Tray. Eat with bread. Recline around the food.

The Pharisees & the scribes murmured, "This man welcomes sinners & eats with them Welcome means: With family, relax, all I have is yours.
Eat? What does it mean Jesus eats with people? Share life? Identify with us? Teach us? Be with us? All true.

John 4 Jesus sent disciples to Sychar to buy food. He stayed alone at Jacob's well. Why this? He knew who was coming. A one on one meeting. He asked for a drink of water. The woman declined. Jesus said if she knew who He was she would have asked Him & he would have given her living water. She replied He had nothing to draw with to get fresh water. Jesus said if she drank of the water of the well she would thirst again but if she drank of the water He would give her she would never thirst & it would become a well of water meeting the needs of others. She thought this would solve all her problems of coming to the well in her shame all alone.

She asked Jesus for living water. He told her to bring her husband. She replied that she had no husband. Jesus said that was the truth as she had had 5 husbands & was now shacked up with one.

Later she said that when Messiah comes He will tell them everything. To that Jesus said, "I that speak to you am He. She left her water jar & went & told all the village. "Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah."

The disciples had bought food in the village & urged Jesus to eat. Jesus said, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." My food is to do the will of Him who sent me & to finish His work, Open your eyes, the fields are ripe for harvest." The Samaritans came to Jesus & urged Him to stay, two days to teach them. They believed He is the saviour of the world
Note The disciples bought food. No word from them that Jesus their master was the Messiah. Jesus told them to use their eyes. The Samaritans were approaching.

John 4 Jesus said," My food is to do the will if Him who sent Me & to finish His work." Jesus ate with people to reveal the will of the Father and how to carry out that will. Jesus called out Zaccheus, Luke 19. Come down Zaccheus I must stay at your house today. To convey to Zacc the will of the Father in his life. After Zacc's response Jesus said that He had come to seek & save the lost. Seek is to find & save is to cause the found ones to want to do & carry out the will of God

Rev 3:20 A group of people had come to faith in Jesus. They prospered and slowly Jesus & their relationship with Him had drifted out of their lives and He had become someone left outside. Jesus told them their true condition that they were spiritually poor, blind and naked because they had left Him out. Jesus humbled Himself again by saying He was waiting for them to invite Him into their lives so He could tell them what God wanted them to do in their lives & then they would have the desire & ability to do that will through the Holy Spirit in them.

Luke 14 Jesus told the host a Pharisee not to invite to a feast they had prepared the friends, relatives, the rich, as they would repay through an invitation of their own. Rather he should invite the poor crippled lame and blind as they could not repay & would be repaid at the final resurrection day.

Jesus taught the parable of the Great Banquet to another who spoke about the blessing of eating in the kingdom of God. 14:12 A certain man prepared a great banquet & invited many guests. Who is this certain man? Unknown at the time. He did everything possible to meet every need in abundance at the banquet. He prepared according to the response of those who said they were coming. He sent a second invitation. Confirmation of the first, not just being polite. "Come for everything is now ready." Come. Bring nothing.

Three examples. All insults rejection at the last moment. Field/business more important than their relationship with the host. Possessions/property more important. Family more important The servant returned. No one was coming. The Host became angry. How did He show His anger? Sent an invitation to the poor crippled blind & lame. Note different order! Why poor? Cannot buy field or oxen. Crippled cannot test oxen. Blind cannot see field. Lame cannot marry. No excuses. Undeserved, cannot repay, relationship with Host all important.

Servant still room! Go out into the roads & lanes & compel strangers to come in. Ignorant, unprepared, Not excuses. Want the facts. Who is the Host? Is there a place for me? Unexpected, undeserved, House of Host will be full 14:24 I tell you (plural) Jesus Himself is speaking. He is the Host. He says none of those invited who deserved to be there will get a taste of His provision.

None of those invited will share eternity with Jesus. Lost eternally. Only those who respond to discover & do the will of God will enjoy the company of Jesus.

2019. Every one has to allow Jesus to eat with them. To convey to them what is the will of God for their lives. Not our will, not what we want. But to do the will of the Father. Business, Property, possessions, family must not come between us & the will of God. Jesus wants to eat with us daily so that we do the will of God daily. Jesus wants to be involved daily. So often we leave Him out & only consult Him in emergencies.

Jesus Himself said, "Not every one who says Lord Lord will enter the Kingdom of God but he that does the will of the Father. This is your most important relationship. We will all have to give an account on that day. Only where we did the will of God will it pass the test of rewards

Many of us put our faith in Jesus a long time ago. Some think that they do not have to do that again. The Laodicean church made that mistake. At times I have had to ask the Lord Jesus to have His rightful place where He conveys to me the will of God & I do it.

Close in prayer. If you agree pray the same prayer with me.

Lord Jesus Christ, You existed before you were born. You are one with the Father & the Holy Spirit. You humbled Yourself & came into this world, lived a perfect life and died taking on Yourself my sin and my punishment. You rose, again and want to live in me to convey in me the will of God & enable me through the Holy Spirit to carry out that will. You came into me a long time ago but I ask you to come in & take Your rightful place and daily show me what you want me to do. I belong to You. You redeemed me. Remind me that this is the most important relationship in my life.

Amen