Matt Skinner, New Testament professor at Luther Seminary, talks about Jesus and banquets. Meals, in the Gospel of Luke, are occasions for transformation, confrontation, and Jesus’ pronouncements about individuals and ministry.
“There is a ton of food in this gospel — no wonder [his enemies] called Jesus a glutton and a drunkard. … Meals become theological settings by which talk about God is real, is cemented into the lives of human beings and societies that they live in.”
Meals are places where Jesus connects the gospel, or good news, with experiences of hospitality, belonging, and community. Jesus also uses the image of a banquet to depict what the reign of God looks like.