Good Manners
Originally scheduled for May 8
"Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set
before you;
(Luke 10:8 NASB)
This
passage comes from the middle of some instructions Jesus gave to his
disciples when he sent out the seventy to preach the gospel. It may
seem rather commonsensical; it certainly is good manners.
First, it shows contentment. If you
want to know why this is important to someone who is taking the
gospel to the world, imagine Oscar the Grouch as an evangelist.
Oscar is the opposite of contentment; he is always unhappy about
everything. This makes for good juvenile humor, but doesn’t do much
for the Christian’s disposition.
Next, it is a mark of the
fundamental equality of all Christians. If you make no complaints
about what they put in front of you to eat, but rather just eat it
like your mother told you, it is a measure of what you think of your
fellow human beings. It’s equality; what’s good enough for them is
good enough for you.
Finally, it is a mark of humility.
Much has been written about the nature of humility in our Christian
achieves it. A simple way to look at it is this: self-honesty.
You’re not trying to convince your audience that you are something
special, but rather that Jesus Christ is something special indeed.
Although we are not all evangelists, we are all invited to the
Lord’s Supper. Our eating habits may be informed by this verse.
Contentment.
This is relatively easy if you think about all you have to be
content about. After all, you are a sinner, saved by grace. Be
content.
Equality.
“All are one in Christ Jesus.” All of us get invited to the same
meal served at the same time. There is no special form of communion
for the extra special people.
Humility.
Being a sinner saved by grace is nothing to boast about. Save the
boasting for the Savior.
So how
does this affect us as we take the Lord’s Supper?
Take
it, recognizing who you really are — a sinner saved by grace and
glad to be such.
Take it
in fellowship with your fellow sinners, with the childlike faith so
becoming to those who believe.Even if you don’t understand the
theology behind it, you can take it in childlike faith, knowing that
this is what you Lord has commanded.
