BLESS | East

Eat | Matthew 9:9-13

B. Begin with Prayer
L. Listen
E. Eat
S.
S.

Matthew 9:9-13. “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus was on a mission

Luke 7:34 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’”.

Luke 7:35 “But wisdom is proved right by all her children”.

Henri Nouwen “When we invite friends for a meal, we do much more than offer them food for their bodies. We offer friendship, fellowship, good conversation, intimacy, and closeness. When we say, ‘Help yourself…take some more…don’t be shy…have another glass…’ we offer our guests not only our food and drink but also ourselves. A spiritual bond grows, and we become food and drink for one another.”

Recruit others to partner with you. Food has Secret Powers:
1. Food can be Disarming. 

2. Food can be Inclusive.

Jesus came to transform lives.

Sharing a meal together can transform a person’s life.