Having Jesus for Dinner: Community or Cannibalism

Can Christians Reset the Table for a New Expression of Jesus’ “Holy” Meal?

Christopher Levan

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9781666765663
  9781666765670
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666765687
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Most Christians claim to know to Jesus as a friend or guide, as an inspiration and model. We adore him and even worship him. But what happens when you have him for dinner? This book explores the development of the meal practice of Jesus's followers as they move from having Jesus as the guest at their table, to having Jesus as the main course. Most believers don't give it a second thought now, but that is a dramatic change. Initially Jesus is the host at a common shared meal that signaled acceptance to all. In a few short years, Christians began "eating" Jesus as an act of devotion. "Jesus--the bread of life. Jesus--the true vine." How did this the shift from community to cannibalism take place? Does it make sense relative to Jesus's stated mission? And what have been the consequences of taking what began as ordinary shared supper and turning it into a symbolic and ritualized sacrament? Join Christopher Levan as we go from bread recipes to first-century meal practice. We'll recline with other disciples and relive the joys of having Jesus as the host and ask if we can reset the table of the Lord for the twenty-first century.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Lament for a Church
• Chapter 2: Having the Real Jesus for Dinner
• Chapter 3: The Real Meal Deal
• Chapter 4: “He Eats with Them” . . . Weighing the Complaints
• Chapter 5: How and Why Did the Meal Change?
• Chapter 6: Imperialism and the Shift from Community to Cannibalism
• Chapter 7: Resetting the Table for a Twenty-First-Century Meal
• Conclusion
• Appendix
• Bibliography