Jesus came to feed people. Everywhere he went, people were eating! Jesus ate with wedding guests, with the disciples, with Pharisees, with tax collectors, and with thousands of followers at a time. When he ate with people, he did not just fill their bellies. Jesus fed their souls with good news, stories of redemption, and parables that showed the way of heaven. People left his presence with full stomachs and hearts. Jesus is the living bread! 

Jesus told a parable of a woman who put yeast into her bread dough, and the bread dough rose. Yeast causes bread dough to bubble up and expand. Can salt do it? No. Can oil do it? No. Only yeast. The woman with the yeast is like a person who spreads love. When we share love with one another, the kin(g)dom of God bubbles up and expands. It grows! The bread also reminds us of Jesus himself. When we share love and break bread together, our communities grow. Only love can do it!

Every living thing must eat, and people must eat every day. We need nutrients and minerals to keep our bodies healthy. Jesus taught us to pray for our food each day when he gave us the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Everyone should have what they need in order to eat healthy food every day.

Jesus told his followers how to participate in and host the perfect meal. He instructed us to approach gatherings with humility and to invite people who could never possibly invite us in return. Jesus knew that when we only invite our closest, most powerful, or wealthiest guests, we miss out on the blessings that come with sharing what we have with those who appreciate it most.

Zacchaeus was an outsider. His community rejected him because he was a tax collector. Tax collectors in Roman times were considered to be disloyal to their Jewish community, as they collected vast resources and transmitted them to the powerful empire. Some scholars believe Zacchaeus was a changed man even before he met Jesus. He already performed his work with integrity and fairness. These scholars think that when Zacchaeus met Jesus, his way of life was transformed. With either interpretation, dinner with Jesus restored Zacchaeus to his community. This story shows us that when we eat meals together, we can break down barriers between us and transform our lives.