Mom Heart Moments #63

He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

AS JESUS CELEBRATED His final Passover meal with His disciples, He gave the familiar food and rituals an eternal and spiritual significance beyond their temporary and physical natures, pointing His disciples to the future day when they would “eat and drink at [His] table” (Luke 22:30) —a real feast at a real table in the new Kingdom to come.

The Old Testament is filled with tables, foods, and feasts —stories of God’s provision of food and drink and of God’s people gathered together to enjoy it. We see stories of Abraham’s hospitality to strangers and of the Israelites’ first Passover meal together —both table gatherings with profound spiritual significance. And consider these tasty passages from the Pslams:

• “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; . . . my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5).
• “He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9, NIV).

You’ll also find tables and food everywhere in the Gospels. Jesus often ate and reclined at tables with others. Many of His parables involved food, eating, and tables. Some of His miracles involved food and drink, and some of His most memorable teachings took place at tables.

But Jesus didn’t simply use food as a tool in His ministry. He made it integral to His explanation of who He was and what He had come to do. When challenged to give a sign better than the manna in the wilderness, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35, NLT). That statement took on added resonance at that final Passover table the night before He died. Bread and wine, the physical food and drink that give us physical life, represented His body and blood, the spiritual foods that give us eternal life.

How could you use your family table time to remind your family of Jesus’ offering on the cross?