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. …
Already Accepted
We gather at this Table because we are accepted in Christ Jesus. We cannot pay in order to come here, and we cannot earn an invitation in any way. This Table is a table which is based entirely and solely on grace. This is why we can eat and drink—grace from top to bottom, and …
The Gift of Faith and Joy
If there is any good in this life, it is enjoyed as the gift of God. If God gives the gift, and the capacity to do more than just hold that gift in your hand, then joy is possible. This is true of our physical life, our physical food, and it is true of our …
How Wisdom Tastes
The apostle Paul teaches us that ultimately there are only two tables in the world—the Table of the Lord and the table of demons. These tables are set in a way calculated to exclude one another—it is not possible to eat from both with any kind of consistency. We see the same thing in the …
Revealed in Meals
The Lord loves to reveal Himself in meals. The Lord loves to feed us with food, which is not surprising, but He also loves to feed our souls when we sit together to break bread. This is true on an ordinary level, in each of our families, and it true here, as we sit down …
Not Thin Commons
The Lord comes to us in order to deal with our sinfulness, and our resultant sins. The Lord deals with us; He does not let us continue on as before. But at the same time, God deals us with in surprising ways. He deals with us by means of His grace. He washes us, teaches …
A Table That Disciplines All We Bring to It
As you bring your little ones to this Table, take care in two areas. The first is to remember that you as parents don’t hold the power of the keys. This means that you should not be conducting church discipline in your family row, withholding the bread, for example, if your child was being fussy …
Haman Brought the Treachery With Him
This meal is a royal feast; the Lord Jesus is the king, and He has invited us all to sit down and partake with Him. But the fact that we are seated at this Table should not make us careless of our manners. Haman was invited to a meal by a queen, and he sat …
Don’t Come Unless You Want Some
There are many complementary contrasts between the old and new covenants, and one of them has to do with the relative potency of sin. In the old covenant, sin is contagious. In the new covenant, holiness is. In the old covenant, God’s people were consistently warned against coming into contact with the unclean—with dead bodies, …
Staying Away from Ziba
We are gathered here at the royal table of the greater David, the one who has graciously invited us to take this meal together with him. As the Lord Jesus is the one greater than David, so we are like Mephibosheth, descended from an enemy of the king, and with no great power of our …