Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

I think I’ve said this before but just in case you missed it. I don’t really care about food. No, not that I don’t need to eat, more like food for me is a way to get calories. I can eat most anything (NOT Kale) put in front of me. Food for the longest time in my life was a necessity. Recently my friends and I have started calling ourselves the Brunch Bunch, and to a non-food lover like myself that may seem kind of mundane. But the amazing thing is I love it! What makes it different? The people. Meals are supposed to be shared, talked over, and enjoyed, not only because of the food but because of who you are eating with. We see this all over the Bible, in particular with Jesus. It seems like every turn Jesus is eating with someone or talking to someone about eating. I get a sneaky suspicion that Jesus didn’t just enjoy the food but loved the company. So what can we learn about this habit Jesus had? Is there more to this practice of eating with others that we can benefit from? Let’s take a look at one story in particular and see if we can chew through the Veggie-meat, to the (apple)core of it all. 

Before we dig into the particular story I think its fair to ask the question, does God love food? Well to get a better understanding of this we have to go pretty far back. Think back to the creation of the earth. One of the first things God does when talking to the first people on earth is to tell them what to eat.  He basically gives them his restaurant recommendations. New to this area? Try out this place, its the best! What a good God, looking out not only for the nutritional needs of His people but the joy factor as well.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:5

Okay so its pretty clear that for God food is a good thing. So here we get to the scene. Jesus is on his way into Jericho and tons of people are around Him. He starts making His way through the city and stops under a tree, looks up and talks to the strange man in the tree. He tells him, "come down! I am coming to your house today!" What a surprising. First of all, how cool is it that Jesus gets to invite Himself over to this man's house. What's even cooler is that this is exactly what the man needed.  He needed Jesus to visit with him. He needed to have a meal with the Savior.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” Luke 19:7

 Jesus going to Zach's house was not popular. Jesus wasn't the type to let this get in his way. These visits with people were not just about the food. I am sure if Jesus wanted a good meal He had people lined up to get him that. The purpose of this visit was to help Zach. Jesus does this a lot. He eats with the sinners and the outcasts. For Jesus meals were opportunities of transformation. 

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Luke 19:8 

As Jesus was eating with Zach he was prompted to change. What did Jesus say to him? We don't know. But Jesus' attention to this sinful man caused him to realize the error of his ways and to repay those he had hurt. Sharing a meal today is not simply about the food and it shouldn't be. Sharing meals for Jesus and for us today can serve as intimate moments of genuine connection. 

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:9

The time spend with Zacchaeus was so impactful that Jesus declared to him. "salvation has come to this house". We are called to this same mission, to bring Jesus into the homes, and lives of others. We are called to eat with the master every day. We have the same opportunities. So the next time you get a chance to share a meal with someone, I invite you to allow Christ to shape that meal, those conversations and those times. Jesus worked miracles over the sharing of bread thousands of years ago and is doing so today.