Meals with Jesus #1: Why Jesus ate with the hated and the hateful

Ready for Impact (10 mins)

Take time to introduce yourselves to one another (over drinks or snacks if possible). Then split into groups (of no more than 3-4 people). Set a timer and then:

Over five minutes, find as many things that your group have in common with each other. (Prizes might go to the group who finds the highest number of things in common, and the group with the most unusual thing in common!)

Explain that, over the course of the coming term, we’re exploring some of the meals Jesus shared. Not only will this help us get to know Jesus better, we’ll see how the way he shared meals can teach us a lot as we experience student life today.

Ask for a volunteer to read Luke 5:27-32 to the group, praying a short prayer that, however much they’ve come to know Jesus, they’d know him better as a result of your time together.

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Impacted by the Word (15 mins)

Ask group members if they can tell a story of a time where eating a meal with others made them feel welcome or accepted.
Given Levi’s back story, how might eating with Jesus have made him feel?
The Pharisees are shocked by Jesus’ actions (verse 30). According to them, what’s wrong with what Jesus is doing?
What strikes you about the way in which Jesus explains his actions? (verses 31-32)

Jesus says he is a doctor for those who are ill. He’s come to draw near to people who realise their mess and sin and call them into a new life with him. This is ultimately why he will die.

What had the Pharisees failed to realise about themselves and about Jesus?
What does Jesus’ willingness to eat with people rejected by society say to you personally?

We need to be clear about what Jesus is saying in verse 32.

Jesus can’t be saying that anyone is so good that they have nothing to repent of – this would cut against Jesus’ teaching elsewhere (e.g. Luke 11:13) as well as the Bible’s broader teaching (e.g. Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-16).

Remember: Jesus’ words in verse 32 follow his claim to be a doctor. His point is that, so long as you think you’re well, you’ll never see a doctor. So, in effect Jesus is saying to the religious leaders, “If you think you’re good enough for God without me, then you don’t see yourself as spiritually sick. And so you won’t see any need for a doctor.”

If the religious leaders had seen themselves as sick, then not only would they have willingly come to Jesus themselves, they’d also have been delighted to see him eating with people like Levi.

Impacting our Hearts (10 mins)

The book of Acts recounts the story of the first Christian believers. In Acts 2:46, it says: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”

What does this show about how the earliest Christians viewed their community?
What could we gain from spending time eating together in our student homes or at the homes of others?
What might prevent us from living in this way?
What place could meals have in Impact Group/CU life this term (especially as you seek to make an impact for good together in your university)?

Impacting the University (15 mins)

For lots of people starting university can be hard. Moving to a new place and being surrounded by new people can make it easy to feel like you don’t belong.

Jesus radically welcomes those society considers as outsiders. As his followers, we are to imitate his example.

As individuals, how could you follow Jesus’ example of welcoming outsiders? What could this look like in the coming week?
In the weeks ahead, how could you create this kind of welcome not as individuals, but as a group?

Especially in the early weeks of term, Impact Groups have the potential to be a countercultural presence in the university. At a time when many feel the pressure to prove themselves and find their friends, Impact Groups can demonstrate an unconditional welcome and a place where people – whoever they are – can belong.

One of the ways you can create a sense of welcome and belonging is through sharing food together. As a leader, take the initiative in thinking with your group about how you could do this. Here are some ideas:

Eat lunch together on campus, inviting new course mates to join.
Host a bring and share meal at the flat of one of the more confident freshers in your group.
As leaders, cook a meal for your group, inviting them to bring friends.
Set up a meal rota. Older students agree to cook a meal for a fresher to then eat with their new housemates.

Wrap-up – TACOS 🌮

Thank You – Thank everyone for coming, and ask someone to thank God for your time together in prayer.

Ask – Ask those who are new to reading the Bible if they’d like to explore Uncover, a set of sessions in Mark’s Gospel, allowing them to investigate one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life alongside one of you.

Church and CU – What does the CU have planned ahead? And what help would group members value in finding a local church?

Others – Who else could you invite to join your CU Impact Group next week? These friends don’t need to be followers of Jesus and may really appreciate being invited.

See You Soon – Tell the group where and when you’ll meet next week, and arrange who will bring snacks. (You might like to alternate healthy and less healthy weeks!). See if anyone would be up for sharing a meal or just hanging out in the meantime!