Is it really possible to invite everyone to a party? Space and finances aside, it seems like a tall order — especially since it can be hard to include your own family during preordained holidays. Family dynamics are a real thing. For some, it can mean playing a competitive football game in the yard after Thanksgiving dinner. For others, it means suffering through the quiet (or loud) tension stretching across the table or mourning estrangement and loss that has resulted in empty seats.
It may be hard to imagine Jesus struggling through such things, especially since he was known for his welcoming message. He told stories of huge banquets to which, yes, everyone was invited (though not everyone attended). He encouraged anyone who heard his teachings to take a break with him, to walk beside him, and to find security with him during hard times. He was a man on a mission to have everyone join him in whatever he was doing … including dinner.
This brings us to the dinner events that Jesus attended, many of which should sound familiar. Like us, his family and friends were drawn together by food and yearly celebrations. There were times when they reclined at the table to enjoy each other’s company. And there were times when the meal was not enough to bridge the divide. Like us, Jesus had to contend with difficult personal relationships, political and religious beefs, and even lesser things like bickering over who was doing all the work for the day’s festivities.
It would seem Jesus experienced it all. He dined with those who openly challenged him while they ate. He broke bread with a man he knew would betray him. He invited himself over to eat, much to people’s dismay. He attended a party with the upper crust and watched as they jockeyed for the best seat. He even tried to celebrate a holiday with friends, only to have his family crash the event and disrupt it because they wanted him to tone his mission down … it was drawing way too much attention for their tastes.
Yet, Jesus was not deterred. He was intent on bringing people together for an enormous feast — which meant during the smaller ones, he was careful and purposeful with his words. He refrained from arguing, instead discussing differences with patience, understanding, and genuine curiosity. And he rarely declined an invitation. In the end, there was always someone who left changed because Jesus went beyond simply eating beside them. He broke bread with them, knowing that was the key.
During one of Jesus’s final meals here on Earth, he journeyed with a man named Cleopas, whose politics kept them from completely understanding each other, even after spending the entire trip discussing things. After a full day of traveling, they still had not made many inroads with each other — not until they sat down to share a meal. It was then, in the breaking of bread, that they came to really know the other. There was something special in that shared meal … and perhaps we can all draw from it.
During the many seasons of the year, from New Year’s Day to Christmas, there’s an opportunity to embrace more guests at our tables, to rebuild relationships, and to share something beyond the food. With family and friend dynamics, it takes work to make it work, but if we’re willing to wade into dinner parties as Jesus did, we may find that a meal can feed the soul — and in turn, make us want to invite everyone to the party. Truly.
