#DailyDevotion Wisdom, Jesus, Invites Us To Dine At His Feast
Proverbs 9:1–10 Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars. 2She has butchered her meat, mixed her wine, and spread her table. 3She has sent away her maids and calls from the highest spots in the city: 4“If you’re untaught, turn in here. If you don’t have understanding,” she tells you, 5“Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I mix. 6Leave ignorant people and begin to live; walk the road that leads to understanding.”
Jesus is the Wisdom of God. This confuses people because Wisdom here uses the femine gender. But that is just how languages work sometime. Everything is either masculine, feminine or neuter. Note I didn’t say male, female and eunach. Something things which may get a feminine ending in a language may actually be male and vice versa. But take my word on it, or don’t, but it isn’t actually a problem.
We’ve been in John 6, Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse. We will be again this week. Jesus is inviting people to eat his flesh and drink his blood as his flesh and blood are real food. Real food for eternal life that is (not discounting he gives us his true body and true blood in the Sacrament of the Altar). In Jesus’ appeal to the crowds to believe in him and have eternal life you can see him here in Proverbs as Wisdom calling out to the people to turn to her.
Wisdom has butchered the meat, mixed the wine, spread the table for mankind to partake. Wisdom has apostles, the maidens calling from the high spots of the city, “If you are untaught, turn in here.” In similar fashion Jesus does not turn us away if we don’t understand but invites us to believe and trust in him and thereby be taught by his word.
If you don’t have understanding, Wisdom invites you to eat the bread and drink the wine. In similar fashion Jesus invites us to believe he is the true Bread of Life who gives his body and blood to eat and to drink. Coming to Jesus and believing in him is this eating of his flesh and blood. He in no wise want to turn anyone away from him and gaining true knowledge of God and understanding. But that knowledge and understanding is only gained through believing Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God made flesh to save the world.
He calls us to leave ignorant people and begin to live, i.e. walk the road that leads to understanding. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is that road that leads to understanding. Until you believe Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of the world because the Father loves you and Jesus loves you, you are living in ignorance. When you come to believe this you begin the walk the road that is eternal life and leads you into the kingdom of God. So are you going to listen to Wisdom’s call? Are you going to head Jesus invitation to believe in him and follow him? What’s stopping you? Cast your doubts aside and put your faith in him.
Heavenly Father, open our ears that we may hear Wisdom’s invitation and Jesus’ instruction so we may believe in him and be made partakers of your eternal feast in the world to come. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.