Saturday after Ash Wednesday

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Four days into Lent on our journey of sacrifice and fasting and we get a reading about Jesus eating, drinking and partying!

There are a good many stories in the Gospels about Jesus enjoying food and drink. His public ministry began in Cana at a wedding feast and ended in Jerusalem at the Last Supper. He went and ate at Lazarus’ home, he served a huge picnic lunch to the multitude. Then there were the noshes in the homes of Zacchaeus, the Pharisee and the stop at the diner on the road to Emmaus. Some scripture scholars have joked that Jesus ate his way through his public ministry.

As a side dish to his meals, Jesus was often served some indigestion by way of the continual criticism of where he was eating, and with whom. The delicious (pun intended) irony of all of this was that Jesus memorialized the meal with all of us FOREVER. “Take and eat, for this is my body.” Gotta love a guy who reminds us every day of the diversity and imperfections of all with whom we are breaking bread.

For a 1st century Jew, sharing a meal was an invitation into a person’s inner circle, which is probably why the Pharisees were upset. Everyone was very well aware of who was/was not an appropriate dining companion and naturally Jesus was eating with the “wrong” people. He ate with the marginalized, the people who weren’t part of the cool kids lunch table, the sinners. In truth, Jesus gravitated towards/sought out people like Levi the tax collector, his friend from today’s Gospel reading. Levi, because of his occupation would have been viewed as a sinner just like the criminals and prostitutes.

As so often is the case with Jesus, he responds to the incessant baiting by those who are attempting to trap him with another one of his subtly brilliant retorts. He sits at table with those who are in pain; looking beyond the outward signs of their lives, recognizing the potential saint in the ordinary person.

In this brief Gospel, Jesus extends compassion and generosity of forgiveness, acceptance and unconditional love. He stops by, sits down and says “Can I join you?” He meets us where we are and gives us the opportunity to respond. God comes to transform, not to exclude. At Mass each one of us has Jesus inviting us to his table. The person who might be my personal “tax collector” is given the same honor as me. During my Lenten journey am I able to return the invitation? Can I pull out a chair and welcome Jesus, along with the people that I would rather not eat with, at my own table?

Dr. Alexandria M. Egler

Executive Director

Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue

St. Francis College