The Meal of a Wayfaring Stranger
Originally scheduled for March 25
Jesus *said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air
have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
(Matthew 8:20 NASB)
It is his favorite title: “the Son of Man.”
This is the first instance in which it appears in the New Testament.
It is a title loaded with significance.
·
Although he often uses it as a
substitute for the word Messiah, he does so in his representation of
man — “the second Adam,” as Paul called him. He uses it to emphasize
his humanity, so that we would know he is perfectly God and
perfectly man.
·
In Daniel 7:13 we see the use in the
Old Testament — as the Messiah is brought in before the “Ancient of
Days” and given the kingdom that will never fall.
·
It’s also interesting to note that
this incident happened just before Jesus calmed the sea. He
proclaims his poverty and then shows his power.
We see here the material side of Jesus. If he
wants to know the time, he looks at the sun — not at his Rolex. If
he gets tired, there is no motorhome or five star hotel available.
The creator of the universe comes to us in a voluntary lifestyle of
poverty. Perhaps he was setting an example that would make sure that
no one among the poor would be turned away from the church’s door.
God himself was not ashamed to be one of the poor, and therefore the
poor are always welcome in his house.
We see this in communion as well. The meal is
a model of simplicity. The passages which describe it to us are only
a few verses long. This comes from its roots in Passover. The bread
was to be unleavened because there was so little time to make it; no
time for the yeast to rise. It was to be eaten by people who were
dressed for a journey; don’t kick your sandals off. It is also
simple in that its message is blunt and to the point: it symbolizes
the atoning death of Jesus on the cross. Even in this he reminds us
of his poverty:
For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He
became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
(2 Corinthians 8:9 NASB)
Therefore, we should reflect on these things.
He came in poverty that even the poor might be saved. He died on the
cross for all of us, atoning for our sins. Remember these things.
