https://app.dropwave.io/episode/e6724ebf-d66b-456b-993b-741fa9393481/trinity-17-ad-2025.mp3

++ JESU JUVA ++

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

There’s quite a lot that happens at a table — even if we don’t recognize it. In the ancient world, to sit at table with someone wasn’t just to share food. Eating together was a public declaration that you belong together. More than that, it was a declaration that you are united in peace.

We retain something of this today. Think especially what happens when a young man and a young woman eat together. It’s more than consumption of food. They engage in conversation to find out if they desire to share their lives together.

But too often in the modern world, eating is reduced to a mere pragmatic activity, simply satisfying one’s bodily need for nourishment. It’s not uncommon to find people eating away from a table — and eating alone. Or even when people are gathered together at table, instead of interacting with one another, they’re only attending to their phones. The presence of other people nearby is deemed unnecessary — or even distracting.

In the Gospels, we have many accounts of Jesus sitting at table. He eats with tax collectors and sinners. He reclines at the home of Simon the Pharisee. He dines with Zacchaeus. On the night when He is betrayed, He breaks bread with His disciples. Risen from the dead, He sits with the two Emmaus disciples and reveals Himself at table “in the breaking of the bread.”

So as we consider today’s Gospel, and find Jesus sitting at table, we should recognize this as an event of deep spiritual significance. At table, one’s heart is made known. One’s humility or pride is set on display. Will you receive what you are given, or will you complain and clamor for something better? At table, love is demonstrated, and faith is made clear. At table, one’s true community is revealed.

As we consider the account before us and what Jesus is doing there, we will consider four things that happen at table: Division, Hierarchy, Instruction, and Hospitality. When these things are absent or confused, it’s a sign that something has gone wrong — not just with the table, but with the heart. Jesus orders our life together so that these four are present. When Jesus is the gracious Host, these are set into right order, and the table becomes what it should be — a place of true hospitality.

First, Division.

When you sit down for family dinner, it’s usually easy to notice who’s there and who is missing. An empty seat can be quite noticeable. But more than someone’s presence or absence is the reason why.

Is it a child missing from the table because he extended his nap? Is someone absent because of distance or work or other responsibilities? Is there an empty chair because someone isn’t feeling well? Is it a long-term illness? Has a member of the family died? Is someone away from the table because he’s angry? Is he mad at someone in the family?

All these reasons for someone to be missing affects the atmosphere at the table. It’s hard for there to be peace or joy when someone is absent because something is wrong. The table reveals division.

On the positive side, who sits at table reveals who belongs there. Most meals in the home are only for the family. A family doesn’t usually invite the whole neighborhood — or the whole world — to sit at table with them. Those who are present are there not because they have earned a place, but because they’re members of the family. They have relationships with one another. So the division the table reveals demonstrates who is part of the family — and who isn’t.

Just like the family dinner table, the dinner at the Pharisee’s house revealed division. Gathered to eat bread on the Sabbath, the guests were carefully curated. The host, a ruler of the Pharisees, mostly invited other Pharisees. The important man invited other important men. They designed for two others to be present: Jesus, and a man with dropsy.

But there were no tax collectors, no sinners. For the Pharisees, sin was something that existed “out there,” in those other people. Their solution was simple: avoid them. Don’t eat with them. Don’t be contaminated by them. Maintain purity by separation. The division was on display. At this table, sinners and outcasts were not welcome. Only those with outward righteousness were allowed. (Or those who were brought there for political motivation — but we’ll get to them momentarily.)

But what about Jesus? Whom does Jesus invite to eat with Him? Again, His table divides. His invitation is both inclusive and exclusive. He includes the repentant sinner, the broken-hearted, and all those who need mercy. He includes them because He comes to forgive their sins, bind up their wounds, and bestow His abundant mercy.

This invitation goes forth to all. Jesus desires that none should perish, and that all should reach repentance. This invitation is for you, the unworthy recipient of His mercy. But not everyone receives what Jesus gives. Some stay away and refuse His mercy. Not everyone comes into the Church. Some refuse — and the line of division is evident. At the same time, Jesus excludes others. Any who presume to be admitted to the Lord’s kingdom by good works will be excluded. For any who refuse to live by mercy, they will be shut out.

We see this division here in the Lord’s house and at the Lord’s table. Who’s here? Who isn’t? Who’s missing? Is someone absenting himself from the Lord’s house and the Lord’s table? Some remove themselves from the Lord’s mercy. All those who come to the altar publicly declare agreement with our confession. Others are excluded because of a different confession, a refusal to repent, or a denial of forgiveness. Just like other tables, the Lord’s table also reveals division.