There are many reasons why people gather to share a meal. The purpose of such hospitality can sometimes be deduced from the kind of relationship the host has with the guests.
For the socially aware, it is an honour to be invited by specific hosts and to be in the company of certain guests. Jesus never sought to be seen with socially
connected people. As a prominent Pharisee, a host would have kept company with very select people. Inviting Jesus was strange at best.
Businesspeople and politicians often wine and dine individuals from a particular sector to find an opportune moment to seal a good deal or persuade others to adopt their perspective. Jesus was not a businessman, wealthy or connected. As an itinerant preacher, Jesus had nothing of value to offer his
host. Jesus was not viewed with much interest by the politically connected, at that point anyway. Neither the host nor any other guests would have benefited from Jesus' presence. Or so it seemed.
Jesus was seen as an irreligious lawbreaker, yet he drew large crowds around him wherever he went. It appeared that Jesus could be strangely threatening and needed to be watched. Jesus, for his part, never refused an invitation of
hospitality, seeing every occasion as an opportunity to speak the eternal truths of God.
What informs your decisions about whose company you keep?
Do you recognise the opportunities God sets in place to witness to God’s eternal truths?
How do you react when you know others are watching you?
Reflections by Cherie-Lynn van der Merwe
