Do you think it’s possible that Jesus was chubby?
I know that in the movies, and in old paintings, he often looks pale and thin. But perhaps it’s time to rethink that.
Given his background, it’s highly unlikely that Jesus was pale. While it’s true that he traveled by foot quite a lot and probably burned up more than a few calories, it’s also the case that he seems to have spent a lot of time eating. In fact, it’s hard to read the gospel accounts without constantly tripping over tables!
Tables of religious leaders.
Tables of tax collectors.
Tables of friends.
Tables of enemies.
Makeshift mountain lap tables, filled with fish and bread.
And an upper room table, set with a goodbye meal.
Jesus liked his grub. Or so it seems. If, like me, you enjoy your grub, too, there’s something reassuring about a chubby Jesus.
At one level, all those tables were simply a reflection of the culture in which Jesus lived. I have spent time working in the Middle East, and the hospitality that I have experienced there is unparalleled. The host honors you by asking you to join him at his table. You honor the host by accepting his request.
That “honoring” seems to be the place where Jesus stepped out of his cultural norms and expectations to say something about the revolutionary nature of life in the Kingdom of God – a revolution that had to do with building bigger tables.
The Significance of Sharing a Meal
In Jesus’ day, if you accepted hospitality from someone, it meant that you accepted them as well. That was no problem when Jesus ate with the religious leaders. They were quite happy to think that they were acceptable company. But they weren’t the only kinds of people with whom Jesus ate, and it was those meals that got him into trouble.
For example, when he asked the tax collector Matthew to leave his tax collecting behind and be his disciple, Matthew celebrated with – what else?- a big meal. A meal to which Jesus was invited and an invitation which he gladly accepted.
Because tax collectors worked for the Romans, and often cheated people to line their own pockets, they weren’t accepted by religious folk. And, as a result, they would sometimes hang out with other people who weren’t accepted, either. It was those people who attended Matthew’s “Now I’m Following Jesus” banquet.
When the religious leaders got wind of this, they asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
When the disciples passed that question on to Jesus, he had a very interesting answer.
“People who are well don’t need a doctor,” he said. “People who are sick do. I haven’t come to call people who are close to God back to him. No, I have come to call those who don’t know him” (Mark 2:17).
The fact is that, because of our sin, none of us deserve to sit with Jesus at the table. And yet, just like he did with Matthew and his friends, he honours and welcomes us by his presence, he “heals” us through the grace he showed us on the Cross, and he invites us, in turn, to extend his hospitality to those around us.
That requires a bigger table. A table set for people who are different from us, who don’t act like us, and maybe who don’t even like us.
Expanding the Table
In my new book, Lily, the Lemur and the Lamb King, a diverse cast of characters – both animal and human – are invited into a playground to discover what kingdom life is like. In Chapter 8, Lily and the Lemur tremble at the sound of a tiger’s growl, and talk about bullying and how to deal with enemies and threats. “Fighting back” comes up. But the Lamb King offers an alternative suggestion:
“But there is, of course, another way,” said the Lamb King. “Not Tigers…”
Then he walked over to a picnic bench, gently touched the edge, and said, “But tables!”
And while Lily and the Lemur watched, wide-eyed, the picnic table grew longer and longer still, until the farthest end disappeared out of the park and over the horizon.”
The table fills up with cookies and cakes. Crowds gather along each side to join the feast. The Lamb King asks Lily and the Lemur to help him serve drinks.
As they do, they hear that growl again and realize that the Tiger is sitting at the table, as well.
“So tigers are welcome at the table, too?” asked Lily.
“Everyone’s welcome,” the Lamb King nodded. “Because when tigers come to the table, you never know what might happen. Go on. See what he wants.”
“I think he wants to eat me,” muttered Lemur. “But if you say so…”
(Spoiler Alert) Nothing gets eaten but cake. And Lemur learns about the grace of the Lamb King and building bigger tables.
Teaching Our Children About Bigger Tables
We start by teaching kids that hospitality really does lie at the heart of Kingdom life – from the start of Jesus’ ministry to the end. Like that table reaching across the horizon, Jesus’ hospitality extends into the forever of that Great Banquet (Matt. 22:1-14). We need to introduce them to all those gospel tables.
We show them how hospitality actually works, practically, in our own circumstances. Your church might be a good place to start. Try as churches might, there are always people on the fringes or new people who need welcoming.
But church isn’t the only place where tables need extending, or where bigger tables make all the difference.
When I was in junior high, a boy who lived down the street lost his mom to cancer. My mom more or less adopted him into our family. He and I became fast friends. After a few years, he not only became a Christian but went to seminary and is now building bigger tables of his own.
I live in the U.K., and two friends who were in the first church I pastored took a young man into their home when he was in his teens. He stayed with them for several years. His life improved. When he moved out, they invited other young people facing difficulties into their house, and over forty years or so, their table is still growing.
Their own children were quite young when that first teen arrived, and it is probably worth noting that building bigger tables does require a sometimes-fine balancing act between the needs of the family and the needs of the guest. There was no problem in their case, but I can understand the need to tread carefully here. For example, in the church I attend, a group of us provided meals for the homeless every other Sunday night. It was suggested that some of our teens might join us, but there were the occasional violent outbursts from the guests. We decided that having the teens prepare the food might still be an effective teaching tool and be wiser than having them actually come along.
I hope this helps you on your kingdom hospitality journey. As for the original question about a chubby Jesus? Who knows?
But he was all about bigger tables. That we know for sure.
And I must admit, I kind of like the idea.
Big smiling Jesus, reclining at Matthew’s table.
One arm propping him up, next to his new less-than-perfect friend.
And the other arm reaching for a chicken wing!
Join us on the Rooted Parent Podcast for a season- long look at Romans 8!
In his new book, Lily, the Lemur, and the Lamb King, Bob Hartman invites readers to join Lily and her friend the Lemur on a series of adventures in the Lamb King’s mysterious and exciting playground. Along the way, children will find themselves exploring key truths about Jesus’ kingdom—such as how to be welcoming, what gives people value, and why a self-sacrificing king is the best king of all.
