Come and dine! I like the way that sounds in 1907. Charles B. Widmeyer (1894-1974) first published his song by that name. It soon became a staple of revival services and camp meetings. It was recorded about 20 years later by a quartet called “The Happy Four.” There is a great deal to be said about the call to eat together and to be happy about it. The theme of the song is taken from John 21. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples on several occasions, this being 1 of them. John tells how “Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing’” (John 21:2-3 NKJV). Peter often had straightforward earthy responses to spiritual moments. There is the water walking episode, the idea of building 3 shelters after Jesus’ transfiguration, whacking off the ear of the high priest’s servant in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Things had been quite emotional for the disciples. The Lord they had followed for 3 years was arrested, beaten, crucified, and resurrected. Sometimes, when there are a lot of spiritual and emotional situations, it feels good to do something you know, something you can feel with your hands, and that doesn’t take a lot of mental energy. For Peter, it was a day in the boat catching fish. Of course, they had no idea that Jesus would bid them to come and dine. Have you ever noticed that for the 12 disciples, everything was a set up by Jesus? It’s a good setup, but still a setup. Those men had to be a bit edgy by this time so they all piled in the boat. “I’m going fishing!” Scripture recounts that they fished all night, but had no luck. It is downright irritating when you can’t succeed at the 1 thing you’re good at.
“Come and Dine – Children”
As they returned to shore, they saw someone on the shore. It was Jesus but they didn’t recognize him for some reason. Then He asked them if they had any fish, but when He did, He called the “children.” That would’ve gotten under my skin. They were all about the same age as Jesus, and yet He called the children. Even if the Lord had intended it to be a term of endearment, it would probably feel like He was being critical after you had been awake all night fishing. Their response to Jesus says it all. “They answered Him, ‘No.'” 1 word. No explanation, just NO! All they wanted to do was what they knew to do; to fish. Did they have any? NO!
“Their fishing trip was a human effort to solve a spiritual issue; trust”
To make matters more frustrating, Jesus suggests they should try dropping their nets on the right side of the boat. I can hear them now.”Huh? You mean, that you think we fished all night and never 1 time thought to switch sides? Of course, we did. Hey Jesus, we already did that!” But Jesus told them that this time they would find some. Peter probably remembered when Jesus told Peter to fish and he would find a fish with a gold coin in its mouth for their tax bill (Matthew 17:27). So they did as Jesus had instructed and so many heavy fish were in their net that they couldn’t even haul it back in the boat. Jesus’ miracle reminded them that they had entered the Kingdom of God and there were new rules. They were no longer fisherman, but “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Their fishing trip was a human effort to solve a spiritual issue; trust. It all comes down to trust every time.
“Come and Dine – ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’”(Rev. 19:9)
The miracles of Jesus, of the entire Bible, are about abundance. So much of Jesus’ ministry revolved around food and events where food was prepared and served. The Jewish feasts also illustrated the priority God places on sharing what we have with others. Breaking bread is not just an idiom – for the Christian, it is a way of life. When they finally reached shore, Jesus already had fish and bread prepared over the fire. That’s when He said, “Come and dine.” In my mind’s eye, I still see my pastor waving his arm in 4/4 time and singing, “‘Come and dine,’ the Master calleth, ‘Come and dine’…” It was an illustration that helped me understand the emotion surrounding “The Last Supper” and “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”
“Go ahead, call me out of touch”
The unfortunate trend today is for dark, windowless church sanctuaries. I understand that we rely heavily on multimedia presentations. The dark interior also makes it easier to hide. Go ahead, call me out of touch if you must. But think of the illustrations that Jesus used: fishers of men, sparrows that fall, lilies of the field, and fields ready for harvest are a few. For sure his hearers were farmers and fishermen so He chose fitting, living illustrations. Jesus shared Himself: the bread of life (John 6:35), “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,” (John 6:54) What if some daring pastor chose to build a saltwater aquarium into one wall of the sanctuary, or an aviary in the courtyard? What would happen if we focused almost exclusively on gospel stories that illustrated the new covenant and the teachings of Christ?
“What if?”
Most of us grew up in church hearing creation stories, Noah’s ark, the battle of Jericho, and the 3 Hebrew children mixed in with New Testament sermons. I love them, but they’re not really what Jesus told us to focus on. Instead, He said “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 NIV). “Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you” (John 8:31-32 The Message). What if? The parables of Jesus teach us that “come and dine” is more than get up early on Sunday and go to church. It’s an invitation to sit at the feet of Jesus and watch Him interact with the daily lives of real people with real problems. Jesus has an offer…Come and dine.
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