For some people eating is like a utility. Calculated. Get done & move on. I was not raised that way. For our family mealtimes were special. Both sides of our family (mother & sisters & dad’s sisters) were great cooks and made mealtime special. It was around those family tables that hearts were drawn together, problems were shared, and communication skills were developed. It was an atmosphere where relationships were grown.

When Mary & I travel we look for “Country Diners” (a Mom & Pop café) to eat. The first sign we look for is how many pickup trucks are in the parking lot? If there are none or only a few, we keep driving. Next, I look for the whiteboard on the wall with “Today’s Specials”, a warm greeting when we walk in and one or two round tables. Note: The round tables are where local people come to share a meal & time together. When Mary & I spent the summer in the lake area of Minnesota, I loved having breakfast at a little café and sit close to the round table. I knew from experience what would happen at the round table. There would be laughing, sharing the news, eating, and building bonds of relationships that would take them through the hard times. Jesus did this. Some of my favorite stories about Jesus are how He set His table.

Jesus knew people were hungry. What He recognized and feed were both the physical & the relational hunger. Each of the stories about Jesus setting His table is unique and has special meaning. Take for instance in Mark 6:31, when Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded and said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place & get some rest.,” but He showed His love by speaking and feeding 5,000 people. On another occasion found in Mark 8:1-3, Jesus was with 4,000 people when this happened. “During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” Both stories reveal the incredible miracles of Jesus transforming a little into enough but the point that speaks to my heart was how selfless Jesus loves. Exhausted, with His heart breaking…desiring to be alone with the Father, He set His table for His people. Jesus, the King of Kings loves us through His pain.

We learn that physical food and atmosphere set the stage for something bigger we learn the deep hunger of a relationship that only Jesus can satisfy. “But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” John 4:32,34.

Are you hungry & tired…exhausted from being served the “world’s fast food”? Don’t you think it’s time to drive into the Lord’s Country Diner…sit down at the round table and dine with the King of Kings? Jesus has been at the table waiting on you. Have a seat. It’s time to feed on the food that will take you into eternity. You are “Special’ to Him!