Table fellowship was and is very important in the Middle East. Eating together was one of the highest values in the ancient Jewish world. Who you eat with you welcome, accept, bless, and protect. It was no small kindness that Mephibosheth and Jehoicahin were offered a place at the King’s table. We share similarities with Mephibosheth - who was crippled by a fall and sought by a King. Who was humbly restored to a lost heritage and accepted at the table. Jehoiachin too was offered the kindness of a King, had his prison clothes removed, and restored to table fellowship.

These passages show us the kindness of a King, granting all individuals who are broken or forgotten the high value of being invited to the table. Perhaps you see yourself in these stories. Jesus did not usher in His kingdom with a sword, but with a table setting. In the gospels, Jesus met people at tables, and it infuriated the Pharisees because of who Jesus chose to eat with. People from all walks of life were known, seen and heard at the table.

According to scholar Ken Bailey, the basic norms of hospitality provided by a host were: a kiss of welcome, washing the guests feet with water, providing olive oil (soap) for the guest’s hands, and anointing the head of honored guests with special oils. Outcasts, sinners, and the poor would sit away from the table, behind the guests, against the wall, and would be fed after a meal was served.

As part of His family, Jesus offers you a seat at the table, no matter how messy your life seems, how broken or sinful you are, or how far off the path you may have strayed. It’s possible that your dining room or kitchen table is the most important evangelistic tool you own. Whom do you know who is hurting and needs to be comforted at your table? Who needs to be known, seen, and heard at your table? Who will receive an invitation to Jesus at your table this year?