Have you ever been to a restaurant that is busy and the reservations you had get pushed back? Maybe you even say something like, “what was the point of my reservations if they cannot seat me at my table?” Most people tend to find that their patience is tried greatly by having to wait too long for anything at a restaurant. None of the options, other than waiting patiently, really seem to be good. Leaving is a bad plan, as then, where will you eat? Some choose a very bad plan of short tipping or not tipping their server. Again, not a good plan as most times the server is working as hard as they can and is just as frustrated as you are. Suppose you get your seat, and the air conditioning is blowing on you, the music is load, or the people around you are loud talking. I know this makes some of us laugh as we have all been in this position – actually it does sound like I am describing an episode of Seinfeld.
How did Jesus act differently than we may do when we have a bad dinner out, or the reservation we made was delayed, or the table was just not right. Look at Mark 2:15-16 and we can see the focus of Jesus. I will offer that after you read the verse, we can consider the fact that nothing else mattered to Jesus, except who was at the table, and what it was they needed. If we look at the three years in which Jesus was ministering to people it was never about the food, it was never about the location, it was never about what was thought about His dining companions, but rather it was about the lives of those present with Him. Nothing mattered to Jesus except the fact that He could serve those with Him.
A Scripture that can allow us to see the fact that the table was about others comes in Luke 14:15, as Jesus stated, “blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Let us think about all the different ways in which we can look at dining. Jesus has invited us to the table, have we accepted the invitation and shown up at the table? We have finally invited Jesus to the table, as He may have been knocking on the door for a bit of time – are we really ready to hear all that He has to say, and to learn about how much He loves us? Of course, this invitation we give might involve Jesus calling us to a greater lever of obedience or may a first step of obedience. Just maybe it is time for us to consider the invitation of Jesus or the inviting of Jesus into our lives. We have even excused ourselves from the table as we just did not like the conversation. I would ask you to consider the way in which you are approaching Jesus or the way in which He is calling you. Nothing else mattered to Jesus when He was at the table in Mark 2:15-16. I would offer nothing else matters to Him as He wants to be part of all of our tables. Jesus taught His disciples to be “fishers of men,” and I do believe He was never stopped inviting, seeking, fishing, or following after those created in His image.