Soul Food

9/18/2024

Written By: Paige Wassel

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. -Psalms 23:5

“Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”-Revelation 19:9a

A magnificent table is set before us, covered in a linen tablecloth, decorated in candles and flowers, and filled with fine plates full of our favorite foods. Can you picture it? Overflowing with mouth-watering dishes cooked to perfection, designed to satisfy our deepest hunger. It’s the kind of meal we want to linger over, appreciating the host and the generous spread offered.

Throughout the Bible, food and drink play a central role in illustrating God’s provision and invitation. Psalm 23 describes a God that provides generously to his guest as they are going through hard times and persecution. Jesus uses metaphors of food to describe his soul-satisfying, life-giving nature, calling himself the bread of life (John 6) and a source of living water (John 4 and 7) for those that believe in him.

What could keep us from sitting down to appreciate the feast he wants to prepare especially for us?

Perhaps we’ve filled up on junk food before the meal, and no longer have an appetite for the nourishing food set before us. Studies of the science of junk food reveal its addictive qualities, as these convenient packaged foods are designed in taste and texture to make us crave them. At the same time, they fool our brains into thinking we aren’t full, which leads to overeating and us needing ever-increasing amounts of the same food to get the same dopamine response of pleasure in our brain.

Just like this physical junk food, we fill our minds with less-than-healthy options. We read stories and watch shows full of violence, unhealthy relationships, and offensive language. We scroll on social media looking for reels and memes that reinforce our political and world views. Soon, our brains are consumed with these various viewpoints that produce fleeting feelings of pleasure and self-righteousness that must be continually fed, curbing our desire to seek out the truths found in his Word.

Maybe we feel unworthy to sit at the table with the Master, knowing that he is aware of every mistake in our past and present. We should be encouraged to know that throughout Jesus’s ministry, he invited those considered the lowest in society to eat with him: the poor, fishermen, tax collectors, and “sinners.” Consider the flawed company he shared at the Last Supper with his disciples before his crucifixion, breaking bread with one disciple he knew would betray him and another that would deny him. Yet, he still gathered them for a meal meant to show them the depth of God’s love and grace for them, with the bread representing his body soon to be broken and the cup representing his blood soon to be shed on a cross for their sin.

Just as he did with those early disciples, Jesus calls us to his table knowing everything about us. He invites us to receive the abundant grace he wants to feed us, spend time in his presence, and be forever changed. Will we accept his invitation today?

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. -Psalms 34:8