Jesus Ch. 3 & 4

Communion & Commensality

                        That Awkward Moment . . .

   I really enjoyed the sub-section of Chapter 4 titled "Open Commensality." I believe I have heard the story of the 'Open Dinner Party' before, so what Crossan explains and references made a lot of sense. I like how he explores the social parameters of different social classes, genders, ethical backgrounds, etc. coming together for a meal. I think about it now and how "Tradition," as Tevye says, is deeply rooted in every culture. It is a crime today for someone to sit at a different table in the high school cafeteria. In a microcosmic way, that is what Jesus was suggesting, only bigger! Imagine representatives from every clique table in the cafeteria having to sit . . . together! I can hear Regina George saying it now: "For-get about sitting with beggars, prostitutes, and (ugh) tax collectors! It would be social suicide."
   I find it interesting that part of the reason for this being such a big deal to people is the same reason that actually brings people to the dinner or lunch table together. I have heard it best said by Thomas C. Foster in his book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor.

". . . whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion. . . . Christianity [does not] have a lock on the practice. Nearly every religion has some liturgical or social ritual involving the coming together . . . to share sustenance. . . . not all communions are holy. . . . Generally, eating with another is a way of saying, 'I'm with you, I like you, we form a community together.' And that is a form of communion." (Foster 8)

   This concept of communion at the table is for one thing, ironic because Jesus is the narrator of this story, but, it also makes a good point. Eating at the dinner table and the norms associated with that practice are so engrained in our cultures that when changes are made to them, people do not know how to react. It is not just the social aspect of eating; it is the practice itself and the fact that we normally eat with people we are comfortable with. Eating "together is an act of sharing and peace" (Foster 8). And, this with the social expectations are what make a dinner of noblemen, tax collectors, peasants, prostitutes, beggars, and carpenters so, well, awkward.