There is something priceless about a meal shared with friends. I started thinking about this after going out for dinner one evening with two of my
friends. Our original plan had been to meet Sunday for a movie and meal, but by Friday afternoon we all decided we needed a break today. So we did, choosing our favorite Spanish restaurant, Café Iberico, for tapas.

Since the air was brisk but not frigid that day in early March, we walked several blocks west across Chicago’s downtown to catch a bus to the restaurant, weaving through early evening crowds. After getting on board and waiting a while in bumper-to-bumper traffic, we arrived at our destination. Once inside, we maneuvered our way through the throng of young professionals packed along the bar, then were quickly led to a table.

Once we sat down, we flipped open our menus and immediately started catching up on the latest in our lives. I was in the loop with Beverly, whom I’ve known since high school and had spoken to that week, but had not seen Tina, one of Bev’s former colleagues, in more than a year. We touched on work, but focused mainly on our families - siblings, children and parents.

As we talked, sipping beverages and anticipating our appetizers, we downloaded. We relaxed. We were having a good time just being there, free from work and other demands. Then to our excitement, the food arrived.

Tapas provide the ideal “eat and share” experience. They are designed to invite, to include, to jointly experience. No one needs to hoard or “be first” because everyone will get a taste. Hot or cold, spicy or mild, meat or vegetable, a taste is all that’s needed since there is so much to sample.

We each had picked a dish. Tina ordered octopus, a tasty diced mix with potatoes that became my favorite. Bev picked cheese and ham puffs, pudgy golden links resting in a garlicky mayonnaise. I asked for mussels - got a bowlful - and goat cheese, served as a melted hunk in a pool of tomato sauce, with toasted, buttered bread rounds.

What a meal! And somehow, it just would not have been the same to eat it alone. With all respect to the chef, the food was only part of the appeal. Enjoying that food in the company of good friends is what brought out the meal’s full flavors, aromas and colors. Our moments relishing a night of Spanish cuisine collectively live on as a happy memory because it allowed us to appreciate, share with and learn from each other.

Jesus Christ also recognized the invaluable fellowship friends can experience as they jointly take part in a meal. From turning water into wine at the Cana marriage feast and feeding 5,000 people with a few fish and loaves of bread, to holding the Last Supper with His apostles and calling those who follow Him to do the same “in remembrance of Me,” Jesus used the closeness, openness and connection meal times can provide to teach us about who He is and who we can be in our relationship to Him.

In fact, a meal provided the setting for two disciples to gain eternal hope soon after Jesus’ crucifixion. Walking along a road to Emmaus, a town located seven miles outside Jerusalem, the two men were dejected. As they “conversed and reasoned,” the physical evidence suggested all was lost. The two disciples had hoped Jesus would be their Redeemer, the One who would free Israel from Rome’s control, and what they had last seen was a dead Man on a cross. But that was only half the story.

Right in that moment of despair, the two men wandering along and not knowing where to go, the resurrected Jesus joined them in the flesh to reveal that their faith in Him was not wasted. Jesus showed them that as Lord and Savior, He had done better than beating Rome; He had claimed lasting victory over death and sin.

Jesus first prepared the men’s hearts and minds to receive the news by reviewing prophetic Scriptures that outlined how He fulfilled God’s promises, detailing who He is, how He would come, and what He would do to save mankind:

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded [explained] to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Soon after sharing the Word, Jesus sat down with the men to eat and revealed His identity to them:

“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:30-32)

Then the men had to share the news with others - that their hope in Jesus Christ was real, and that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Savior:

“So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven [disciples] and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known [recognized] to them in the breaking of bread.” (Luke 24:33-35)

Jesus also offers each of us the same opportunity to meet and eat with Him, to take part in one-on-one, eternal fellowship that won’t leave us hungry:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

We don’t always see the significance of sharing food and drink with friends, especially if it’s something we “do all the time.” But if we think about the special connections we can make and maintain during mealtimes, they can be recognized as blessings for which to be thankful. Shared meals are among the moments that make life worth living. Just a little something to think about the next time you and your pals are out snacking on tapas, tacos, or fried chicken strips at one of your favorite restaurants…

©Copyright 2003 Ann Pinkney. All rights reserved.