On Good Friday and Easter, we focus our thoughts on two events: Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. In this article, we contemplate the fact that Jesus ate before He died and after He resurrected.
1. EAT and Think of Me
Before Jesus died, He asked his disciples to remember him. (Luke 22:19-20)
He did not say: – build a statue of Me and gaze upon it, – think of Me when the sun rises every dawn, or – fast one day a week to recall My suffering.
Quite the opposite, He said: Eat and think of Me, Bread is My body, Wine is My blood, Eat and think of Me.
2. Jesus Cherished Eating (with His disciples)
Luke 22:15-16 and 18 are usually read as a prophecy of Jesus’ impending death. Also here, Jesus expressed regret that this was His last meal ‘before I suffer’, His final drink of wine. And only after ‘the Kingdom of God comes’, may He look forward to eating and drinking again, perhaps even as a celebration.
Indeed, after His resurrection, Jesus was joyously reconciled with His disciples, eating.
3. The Incident of the Broiled Fish
In Luke 24:39-43, two of Jesus’ followers ran into Jesus on the way to the village of Emmaus and spoke with Him at length, all this time not recognising Him till they sat down to break bread together. After which, Jesus ‘disappeared from their sight’. Excited, they returned immediately to Jerusalem to tell the others. There, Jesus appeared again and did two things, proving the reality of His resurrection: 1) He showed them his hands and feet. 2) He ate in their presence.
The gospel authors took pains to demonstrate that this surely was Jesus resurrected, a fully flesh and blood Jesus with scars on his hands (John 20:27), and who got hungry and ate.
4. More Eating Promised
This Jesus whom we love – He knew hunger and ate with pleasure. He also knew pain and humiliation beyond measure.
The Son of God, this Jesus whom we love was fully man when He endured all our sins on the cross.
This Jesus whom we love cherished eating with His friends understands our humanity, invites us to eat with Him.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)
Deacon Jeremy Leong
