I'm sure many of you are familiar with the painting, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see it depicted in 3D format at the Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju.
What caught my attention was not so much the figures around the table. Rather, it was the lone bear (person) peeping in from outside the door.
I wonder what was holding him back from joining in the meal. Perhaps self-doubt, inferiority and insecurities? "I'm not good enough" or "I don't know enough" or " I've done too many bad things", and many other possible self-accusations could have immobilised him.
Many people are like that in real life too. They see all the good that believers do, and acknowledge the benefits of belonging to the Body of Christ. But they just don't feel that they are qualified to join in.
Even among believers, some are reluctant to engage deeply with others in fellowship. It could be that they're afraid they'd be 'found out' - warts and all. Or perhaps they feel inadequate, and they must study the Bible some more before they can be ready to serve.
On the other hand, there are those who have come to the table eagerly. Yet they are also the ones who deny Christ and betray Him at times, like Peter (who denied he knew Jesus three times after Jesus' arrest) and Judas (who led the soldiers to arrest Jesus). In fact, I should change this to first person as none of us are perfect, hence there will definitely be times when we turn against Him and fall into sin.
However, regardless of whether we stand outside the door or used to be at the table but have fallen away, Jesus is beckoning us to come to the table.
The first ones He ate with after His resurrection were the unnamed disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). They weren't from His inner circle, and hadn't been at the Last Supper.
There's no need to feel unworthy, for He welcomes and accepts everyone no matter who we are. No qualifications are needed as He has already given every person a free pass through the Cross.
As for Peter who had denied Him, Jesus also restored fellowship with him through a meal. He made breakfast for Peter and the other disciples present, before reaffirming their love for each other through the "Do you love me?" exchange (John 21:1-27).
Despite whatever we've done to let Him down, He receives us at the table each and every time we repent and turn back to Him. We don't need to carry our own guilt (so don't be like Judas), for He has borne all of it for us on the Cross.
Come to the table, one and all!
Then the owner of the house... ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.'
- Luke 14:21-23
See my next entry with further reflections on Easter or Resurrection Sunday.
