Church bulletin:
It is interesting to observe how often food and eating is mentioned in the New Testament.
Jesus unashamedly ate with sinners. As a consequence He was accused of gorging Himself and getting drunk. Matt 11:19, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her £children.” Sitting down to eat provides a point of contact. We may be very different to the unconverted in terms of our world view, yet we have common needs. Christ used the ordinary need of food and companionship as a platform to discuss a much greater need. Eating with the unconverted demonstrates that we are not aloof or disinterested in them.
Christians in the early church opened their homes for food and fellowship. Acts 2:46, “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” Their interaction was not confined to the formal meeting of the temple but flowed over into their dwellings. This involved the meal table. Of course sometimes it can be difficult to use our home for fellowship, but it is something we should all aim to do if and when possible.
In 1 Cor 11 we learn that the Lord’s Supper was a meal attached to a meal. When the believers at Corinth had their “agape” feast they also broke bread and drank wine remembering the Lord’s death. Commentators indicate that these were two separate meals, nevertheless they co-existed. It was a normal part of corporate life for believers to share food and to have the Lord’s Supper when they came together.
Such is the significance of eating together as brethren that Paul says we are not to do so with those who are living in sin. To eat with them is to extend the hand of fellowship and therefore condone their wayward behaviour. 1 Cor 5:11, “I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person”. This is why church discipline often begins with removal from the Lord’s Supper.
It is clear that sharing a meal is an expression of unity and fellowship among Christians. It also opens a door to non-Christians. To neglect meaningful interaction with other people is to fall short of the examples we have in the Bible. Both Christ and believers in the New Testament used the meal table in a purposeful way. May the Lord help us as a church and in our own personal lives to do the same.