The ancient prophets looked forward to the time of the Messiah, and one of the ways they did this was through the imagery of the messianic banquet. Isaiah in particular describes the mountain of the Lord, on which the best wine would be served, and the table would be covered with the best meat (Is. 25:6).
This glorious time would be brought in by the Christ, and not only would He provide us with glorious food, but also with odd table companions. One of the ways this is pictured, in Isaiah 11, is that wild animals, that used to feed on one another, would begin to feed with one another. The cow would feed with the bear, and the lion would eat straw like an ox, perhaps sharing it with the ox. In the first century, we saw the beginning of this fulfillment when Jews and Gentiles had the middle wall of partition torn down so that they could share table fellowship. The final fulfillment of this will certainly include the animal kingdom, but the real work of reconciliation begins where the animal kingdom’s troubles first began—with human sin and hostility.
Part of the reason we are enabled to partake of the body of Christ as we eat and drink, and all by faith, is because we are enabled see Christ in the one we are eating with. We eat the body of Christ to the extent, by faith, we are eating with the body of Christ—including that person here you are having an attitude about. We drink the blood of Christ the same way—everyone here is a blood brother or sister. So when I say, come, and welcome, I mean all of you.
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