Smorgasbord
If there’s anything I like better than good food, it’s a lot of food. Back in the day, I could eat a lot of food at one sitting. I won’t try to impress you, let’s just say I could eat four Burger King Whoppers when they were “whoppers”. Oh, order them ‘heavy everything’ if you please.
Growing up, our family didn’t eat out much, however, there was a favorite place named the “Sveden House“. All-you-can eat buffet: smorgasbord. I could eat and eat and eat. My dad would eat more. We would endure all the silly jokes: don’t go away hungry, just go away; I hope you brought your hollow legs; seafood? See food… (use that one to gross out your sister.)
There was one piece of advice my dad would give, and I still go by it today: Don’t eat anything at the buffet that you can get at home. In other words, ignore the ‘staples’ like mashed potatoes, corn, salad… and enjoy the other stuff: roast beef, ham, bread pudding… if you don’t recognize it, try it! No offense to those of you who have a favorite restaurant with a favorite dish that you order every time… there is a whole entire menu and I like to try different things. I will eat just about anything.
Jesus has prepared a buffet for us:
On this mountain the Lord of Armies will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food,
a banquet of aged wines,
with the best cuts of meat,
and with the finest wines.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+25&version=EHV>
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034%3A7%2D9&version=EHV>
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with me already three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they might faint on the way.”
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2015&version=EHV>
Jesus told his disciples (in John 4) “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples had the staples: the Torah and the Prophets. We get to enjoy the other stuff! On the road to Emmaus, Jesus, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24&version=EHV>
Jesus has taken what the disciples took for granted and turned it into a smorgasbord! “The one who comes to me will never be hungry.”
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206%3A34%2D36&version=EHV>
Add to that the rest of the New Testament, and it turns into quite a selection! Come gather at the Table with your family in Christ.
And here is Jesus’ “seafood/see food”:
Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6&version=EHV>
The Bible is the menu, the banquet is prepared, just try to out eat me!
Always hungry for the Gospel,
Steve Skiver