Symbols have a powerful impact on our lives. For example, since 9/11 the Stars and Stripes have been a rejuvenated symbol of the good things America stands for. We are surrounded by icons, art, and ads, all symbols of a sort, which remind us to buy, or give, or behave a certain way.
Christianity has always been represented by symbols. The cross, the fish, a lamp, a sheep, the empty tomb, the Madonna, and praying hands; these are all powerful reminders to the popular consciousness of various aspects of the Christian faith. However, the New Testament, and Jesus in particular, gives us none of these as a bona fide representation of the faith. Only one enduring image is passed on by our Lord; a table.
It is curious that such a common thing should be the most authentic symbol of Christianity. Of course every Christian group realizes that the very ordinary acts of eating and drinking have become a primary means by which we collectively participate in the new covenant. The sacrament of the “Lord‘s Supper” has, for twenty centuries, been the simple celebratory rite binding the universal Body of Christ together.
The idea that a table is perhaps the best representation of our covenantal relation to Christ suggests some very important and precious things to us.
Perhaps the most obvious is that there is a table in almost every dwelling, even the most humble. This fact brings the sacramental realities much closer to us, with the startling implication that our everyday eating and drinking may actually be a powerful part of the Communion itself.
The table is the gathering place of families, reminding us that a primary unit of redemption is the family, not simply the individual. (Ex 12; “a lamb for a family“) A great many redemptive transactions take place at the table where folks acknowledge the Holy Presence in their “daily bread.”
The table is a place of acceptance, where God’s provision is shared with all. The family, their guests, the saints, and the stranger are united by the common need for food and human fraternity. For those moments of refreshment our differences and blemishes are diminished. A clear picture of this is with David taking the crippled Mephibosheth into his care for Jonathan’s sake. (2 Samuel 9:13) While his feet were under the King’s table, his infirmity was of no consequence.
It is across a table that we meet each other face to face, not in rows, in a crowd, or standing in the same line. We are “eye to eye”, and it is there that the issues of life are often resolved by getting things “on the table.” The ancient people would not share a meal with contention or distrust “in the air.”
For the present time, this symbol helps to focus us on the heart of God for His people. “A new commandment I give you… that you love one another.“ The table reminds us that this love is not so much spiritual as it is practical, a love lived out morning, noon, and night, demonstrated through the most basic transactions of life.
The table has a definite eschatological dimension as well. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” was the redemptive invitation in Revelation 3:20. It is a picture of fellowship with the Lord in the most human sense. And this theme carries forward to the consummation when the Bridegroom finally receives His Bride at the ‘invitation only’ Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9).
Is it possible that every meal in a believing household can be an occasion to ‘examine’ ourselves, and properly discern the Lord’s Body? An opportunity to bring ‘body and blood’ to bear on the issues at hand?
There is a distinct blessing and beauty associated with the ‘enactment’ of the Lord’s Supper in the corporate church setting. That universal practice should not be depreciated in any way. It is part of our heritage.
At the same time, the very essence of the table’s symbolism cries out for a wider application of it’s truth. Just as regeneration has invited every man to genuinely participate in the priestly office (1 Peter 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6), the Living God among His people brings the merits of Jesus’ atoning work across the threshold of every man’s house. As we sit down to give thanks and eat our bread with family and friends, let us learn to be open to the flow of redemptive and restorative power available when the saints come to The Table.
R. J. Staub, 1999