#501: "The Table" by Jonathan Traylor

When my mom shared Jonathan Traylor's song "The Table" with me, I knew I wanted to use it as a launching point on the podcast closest to my debut novel release, "A Seat at the Table." I contend that the world sees a "seat at the table" as an opportunity for power and influence. But what does Scripture say about having a seat at the table of Christ? That is what we'll explore in this episode.

Let's examine a table in the Old Testament and the table of the Last Supper in the New Testament.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: 
  • Read in context
  • Exploring a theme
• Special Episode Gift
• My debut novel, A Seat at the Table - Learn More
• How to evaluate the tables you are sitting at
• My newest endeavor, Story Sessions, where I use a story as inspiration to study Scripture (much like I do on the podcast)
• Exploring the theme of tables in Scripture
• Exploring the Table of the Bread of Presence in the context of the design/construction of The Tabernacle - Exodus 25-31
• The Tabernacle was God's dwelling place among His people - Exodus 25:8
• The Bread of the Presence was a part of the priests' regular interaction with God - Exodus 25:30, Leviticus 24
• The 12 loaves of bread on the Table of the Bread of Presence represented the 12 tribes. "Each tribe had a seat at the table." - Exalting Jesus in Exodus Commentary - Amazon Paid Link
• The bread of the Presence can also be translated as "'bread of the face,' referring to the fact that bread was in the presence of God, set before Him." - Exalting Jesus in Leviticus Commentary - Amazon Paid Link
• The Lord's Table, as enacted by Christ at the Last Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:24-25
• The account of the Last Supper in Luke 22:14-20 
• The cost of Christ's invitation to His table - Matthew 16:24, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:4
• The example of humility and a heart for others set at Christ's table - John 13:12-16
• The betrayal at Christ's table - John 13:21
• Counting the cost before we accept the invitation - Luke 14:27-28
• The intimacy at Christ's table - John 13:23-25
• In Christ, our seat in heavenly places - Ephesians 2:4-6
• Our future seat at the banquet table of the marriage supper of the Lamb - Revelation 19:9
• To accept this invitation to the table of Christ 
  • Don't get cleaned up first - Romans 5:8
  • Confess and believe - Romans 10:9-10

This Week's Challenge

Learn about the Table of the Bread of Presence by reading Exodus 25-31. Read about the Bread of Presence in Leviticus 24. Then consider the Bread of Life, Jesus, at a table described in all four gospels—Luke 22, Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 13.

I hope you take advantage of the free video series I created for you-- Story Sessions: A Seat at the Table. In it, we harness the power of story to unlock God’s Word. Do you have to read the novel to complete these online studies? Absolutely not. I use the book as a parable—a story to point back to—to teach truths. The story can act as a series of pegs to hang future truth. And I promise not to spoil the story, so you can complete the studies before or after you read the book.

Purchase your copy of A Seat at the Table today!