Word of the Week - Mealtime

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them to me," he said. Matthew 14

• As many of you know, the picture above is from the diner of Seinfeld. Countless scenes of the hit show were filmed at this very table. As Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine gathered they would share their great victories and great defeats. We were entertained by their extreme depictions of anger, contentment, joy, and despair. Sometimes they supported each other and other times they made fun of each other. They always ate together regardless of the way that they felt about one another at that moment.
• Jesus was constantly eating with other people. At times he ate only with the disciples. He used that time for intense instruction. Other times he ate with the people that society rejected (sick, tax collectors, those of different cultures). He used that opportunity to let those "societal rejects" know that they mattered most in the new order. Finally, he ate with the masses. In those cases, large crowds were influenced by simply being included in the meal.
• In the scripture passage above, the disciples believed under the circumstances, there was no way that a meal could take place. There were too many people, going in too many directions, without enough time, and without the resources. Their fatigue and desire to send everyone home was countered by Jesus' unquenchable desire to eat with those that needed it most.
• You might ask, who can I support this week by sitting down to eat?