Theology of a Feast

"It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and movers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God" (17) – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together [emphasis mine]

Read Matthew 18:21-35

Scholars point out that the sum owed by the servant to his fellow servant was worth in today’s standards about $10,000. Not a small amount of money to have owed and in our logic would merit a firm beat down. But when placed in contrast with the (conservatively estimated) $100,000,000 debt simply washed away, the servants anger seems out of place.

So too is our lack of forgiveness with others. Peter responds with what he assumed was a high number of forgiving acts: seven. But Jesus says that number is far too small when compared to the forgiveness we receive on a daily basis from God.

What if God forgave like we forgave? Many of us wrestle with sins that have become habitual, we wrestle with the same old compulsions year in and year out. But what if one day God, after being betrayed so many times, refused to forgive us? What if God couldn’t take it anymore and decided to avoid us, to put us out of His life?

As Christians, we forgive not because we are good at forgiveness or because forgiveness comes easily. We forgive because we have been forgiven. Our experience of the true forgiveness of God leads us to forgive others.


Play Nooma 007: Luggage

The Questions
Why is God’s forgiveness of us so crucial to our forgiveness of others?

Rob comments, “Maybe forgiveness is ultimately about me and about you, it’s about us. Because when I forgive somebody and I set them free, it’s like I’m really setting myself free.”

Do you believe forgiveness is really more about the one forgiving than the one being forgiven?

Does that view of forgiveness make it easier to forgive?

So the question becomes, how do we attempt to embody this lifestyle of forgiveness lived by Jesus?

Perhaps the answer lies in the ancient practice of feasts.

Read Luke 14:1-14

By definition a Feast consists of a large meal joyously served to friends and those to whom friendship is extended. It is a night of food and festivities where fellowship is fostered among friends.

“In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness—the shared table symbolizes the shared life. An Orthodox Jew’s saying “I would like to have dinner with you” is a metaphor that implies, “I would like to enter into friendship with you…come to my mikdash me-at, the miniature sanctuary of my dining room table, where we will celebrate the most sacred and beautiful experience that life affords—friendship” (59-60).

This explains why the Pharisees were so enraged by Jesus’ sharing of meals with sinners and social outcasts. You see over and over again throughout the Gospels of Jesus sharing meals with sinners or inviting people like Zacchaeus to come eat with him.

"Moreover, because Jesus was looked upon as a man of God and a prophet, they would have interpreted his gesture of friendship as God's approval on them. They were now acceptable to God. Their sinfulness, ignorance, and uncleanness had been overlooked and were no longer being held against them" (60)

-The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning



In conclusion, we see the importance of forgiveness seen repeatedly throughout the Gospels. Important to note is the need of confession in these times. Conflict requires two people and resolution requires two people to mutual bear the burden of responsibility. Confession means we must let go of senseless notions of pride or ego to value relationship over self-image. Often, we must approach someone which we are estranged with in humility to confess we are bearing the burden of bitterness and resentment against them. We must apologize for our part in the conflict, seek understanding from their perspective, and take the necessary steps to reconcile. Read the section of John Burke’s Soul Revolution on reconciliation to see the proper steps. Also, read the section on confession in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together to gain a theological perspective on the issue. As I see it, feasts should always come as the celebration of or the invitation to confession and reconciliation. They cannot be separated from one another.