
And rejoice that you are His and He is thine
You no greater joy have known
Than the love that Christ has shown
To the table, He is able, praise the Lord!
https://www.christart.com/poetry/poem5212.htm
Biblical Illustrator
Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
John 21:12, 13
Loving invitation
C. H. Spurgeon.
(cf. John 1:39): — Here is —
I. NEARNESS familiar and domestic. While we are sinners faith brings
us into a justified state by simply looking to Christ; but after believing
faith then assists us to enjoy Christ. Some expect to enjoy Christ first
and believe Him afterwards; but you must take God's mercies in their

order. You will not find "Come and dine" in the first chapter of John —
there it is, "Come and see." Believe Jesus first, and you shall feed on
Him afterwards. "Come and see" gives peace, but "Come and dine"
gives heaven, for it gives Christ.
II. UNION WITH JESUS, because the only meat that we can eat when
we dine with Christ is Himself. We do not provide the supper. Christ
found the fish, the fire, and the bread, and then said, "Come and dine."
The fire that warms our heart when we have fellowship with Him comes
from Himself, and the fish that we eat is His own, and the wine that we
drink flows from His own heart. Oh, what union is this!
III. FELLOWSHIP WITH THE SAINTS. You are not to eat your
morsel alone, but in company. We sit down in heaven with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and no small
part of the hereafter bliss is connected with the fellowship of the saints.
So here we enjoy the company as well as the feast. The Supper of the
Lord is the table of communion, not only with the Master, but also with
all who love Him. Hungry men are sure to be quarrelsome, but if you
would have sweetest fellowship with each other, live on Christ. We do
not expect to see all Christians agreeing, but we are sure that one of the
most likely plans for cultivating a brotherly spirit is to listen to Christ's
words, "Come and dine."
IV. THE SOURCE OF STRENGTH FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN. To
look at Christ is to live, but for strength to serve Him you must come
and dine. We need as much food for the soul as for the body, and unless
we eat we shall be fainting by the way. If you want to be as Mr.
Feeblemind, take only a small modicum of spiritual food in your closets;
neglect family prayer; never attend a prayer-meeting; on no account
speak about religious matters during the week; go late to the house of
God, and fall asleep when you get there; as soon as you leave the place
of worship talk about the weather. All your strength depends upon
union with Christ. Away from Him you must wither as a branch severed
from the vine. Feeding on Him you will be like the branch which is
drinking up the sap from the parent stem; you will be strong enough to

bring forth fruit.
V. GROWTH AND PROGRESS IN SPIRITUAL THINGS. To see
Christ is to begin the Christian's life, but to grow in grace we must
"come and dine." The early history of the first disciples is by no means
satisfactory. They were evidently only babes in spiritual things. They
had seen Jesus, and loved Him, and followed Him, but they were far
from possessing the Spirit of Christ. Now after they had reached this
stage of living on Christ they became new men. It is no longer mere
sight, but an inward appropriation, and the consequences are manifest.
Many Christians remain stunted and dwarfed. They exist but do not
grow. The reason is evident, they are not taking of Christ, and they
neglect to appropriate to themselves the blessing which He is waiting to
bestow.
VI. PREPARATION FOR SERVICE. Before the feast is concluded,
Christ says to Peter, "Feed My lambs;" "Feed My sheep;" "Follow
Me." All the strength supplied by Christ is for service. Some Christians
are for living on Christ, but are not so anxious to live for Christ. Heaven
is the place where saints feast most and work most. Now, earth should
be a preparation for heaven; come and dine, and then go and labour.
Freely ye receive, freely give; gather up all the fragments of your feast,
and carry the loaves and fishes to others, as did the disciples. We are not
to hold the precious grains of truth like a mummy does the wheat, for
ages, without giving it a chance of growing. No, feed yourself, and then
go forth and bid others come and eat and drink. Why does the Lord
send down the rain upon the thirsty earth, and give the sunshine and the
genial refreshing breeze?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The dinner on the Galilean shore
D. Thomas, D. D.
an emblem of redemption: —

I. THE TIME WAS OPPORTUNE. The disciples had tried all their
resources for means of a livelihood that night and had failed. They were
no doubt tired, hungry, and dejected. The dinner came just at the right
time. It is just so with the redemptive system. After the world had tried
everything for its salvation — poetry, philosophy, religion, civilization
— and grew worse, Christ came "in the fulness of time."
II. THE PROVISIONS WERE DESIRABLE. The fish they caught they
had been toiling all night to obtain. They were craving for such food.
The provisions of the gospel are both suited to man's needs and urgently
required. They are —
1. Renovating.
2. Cleansing.
3. Developing.
4. Harmonizing.
5. Perfecting.In Isaiah 25:6 we have a description of the great Spiritual
banquet. How rich, varied, abundant the viands!
III. THE HOST WAS CONDESCENDING. What a sight! — the Son of
God preparing a feast for poor fishermen, and dining with them. Thus
He has done in redemption. He descended into the "lowest parts of the
earth," unto the lowest grades; "made Himself of no reputation."
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
A feast with Jesus
C. H. Spurgeon.
1. Our Lord is careful of bodily wants. Twice in the days of His flesh He
fed the people with bread and fish, and now He has risen He still thinks
of the hungering bodies of the disciples. This may be a warrant to the
churches to feed, not to try and proselytize.

2. If any of you are needy catch at this. He who said to the seven, "Come
and break your fast," will not forget you. I cannot tell how the fire was
lighted, &c., but some way or other you will be fed.
3. If Jesus is thus careful of bodily wants, much more will He be careful
of your souls. After He had supplied the one He proceeds to Supply the
other.
I. THE IMPORTANCE OF A FEAST WITH JESUS. It was important
to these men —
1. For they were wet and cold; so a fire was provided where they could
dry their jerseys and warm their hands. They were hungry too, and here
is the old food, light and easy of digestion. Christ does not like to see us
wet, and cold, and hungry, because it is not good for us. If, therefore,
you feel uncomfortable and unhappy Jesus does not want you to be so.
Many a battle has been lost because the soldiers were not in good
condition.
2. They were weary with the night's fruitless toil; and when Christ's
modern workers feel discouraged He invites them to come and break
their fast with Him.
3. They were likely to forget their bodily wants in their sudden success.
It is hungry work now to live on catching and counting. Successful
workers are prone to forget their own spiritual wants.
4. Christ was about to overhaul them. It is needful that Christ should
feed us before He searches us.
5. They were about to receive a commission. Christ does not send people
to feed His sheep and lambs without feeding them first.
6. They were about to enter on a perilous path. Wonder not that you are
called to endure fiery trials, but see that you are first fed on heavenly
bread.
II. JESUS ACTING AS HOST. IS not this wonderful? Jesus communing
with Thomas, who doubted Him, and Peter, who denied Him. Notice

Jesus our Host —
1. Preparing the feast. It was an act of creative power. Your soul can
ever feed on what Christ creates, but on nothing else.
2. Waiting on the feasters. Sometimes a host will say, "Help yourselves,"
but we cannot help ourselves; so "Jesus cometh and taketh bread and
giveth them." There is good spiritual food in the Word, but sometimes
we cannot get at it; so Jesus puts it into our hearts.
3. Showing Himself. Giving them food was the most effective manner of
doing this. When the Word nourishes most, then is the time of the
clearest vision of Christ; and that vision is the most satisfying thing on
earth or in heaven.
III. THE PROVISIONS.
1. What He had mysteriously prepared. Feed now on the mysteries of —
(1)Everlasting love.
(2)The covenant of grace.
(3)The brotherhood of Christ.
(4)Atoning efficacy.
2. What He had graciously given. God's mercies are like the hundred
and fifty and three — an odd number, but very exact. Has not your net,
too, been full of answers to prayer?
IV. HOW THE GUESTS BEHAVED THEMSELVES.
1. They only spoke one word — "No;" which betrayed the emptiness
and hunger of their souls. You may say to your Lord, "I am a negative,
nobody and nowhere without Thee." The devotion which shows itself by
bawling may be genuine, but it is very superficial. Deep waters are still.
It takes a wise man to hold his tongue.
2. They asked Christ no questions. People who have no religion are fond
of religious questions. But when you get near Christ there is no

questioning. We believe in the Bible because we know the Author, and
are therefore not troubled with sceptical doubts. They were lost in
wonder at His amazing condescension, and His majestic presence. What
could they do but hold their tongues?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Communion with Christ
Dean Vaughan.
This chapter has a sacramental character, and the words, "Come and
dine," are a summons to communion. Note —
I. THE ENTERTAINMENT.
1. There is already fish prepared when Jesus says, "Bring of the fish
now caught." Host and guest must each contribute. "If any man will
hear My voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and
he with Me," i.e., I with him as his Guest, and he with Me as Mine. It is
so here. Communion implies reciprocity. When Christ meets His people
at the holy feast He is there as the Host who furnishes the fire and the
fish, the bread and the wine, the supplies of grace and of the Spirit. But
He is also the Guest. We partake of Him, but He looks to partake of us,
though we know that He can find nothing that can give Him pleasure till
He puts it there. This fish which we must bring He guided into the net.
Christ having first given the grace comes to receive of it. He is
spiritually present to receive as well as communicate that highest joy
which is the interchange of conscious feeling and trusted love, to
partake of us as we of Him.
2. If this be the case can we come thoughtlessly, with defiled hands, or
with self-righteousness to offer ourselves for Christ's participation?
Nay, but let us come with what He craves, the love on receiving which
here or anywhere He sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied.
II. THE FEELING. "None durst ask Him." Why should they if they

knew? The saying expresses that almost new converse with which the
disciples after the Resurrection regarded their Lord. One there had
previously presumed to question, "Be it far from Thee, Lord." It was
not so now. Think with what instinctive awe we should regard a similar
manifestation of Christ now. Questioning would have been impertinent.
They must wait for Him to speak now. It would also have been
mistrusting. Well enough did they know it was the Lord,
notwithstanding the changes which the three days had wrought. There is
a familiarity in words, hymns, meditations, in these times which befits
not our intercourse with the Risen. Let the feeling which reigns around
the Lord's table be one of reverence. This is not dread, distance,
bondage, but adoring love.
III. THE CONVERSATION. Some have found it difficult to maintain a
spirit of prolonged communion at the Lord's table; but let them learn
from this to commune about —
1. Their sins. Who can doubt that Peter's three denials were uppermost
in his heart? Yet you will note that there was no remorse for an
irrevocable past, and no excuses for inexcusable guilt. Be guided by this
in your communion, and this one topic will provide enough for an
hour's profitable discourse.
2. Their work. This communion brought reinstatement for Peter in his
apostolate, and a particular designation to his future employment.
Converse, then, about thy work, its past deficiencies, and thy need of
present and future strength to do it.
3. Their future. Peter's was here revealed, and if thine is not in such
particularity, yet the words, "Follow Me," will hearten thee to meet it,
whatever it may be.
4. Their friends, "What shall this man do?"
(Dean Vaughan.)

Art Davison
COME AND DINE
JOHN 21: 1-14
INTRODUCTION:
One day in the not too distant future (3rd appearance) we will hear the
word of our Lord when He says in verse 12, “Come and dine.” At
present He is preparing us a place and soon He will come and receive us
to Himself. He will speak as a Friend, the one who loves us with an
everlasting love.
I. NOTICE HERE HOW FREE CHRIST WAS WITH HIS
DISCIPLES.
A. He treated them as FRIENDS, JOHN 15:13-14, “Greater love hath
no man that this that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14-Ye are
my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.
B. HE DID NOT SAY to His disciples, Come, and wait, Come, and
attend me, but COME AND DINE, JOHN 21:12, “Jesus saith unto
them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, who art
thou? Knowing that it was the Lord.

C. When the Lord calls, you will not ask, WHO ARE YOU? JOHN
21:12, “Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples
durst ask him, who art thou? KNOWING THAT IT WAS THE LORD.”
1. Saul of Tarsus got acquainted with the Lord, ACTS 9:5, “And he said,
who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I AM JESUS whom thou
persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
2. You WILL KNOW that it is the Lord as Samuel knew, 1 SAMUEL
3_10, “And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times,
Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, SPEAK; FOR THY
SERVANT HEARETH.”
II. THE CALL OF CHRIST IS…
A. “All things are now READY; COME,” MATTHEW 22:4, “Again, he
sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I
have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all
things are ready: come unto the marriage.”
B. Come, to the feast, come, and DINE UPON HIM.
1. His flesh is meat indeed, JOHN 6:55, “For my FLESH IS MEAT

indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
2. His blood is drink indeed, JOHN 6:56, “He that eateth my flesh, and
DRINKETH MY BLOOD, dwelleth in me, and I in hi
III. CHRIST IS A FRIEND
A. “Come, ye blessed of my Father;” MATTHEW 25:34, “Then shall
the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world:”
B. Come, sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, MATTHEW
8:11, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and
west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the
kingdom of heaven.”
C. There is room and BREAD ENOUGH for all, LUKE 15:17, “And
when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my
father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”
1. Without doubt there is FAMINE in this world as there was in the
Lord’s day, Luke 15:14, “And when he had spent all, there arose a
mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.”
2. However, there is a GREATER FAMINE of the Bread of Life in the
world:

a. Eat this roll (the Word of God), EZEKIEL 3:1, “Moreover he said
unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak
unto the house of Israel.”
b. It was as sweet as honey, EZEKIEL 3:2-4 2- “So I opened my mouth,
and he caused me to eat that roll. 3- And he said unto me, Son of man,
cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.
Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 4-
And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel,
and speak with my words unto them.”
D. The Fellowship will be WONDERFUL, 1 JOHN 1:3, “That which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have
fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with
his Son Jesus Christ.”
1. Fellowship with believers, ACTS 2:42, “And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers.”
a. …In the apostles’ doctrine,
b. …In fellowship, what is common to all.
c. …In breaking of bread,

d. …In prayers.
2. Fellowship is with the Father, JOHN 17:3 “And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent.
3. Fellowship is with Jesus Christ, I CORINTHIANS 1:9, “God is
faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord.”
4. Fellowship is with the Spirit of God,
http://artdavison.com/come-and-dine-john-21-1-14
https://www.preachology.com/theres-always-room-at-the-table.html
"I can remember growing up when the evening meal was a major
production around our house. The table would always be crammed full
of homemade vegetables, meat and desert. Not to mention those big
Baptist Biscuits. We were always pleased to have company come by. And
you know what, there was always room to pull up an extra chair. Yes,
always room at the table.
Isn't that like our Heavenly Father. He never turns anyone away from
the acceptance of His free Grace, by our faith through the shed blood of
Christ at Calvary.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with
Me."(Rev 3:20)
Eat and Drink with Jesus
Enjoying Our Lord at His Table
Article by Dave Zuleger
Pastor, Lakeville, Minnesota
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of
Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of
Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for
we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16–17)
We often talk about our “walks” with the Lord, but when was the last
time we sat down and ate a meal with him?
In the ancient Jewish Passover meal, the third cup was called the “cup
of blessing.” That was the part of the meal that Jesus radically
transformed into what we call “the Lord’s Supper.” Instead of
remembering the time God had spared all the firstborn of Israel with
blood on their doorposts to escape from Egypt, now Jesus’s disciples
would celebrate the body of Jesus broken for them, and the blood of
Jesus spilled for them, to escape the wrath of God.
The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:16 that when we partake of
the bread and of the cup, we “fellowship” with our Savior (the word for
“participation” in verses 16 and 17 is the word for “fellowship”

elsewhere). In other words, we participate with Jesus spiritually at his
Table.
This is key: We are not merely remembering Jesus when we come to his
Table; we are eating with him. Though remembering him remains
significant, more is happening than that. Jesus himself is present by the
Spirit. As we eat and drink, we eat and drink with him, and renew
ourselves spiritually through him.
At his Table, we do not eat and drink the physical body of Christ, but
we do eat and drink of him spiritually. By this we mean that the gospel
— which has been completed once for all as a saving grace — is applied
in fresh ways as we gather at the Table. Jesus himself meets with us as
his blood-bought body of believers to help us fix our eyes on him and
fight sin and treasure him, by the power of his Spirit.
Invited to the Family Meal
God invites us to this meal. In 1 Corinthians 1:9, we see this same word
for participation used for the first time in this letter:
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our intimacy with Christ comes from our calling by God. One of the
ways we fellowship with Christ in spectacular intimacy happens at the
Lord’s Table.
Jesus meets with us, and among us, as we come to this “fellowship in the
blood of Christ.” Communion is a holy moment for the church when we
not only acknowledge our sin and unworthiness, but then also fellowship
with Jesus as we ask him to help us live for the glory of the Father.
In this holy meal, we recognize that there is one bread, and that we who
are many are one body as we all partake from this one bread. This is a
family meal. Christ has taken us all in — in all our diversity, in all our
stories, in all our sinfulness, in all of our sufferings. Because there is

only one true bread from heaven, all who believe in him are one body,
eating and drinking spiritually from one great shared hope.
A Better Banquet
The act of eating and drinking together is a unifying, beautiful, and holy
time to gather as the people of God, confess sins, and receive help as we
eat and drink with Jesus. Paul appeals to that very picture in 1
Corinthians 1:18.
Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices
participants in the altar?
The answer is Yes! All of those physically part of the old covenant with
Israel were meant to come to the altar, eat and drink of the sacrifices as
a meal with God, and celebrate their forgiveness as a people. They
participated in the benefits of the sacrifice and ate and drank in the
presence of God.
How much greater, then, is the new covenant family meal that celebrates
the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins? How
much greater that God no longer dwells in a temple far away, but
instead indwells us as his temple so that when we come to the Table,
Christ is with us by his Spirit? How much greater that we are not joined
by circumcision into a physical, temporary nation, but instead joined by
the blood of Christ into a spiritual, eternal family?
What a privilege to fellowship as a family with Christ. This privilege
keeps us united and pressing on in holiness. This privilege provides
empowering grace to help us fight sin so that we won’t mix fellowship
with Christ and fellowship with sin. This is a meal to help us fix our eyes
on Jesus and link arms as a family, as we walk forward together toward
eternal glory in the strength that he supplies.
When we finally arrive, we will feast again together, joining in the
wedding supper of the Lamb, free of sin, in the presence of Jesus, where

there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
So, come to the table as a blood-bought family, eager to receive all the
grace you need in the fight of faith, and eat and drink with Jesus.
Dave Zuleger (@DaveZuleger) serves as lead pastor for Bethlehem
Baptist Church, South Campus, in Lakeville, Minnesota, and graduated
from Bethlehem College & Seminary. He and his wife, Kelly, have four
children.
Steven J. Cole
How to Have Dinner With Jesus (Luke 14:15-24)
Related Media
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Have you ever had dinner with a famous person? If so, you probably
paid dearly for the privilege ($1,000 a plate to have dinner with the
President) or you knew someone who got you in the door. Or, perhaps
you were privileged to know the famous person yourself. But in any
case, dining with a famous person is not something for the masses. Only
a few get that privilege.
Today I want to tell you how you all can have dinner with Jesus. You
would think that everyone would jump at that opportunity, but as we
will see, many turn down the invitation. When I say, “have dinner with
Jesus,” I am using a metaphor of the joys and delights of being with
Him in His kingdom, dining at the Messianic banquet that He provides

throughout all eternity. The Book of Revelation refers to it as the
marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9) and makes it clear that you
will want to be there. Jesus Himself referred to it in Luke 13:28-29,
where He said that people from all corners of the earth will dine with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom, but many who assumed
that they would be included will be cast out. I want to show you how you
can be sure that there will be a place at the table with your name on it.
The unstated question that lies behind our text is, “What sort of person
will be in the kingdom of God?” The Jewish leaders assumed, “People
just like us will be in the kingdom, of course: good Jews who keep the
Law of Moses, who follow the traditions of the elders, who keep
themselves from ceremonial defilement.” If you had asked them, “What
sort of people will be excluded from the kingdom?” they would have
responded, “Gentile dogs, the immoral, the greedy, dishonest tax
collectors—those kinds of scum will not be in the kingdom.” But Jesus
yanks the rug out from under their self-righteous assumptions by telling
a parable.
To catch the full flavor of this parable, you must understand the setting.
Jesus was eating in the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on
the Sabbath. They were watching Jesus carefully to catch Him in some
violation of their Sabbath laws (14:1). They believed that to heal
someone was work and therefore not permitted on the Sabbath. They
probably planted this man with dropsy right in front of Jesus to trap
Him. Jesus was not your typical, “polite” dinner guest who went out of
His way not to offend anyone. So, He defied the Pharisees by healing the
man (14:1-7).
Next, Jesus watched as these proud men picked out the places of honor
for themselves at the table. Then He delivered a pointed message about
humility, which must have humiliated the guests (14:7-11). Finally, as if
the tension were not great enough already, the Lord told the host that he
had invited the wrong guests! He said, “You should have invited the
poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind instead of all these friends,
relatives, and rich neighbors who can return the favor” (14:12-14)! At

this point you could have sliced the atmosphere with a knife!
At the end of Jesus’ rebuke (14:14), He mentions the resurrection of the
righteous. To break the tension and to try to sound spiritual, one of the
guests exclaims, “Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the
kingdom of God!” (14:15). He probably thought that both Jesus and all
the guests could agree with this pious comment. Everyone around the
table probably nodded in agreement and said to one another, “Amen! It
will be wonderful when we’re all there, won’t it!” Perhaps there was
some nervous laughter.
But Jesus wasn’t one to pass up opportunities! He was quick and ready
to correct wrong ideas in the spiritual realm. And so He told this
parable about the great dinner to correct this man, who wrongly was
assuming that he and all of his cronies would be present at that banquet
due to the fact that they were Jews, and not just any Jews, but
Pharisees. They saw themselves a few notches above the common Jewish
people, and not even in the same league with pagan Gentiles. Jesus
shows them that many of them would not be in the kingdom because
they were refusing the Lord’s invitation. To their great surprise, many
whom they assumed would not be there would in fact be there because
they responded to the invitation. The last would be first and the first last
(13:30). The answer to the question, “Who will be at God’s banquet in
the kingdom?” is, those who respond personally to the invitation.
To have dinner with Jesus in His kingdom, you must respond personally
to His invitation.
We will look first at the nature of God’s invitation and then at the
responses to His invitation.
1. The nature of God’s invitation: It is broad, free, and ample.
A. God’s invitation is a broad invitation.
Verse 16 states, “He invited many.” In the imagery of the parable, the
many who first were invited refers to the Jewish religious leaders of
Jesus’ day. These men had the privilege of studying the Scriptures. They

had read Moses; they knew what the Prophets predicted concerning the
Messiah. As Paul puts it in Rom. 3:2, they had the advantage of being
entrusted with the oracles of God. When the dinner hour came, God
sent His messenger, John the Baptist, to say, “Everything is ready now.”
But the Jewish leaders made excuses and did not come.
So the Lord expanded the invitation to the “outcasts” of Israel. The
Pharisees despised these people as “born entirely in sin” (John 9:34).
Many of the prostitutes, tax collectors and other notorious sinners
responded to God’s invitation and were following Jesus. This proud
Pharisee who invited Jesus to dinner would never have thought of
extending his invitation to these outcasts (14:13), but Jesus is telling him
that God’s invitation includes those whom the proud Pharisees had
rejected.
But there was still room at the master’s table (14:22). And so the
invitation goes still wider, outside the “city limits” of Judaism, to the
Gentiles who are out in the highways and along the hedges (14:23). At
His great banquet the Lord will have a great multitude which no one
can count from every nation and tribe and people and tongue (Rev. 7:9).
God’s invitation is a broad invitation! It includes every person from
every race, no matter whether his or her background is very religious or
completely pagan.
We commit a great error when we make the church an exclusive club
for the religiously inclined. Have you ever looked at someone and
thought, “That person would not be interested in the gospel because he
lives a very ungodly life”? Or, you see someone who looks like he
belongs to a motorcycle gang and you think, “That person doesn’t look
like a good candidate for a Christian!” Or perhaps we see a person
whose attire identifies her as a Hindu or a Muslim. We think, “She has
her own religion and way of life. The gospel is not for her.” Whenever
we think like that (and we all have), we’re limiting God’s broad
invitation of the gospel. His gospel will transform every sinner from
every background who will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. To every
person on this planet the Lord says, “Come, for everything is ready

now.”
B. God’s invitation is a free invitation.
The servant was not selling tickets for admission. It was not a $1,000 a
plate fundraiser for the kingdom. It wasn’t a benefit supper where you
kick in whatever you feel led. It wasn’t even a kingdom potluck, where
you bring a main dish and salad or dessert. The master says, “Come, for
everything is ready now.” All you need to bring is yourself and an
appetite. It is totally free for you, because the host picked up the tab.
You eat at His expense.
This is one of the most beautiful things about God’s gospel invitation,
and yet it is one of the most difficult things for people to accept because
it means that they cannot take any credit for themselves. If they can
offer something in exchange for the meal, they feel better about it, but to
come and eat freely is an affront to their dignity and pride. But there is
only one way that God offers His salvation: He pays for it all and all you
can do is come and receive it freely. Any other way would bring glory to
man. God’s way brings all the glory to Him and His grace.
At Christmas one year a pastor hoped to illustrate God’s free salvation.
He pointed to a beautiful Christmas poinsettia setting on the platform,
wrapped in red cellophane with a ribbon, and said, “Whoever wants
this gorgeous flower may have it. All you have to do is take it.” He
waited, but no one came forward to get it. Finally, a mother timidly
raised her hand and said, “I’ll take it.”
“Great, it’s yours,” said the pastor. But then the woman nudged her son
and said, “Go get it for me.” The pastor said, “No, whoever wants this
plant must come and get it personally. You can’t send a substitute.” The
woman shook her head, unwilling to risk embarrassment. She wouldn’t
go get it for herself.
The pastor waited, pointing to this beautiful plant that would make a
fine decoration in any home. It was free for the taking, but no one was
coming up to get it. Someone snickered, “What’s the catch?” “No

catch,” said the pastor. “It’s totally free.”
A college student asked, “Is it glued to the platform?” Everyone
laughed. “No,” the pastor said, “it’s not glued to the platform. It’s just
setting there, free for the taking.”
A teenage girl asked, “Can I take it after the service?” The pastor was
tempted to give in, but he thought of the verse, “Today is the day of
salvation,” and shook his head: “You must come and get it now.”
He was just beginning to wish that he had never started the whole thing
when a woman he had never seen before stood up in the back. Quickly,
as if she were afraid that she would change her mind, she strode to the
front and picked up the plant. “I’ll take it,” she said. After she had gone
back to her seat, the pastor launched into his message on Romans 6:23,
that the gift of God is eternal life, free to all who will receive it.
After the service, when most of the people had gone home, the woman
who had claimed the poinsettia came up to the platform where the
pastor was picking up his Bible to leave. “Here!” She held out her hand.
“This flower is too pretty to just take home for free. I couldn’t do that
with a clear conscience.” The pastor looked down at the crumpled paper
the woman had stuffed into his hand. It was a ten dollar bill. (Adapted
from “Leadership,” Spring, 1990, p. 125.)
Friends, you can’t stuff the ten dollar bill of your good works into God’s
hand to pay for His salvation banquet. He provides it all, totally free to
you, but at great expense to Himself. Human nature is so inclined to
boast in good works that when you tell people the good news about
Jesus, you must take pains to make it clear that God’s invitation is free
and only free.
C. God’s invitation is an ample invitation.
He says, “Come, for everything is ready now.” Everything! All you can
eat and more besides! He makes all the necessary provisions beforehand
and puts them on the table. When you walk in the door, you see a table
loaded with appetizers. Help yourself! There is a full salad bar, along

with soup. Go back as often as you wish. There are several selections for
the main dish. Would you like prime rib or lobster? And there is pie a la
mode to top it all off! It is the most fabulous feast you can imagine, all
freely provided by the host for everyone who will come and eat.
What a great picture of the abundant salvation God so freely provides
for sinners! When you come to His banquet table in Christ, He doesn’t
just give you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He gives you the
works! He is a fountain of living water to wash away all of your sins. He
gives you the indwelling Holy Spirit who gives you peace to replace your
anxiety, joy to replace your depression, power to overcome your sins
and wisdom to make the right decisions. You have fellowship every day
with the gracious Savior and the promise of eternity with Him in
heaven. The apostle Peter describes it like this: “His divine power has
granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the
true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence”
(2 Pet. 1:3). Long before we ever thought of God, He thought of us and
made ample provision for our salvation. His abundant provision means
that you are welcome to come to His table and eat until you are satisfied.
With that kind of offer, you may wonder, “How can anyone refuse?” But
Jesus’ parable clearly warns that some do refuse God’s broad, free, and
ample invitation.
2. The responses to God’s invitation: Some refuse with excuses, while
others personally accept it.
To ignore or postpone responding is to refuse the invitation, because the
table is ready now. At some point soon, every seat will be full and the
door will be shut. Those who procrastinate may miss the opportunity.
Let’s look first at those who refuse:
A. Some refuse God’s invitation with excuses.
Each of those who are first on the invitation list responds with an excuse
for why he cannot come. The first man says that he cannot come
because he has bought a piece of land and he must go out and look at it.

This is a flimsy excuse! Who would buy a piece of land sight unseen?
Besides, why does he need to go to look at it at the same time as the
dinner? If he wanted to, he could plan to do both. Clearly, he did not
want to come to the dinner. He represents the person who is tied up with
his possessions or investments so that he has no time for God. He forgets
that this very night his soul may be required of him, and then who will
own what he has worked so hard to accumulate?
The second man says that he cannot come because he has bought five
yoke of oxen and he is going to try them out. Again, it was a flimsy
excuse. No one would buy oxen without first trying them out. Like the
first man, this man was caught up with his possessions and his work. He
can’t even take time off to have dinner with Jesus. He is living for the
things of this world, but he is neglecting his soul.
The third man says that he cannot come because he has married a wife.
Perhaps he is saying that he couldn’t bear to be apart from his beloved
for even a few hours. Maybe his wife didn’t want him to go anywhere
without her. At any rate, he was making an idol of his wife, putting her
above his need for God. As Jesus goes on to say, “If anyone comes to Me,
and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and
brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My
disciple” (14:26).
The interesting thing is that none of these excuses was sinful, in and of
itself. There is nothing wrong with buying land or animals (or
machinery) to work the land. The Bible commends enterprise and hard
work. There is nothing wrong with marriage and the love of family. The
Bible commands us to love our families. But the point is, things that are
legitimate in their rightful place can be wrong if they hinder us from
getting right with God. It is not just gross, flagrant sins that keep people
out of God’s kingdom. Good things wrongly emphasized will do the
trick just as well. If a person gets wrongfully caught up with these
otherwise good things, he can invent all sorts of excuses for not
accepting the Lord’s invitation to His dinner.

There may be someone here who is so caught up with your possessions
or your leisure pursuits or your career that you are neglecting your soul.
Perhaps you are single and longing for a mate and you would consider
marrying even a non-Christian, because you think he or she would
bring you fulfillment and happiness. You would put momentary
pleasure above the eternal pleasure of dinner with Jesus. You’re saying,
“Lord, I can’t come to Your dinner because I have married a wife.”
To allow anything to cause you to refuse or put off accepting God’s offer
of salvation is a foolish decision. The host gets angry at the refusal,
because it was a rude personal insult to turn down such a bountiful
invitation. God offered His own Son as the sacrifice for sinners to be
reconciled to Him. As the author of Hebrews asks, “How shall we escape
if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Heb. 2:3). As the host here declares,
“For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my
dinner” (14:24). The refusal of the first group led the host to send out
the invitation to others who accepted his offer.
B. Others respond personally to God’s offer in spite of potential excuses.
The striking thing is that everyone who accepted the invitation could
have come up with seemingly legitimate excuses for not coming. The
poor man could say, “I don’t have anything decent to wear to such a
feast.” The crippled man could say, “I can’t get anyone to carry me
there.” The blind could say, “I can’t see to find my way.” The lame
could say, “It hurts me too much to walk on my bad leg.” Those along
the highways and hedges, the street people, could say, “I haven’t had a
bath in days and my clothes are dirty and ragged. I can’t come.” But
they all accepted the offer because the servant convinced them that they
were welcome and they clearly knew their own need; they were hungry.
They believed the offer and they responded personally to it in spite of
the potential excuses they each could have come up with.
The servant didn’t run a background check on all these people before he
invited them to the feast. Their background didn’t matter. He didn’t
find out their nationality. He didn’t ask about their religious

background or whether they even had one. He didn’t get a promise that
they would behave and show proper manners at the dinner table. The
invitation was not based on anything in the recipients; it was based
totally on the goodness and bounty of the host. All that these people had
to do was recognize their hunger, believe that the offer was true, and
say, “Yes, I’ll come.” When they came, they found that the feast was far
better than they had ever expected or imagined.
Conclusion
One of the main hindrances that will keep you from having dinner with
Jesus is that you are so full of your own goodness that you won’t
acknowledge your need for His banquet. Your pride will make you say,
“I’ll bring the salad and dessert.” But the Lord says, “No, I provide it
all. You just come.”
Imagine a multimillionaire who sends his servant out in his limousine to
the poorest section of town. The servant tells the chauffeur to stop by a
bum in ragged clothes. He gets out and asks, “Would you like to come to
a feast at my master’s mansion? We’ll take you. Please, get in.”
The guy on the street eyes the servant warily and asks, “What’s the
catch?”
“There’s no catch; my master is a kind and generous man. He has
prepared a meal like you wouldn’t believe. Won’t you come?”
“I haven’t had a bath in days. I haven’t washed my clothes in weeks,
and these rags are all I own. I would feel out of place at a mansion.”
“There will be many others there just like you. The food is on the table
and the dinner is about to begin. Just come as you are.”
It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? It is good, but it’s also true,
according to Jesus. The main catch is, you have to see and admit that
you are that needy bum. Spiritually, you have nothing to commend
yourself to God. Salvation is not based on anything in you. In fact, it is
offered freely in spite of you. It is all of God’s free grace, not at all of

your works, lest anyone should boast.
Jesus is saying to each person, no matter how great your sins, “Come,
for I have prepared everything for you to be saved from God’s
judgment and to dine with Me for all eternity.” Will you say, “Yes, Lord.
I’ll come!”
Discussion Questions
Jesus seemed to ignore “politeness” at times to jar people out of their
spiritual complacency. Should we do likewise? How?
If no one can come to Christ without the Father’s drawing him (John
6:44) should we appeal to lost people to come? Why?
How can we know if a person’s excuse for not receiving Christ is
genuine or a smokescreen?
Jesus says, “Compel them to come in.” To what extent can we use
persuasiveness or “sales techniques” in evangelism?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 1999, All Rights Reserved.
Dining with Jesus
August 29, 2004 by TDK
Sermon for Old First Presbyterian Church
August 29, 2004
Pamela Byers
Elder, First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco
Executive Director, Covenant Network of Presbyterians

Luke 14: 1, 7-14
Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16
As we read the gospels, it becomes clear that Jesus just had no
standards at all about whom he ate with. His utterly indiscriminate
table fellowship, in a society with strict rules of precedence and protocol
for dining, caused plenty of critical comment. People noticed and
complained that he ate with sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes – all sorts
of unsuitable people!
In today’s gospel story, though, Jesus is at a proper dinner in a proper
company – he’s having a Sabbath meal at the home of a leader of the
Pharisees. The story is set up like a typical Greek symposium – with
cultivated guests exchanging civilized conversation.
Jesus takes the opportunity, however, to comment provocatively on the
behavior both of his fellow guests and of the host. First he notices how
everyone’s moving their place cards around to sit closer to the head
table. Don’t shove yourself forward like that, he says – you only risk
embarrassing yourself.
Most scholars think that Luke probably added this particular bit of
worldly wisdom to catch the attention of the gentiles who were his
particular audience; but its punch-line is certainly a very common
theme in Jesus’ teaching:
“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted.” (v.11)
It’s by no means only the Pharisees or the gentiles, of course, who
jockey for position. All the gospels report the disciples arguing among
themselves as to who is more important; the mother of James and John
even comes to Jesus and asks to have her sons sit at his right and left
hand in the Kingdom (Matt. 20: 24-28). In Luke’s recounting, the
disciples are even arguing about “which one of them was to be regarded
as the greatest” during the last supper! (Lk. 22: 24). Any of this sound
familiar?

Getting back to this slightly awkward dinner party –
Jesus then turns his attention to the host, and perhaps not too
graciously questions his guest list.
“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or
your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may
invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a
banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you
will be blessed, because they cannot repay you.” (vv. 12-14)
Jesus is not here condemning normal socializing among family and
friends. We know that he himself enjoyed dinners at the home of his
friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and at Peter’s home; and when he
begins the Last Supper he tells his closest companions, “I have eagerly
desired to eat this Passover with you” (Lk. 22:14). Eating with friends is
one of the joys of life; a “companion” after all is someone with whom
you break bread.
But fellowship is not meant to be merely transactional, in which we
collect and repay social debts. And extending hospitality or kindness
just to our friends is no special merit. As Jesus says in the Sermon on
the Plain earlier in this gospel,
“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.” (Lk 6: 33)
Instead, Jesus tells those gathered at this dinner party,
“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and
the blind” (v. 14)
— people who would never expect to be invited , people who could never
repay the hospitality – people, by the way, who could really use a good
dinner.
Jesus in his life and teaching carried into startling and radical reality
the demands of the Covenantal law that underlies the whole Old
Testament. When God tells the Israelites over and over again, “You will

keep my law, and I will be your God, and you will be my people,” the
Law God is talking about is fundamentally a law of redistributive
justice. When the prophets warn Israel in the Old Testament, it is
always because they are both “running after false gods” and failing to
uphold the demands of justice. While everyone in that Covenant has a
strictly defined place, everyone also has rights. For example, the
Sabbath is not only for the landowners but also for the slaves – even for
the farm animals.
Torah law very consistently commands care for those unable to care for
themselves, especially those structurally without power – the widow, the
orphan, the stranger. The connection is clear and direct: “You shall love
the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the
LORD your God” (Lev. 19:34).
Jesus’ whole life and ministry ask in effect, Why aren’t we doing this?
The way of the world, under the Roman empire or the American
empire, assumes that you get ahead by working hard, cultivating the
right connections, accumulating money and position and power.
Very counter-intuitively, Jesus offers a whole other vision. “Blessed are
you poor,” he said, “for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you
who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” (Lk 6:20-21) This can be
true, his life shows, not just in a dreamed-of future, but right now, in a
community of true sharing. When Jesus fed the five thousand, it was a
preview of the eschatological banquet, in the Kingdom of God. However
one interprets that miracle (and there are as many interpretations as
interpreters), it all begins with the five loaves and two fish of one of
those present.
The earliest Christians do seem to have practiced a radically communal
lifestyle. Acts tells us that
“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they
would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all,
as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the
temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and

generous hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the
people.” (Acts 2: 44-47)
Scholar John Dominic Crossan suggests that this is how the early
church managed to spread, against all likelihood, after its founding
prophet had been killed. All very well to tell folks, he says, that Jesus
had been raised from the dead – the Graeco-Roman world knew plenty
of stories of gods and demigods who overcame normal human
boundaries. But if Jesus claimed –as he did – that God’s reign of justice
and community was already breaking in, the early church could show
that in its own life(1)
Jesus went even further in his own activities and teaching, though.
Besides the poor, he associated with all sorts of unsuitable people. He
spoke at length to a Samaritan woman (John 4: 6-29); he let a prostitute
anoint his feet (Luke 7: 36-50); he made himself ritually impure by
touching lepers and even the dead (Mk 1: 40-45, Mk 5: 35-42, and
parallels).
And he suggests in his surprising advice to the host that a generous
dinner would include not only the poor but also “the crippled, the lame,
and the blind” (Lk 14: 13). These are the same folks invited in the more
familiar parable of the Great Banquet that immediately follows this
passage (see Lk 14: 21). These folks interestingly enough are specifically
excluded from serving as priests in Mosaic law (Lev. 21: 17-23).
Just whom to include in the shared meal was an active issue for the first
Christians. The book of Acts is full of their discussions about whether
Jews and Gentiles could eat together. But both Peter and Paul came to
realize and assert that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34, Rom.
2:11). That decision by the early church, of course, allows us – who are
not Jews – to be here today!
Getting it right – acting like a community that mirrors the love of God –
wasn’t much easier for the early Christians than it is for us. Most of the
letters in the New Testament were written by Paul or other apostles to
local churches that were losing heart or setting up artificial barriers or

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