A feast that never ends

People say that there is no such thing as a banquet that never ends, but there is one banquet that started more than 4,000 years ago and has not ended yet...

In Palestine on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the old Abraham lived in a tent next to the oak tree of Mamre. One day, he received three distant visitors with sincerity and received two pieces of news. First, his old wife will give birth to a son for him next year, and second, the city where his nephew lives will be destroyed because the city is full of sin. Although Abraham was happy to have a son, he did not forget to plead for his nephew's life. This faraway visitor was actually a messenger from God, and the two things he said later came true. Not only did Abraham have descendants, but his nephew’s life was also saved (Genesis 18). Abraham's heart was like gold and stone. God was deeply moved and gave him a double gift. Even if he is blessed, others will be blessed because of him. This blessing came from a banquet, so that later generations spread that those who sincerely receive guests are equivalent to unknowingly receiving angels.

After this, in addition to reception, the banquet mentioned in the Bible has multiple meanings.

Reunion

It is also a matter of thanksgiving, just like Joseph preparing a banquet for his brothers who reunited after a long absence (Genesis 43). After more than ten years of turmoil, these twelve brothers met again in a foreign land. In addition to being shocked to say their names and recalling their childhood looks, they also had endless experiences and even regrets. Joseph was especially filled with tears of joy, but amidst the joys and sorrows, he did not forget to arrange relocation for his family and help them move out of the famine land that had been raging for several years.

Joseph did this not only because of his ability, but mainly because of his heart. Life is full of wanderings, and it is very difficult to see each other again. No one wants to see the autumn mountains and endless white clouds after this farewell. What's more, blood is thicker than water. Although Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and forced to live in a foreign country, he had already forgiven them.

In other words, being reunited with his family was Joseph's hope, but it was not his ultimate goal in life. Because he has understood that without a heart of forgiveness, more gatherings will only increase pain and conflicts. After Joseph learned the lesson of forgiveness, God arranged for him to reunite with his brothers.

From the various details of how Joseph handled the reunion, we can see that he was a wise man and a grateful man. Because he always believes that no matter how life develops, it is under the protection and guidance of God. Joseph was a man who lived in the will of God, and his wisdom and power came naturally from God.

shared

The Israelites in the Old Testament expressed their gratitude to God by offering sacrifices. Although the sacrifices were offered to God, God allowed part of the meat to be reserved for the priests as rewards, and the peace offerings could be enjoyed by everyone (Leviticus Chapter 7). ). In this case, the people who offered the sacrifice believed that the sacrifice belonged to God once it was offered, so when eating the sacrifice, they would feel that their hearts were filled with God. As Jesus said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." (John 6:56)

In the concept of the Israelites, blood represents life, and blood belongs to God. What Jesus means is to put my life experiences into your mind. When you are frustrated, failed, and discouraged in your life journey, remember that I have had similar experiences to you, and I will also struggle with you.

Therefore, when the human heart accepts Jesus, it is equivalent to entering into Him and absorbing His life characteristics, which are kindness and righteousness. If a person obtains this kind of vitality, he will still have love and hope after experiencing various challenges, as if he is constantly being renewed by the life of God.

This substitutionary atonement means that Jesus uses Himself to restore our vitality. His disciples not only understood this meaning, but were also willing to break bread and share cups at every festival. From then on, through the bread and the juice in the cup, they would commemorate Jesus’ sacrifice and covenant for the world.

farewell

Ancient Chinese poems about separation are often sad. Du Mu, a poet from the Tang Dynasty, once said: "Sentimental but always ruthless, I can't laugh in front of you. Candles say goodbye with heart, and shed tears for others until dawn." Because after farewell tonight, friends are like A solitary branch of grass drifts thousands of miles away. From then on, looking up at the floating clouds and sideways at the sunset, there is a feeling that is hard to describe and that the afterglow is in vain. Therefore, the poet would rather endure the sadness of separation and compare himself with a candle. Using ruthlessness to downplay sentimentality is actually because I don’t want to waste this precious moment with my close friends.

Jesus is the disciples’ close friend, and his parting instructions at the Last Supper also made the disciples sad. Didn’t Thomas say: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5) Peter also said, "Lord, I am willing to go to prison with you and to die with you." (Luke 22:33)

Although Jesus was reluctant to leave, he knew that the place he was going to was a stable and peaceful place, and He would also reserve a table for his friends there, so He said, "I go to prepare a place for you."

This is a bold promise, promising a miracle of re-creation in man’s life; this word is also a true guarantee, guaranteeing the continuation of man’s relationship with God. For thousands of years, people have proven to have seen this miracle, and tens of thousands of people have faced separation and death from their relatives and friends. They have relied on this guarantee to gain comfort and hope, and to be able to complete the journey of life with strength and optimism.

For a person who can predict the future, although separation is painful, it is also an opportunity to wait for each other, pray for each other, and hone and grow. This kind of farewell can be said to be a prelude to the future.

Chance

When the New Testament of the Bible records the scene of the Last Supper, the four gospels all mention that Judas will betray the Lord. This is consistent with the development of Jesus being arrested and crucified. The author also implies that Jesus is waiting for Judas to realize his mistakes and repent. In fact, Jesus also gave the other disciples a message at this time, which was to "learn from me and love your enemies."

How can we love our enemies? The apostle Paul said: "Love is patient and kind." (1 Corinthians 13:4) If you are only patient when dealing with others without kindness, they will feel cold and sluggish. Although you are quite kind, you will feel cold and sluggish. But the lack of patience is love that follows one's will. As the saying goes, it is called "habit". Neither one of them can be considered true love. Patient love means telling the other person how you feel and trusting that the other person needs time to understand and adjust; kind love means self-denial. Since you are self-denial, you don't care whether the other person will hurt you again. Therefore, loving your enemy means fully accepting the other person, including his shortcomings, and treating him honestly, waiting for the other person to repent, just like Joseph treated his brothers and Jesus treated Judas.

Jesus knew that this was an extremely difficult lesson to learn. After tonight’s dinner, the disciples would face various challenges alone, which required supernatural power and faith to deal with. Therefore, Jesus set an example, from washing each other's feet to loving enemies, and practiced it clearly and thoroughly. He asked his disciples to start with the most difficult lesson. He also explained the principle of service, which is to bear the yoke first before plowing the field. You must first love the world before you can spread the gospel into the world. Therefore, "love your enemies" is a command and a requirement, and it is the main meaning of the Last Supper.

When Jesus mentioned Judas, he said, "It would have been better if this man had not been born in the world." This did not mean that Judas was successful in betraying Him, because since Adam sinned, the devil has never given up on destroying God's plan to save mankind. Judas handed Jesus over to others. In the hands of Judas, it was just that he fell into the devil's trap, not that Judas succeeded. What Jesus meant by these words was that Judas betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver, which was tantamount to blaspheming God; he would become a bad example for generations to come and be scorned by the world. Such a fate would be worse than never having lived. These words were a lament for Judah’s future reputation.

Therefore, the banquet may also be a new opportunity in the life of some people, just like Joseph's brothers. During this banquet, they finally understood that God has the sovereignty of selection, and they completely respected Joseph from then on. After experiencing the Last Supper, Jesus' disciples finally fully believed that Jesus was the Son of God and the Christ, and were willing to humble themselves to atone for the sins of others. From then on, the disciples no longer competed for the position of serving, and were willing to support each other. (1 Peter 3:22, 2 Peter 3:15)

inherited

In today's busy era, everything is about efficiency and speed, and time is more precious than anything else. Most people think that attending a banquet not only takes time, but is also a burden of human kindness. Unless you can conduct some kind of transaction, political opinions, or exchange some information and skills at the banquet, it is still worth spending some time.

But for Christians, the purpose of a banquet is to show the love between God and man. Just like the banquet started by Abraham at the beginning, he held a banquet without any interests in property or power, which is a kind of dedication. Donate your time, energy and even your home so that the interaction between the host and the guest can achieve the functions of communication, remembrance and sharing. Therefore, there is always an endless love feast in the Christian circle.

I remember that the Abrahams entertained their guests with bread, butter and veal. Although there were only three items, they were the best food at that time. Because cattle and sheep are the only assets of nomadic people, calves are even more precious; gold powder obtained through processing or trading is also considered a fine product. Of course, the most valuable thing is his sincerity and sincerity in hospitality.

Today, due to the development of transportation and information, more people gather for dinner than before, and materials are richer. Facing a feast like a Manchu-Han banquet, surrounded by thousands of people, it is inevitable to be happy and excited. While enjoying the joy, don’t forget that this is an occasion for multi-directional communication. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you think silently; you can talk about big things and small details. . In other words, you can see goodness in a crowd of people, and you can also tell right from wrong; you can feel love, but there are also challenges lurking there; you are looking for God, but you also have to escape from the devil.

In this microcosm of the world, we can still find the seats of the sages and capture the figures of the sages.

When meeting a new friend or discussing a difficult topic with someone, we can gather the wisdom from the golden apples that fell into the silver net under the shade of Abraham. If someone offends you, as long as you tune into Joseph's heart rhythm, no matter how big the shock wave or conflict is, it will be dissolved. When bidding farewell to relatives and friends, don't forget to pray like shoelaces. Praying regularly is like tying the shoelaces on his safety shoes, blessing each other to continue walking on the road to heaven. When sharing delicacies with others, ask God to give us the taste buds of disciples to carefully appreciate the common sense of man and the grace of God. If someone wants to look taller, just shrink yourself, be the pupil in God's eye, live out God's kindness, and exude the colorful meaning of the banquet.

In this way, people will see Christ in the love feast, and they will rejoice in Christ and feast from generation to generation until now.

Author profile

Mai Xiaoying works as a business manager, education and editor. She lives in New Jersey and has three sons with her husband.