“Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord”
John 21:12 (NAB)
So many stories begin with an invitation. The disciples’ story began with their personal invitation from Jesus, saying “Follow me.” After the loss and sorrow they felt in witnessing His arrest and crucifixion, they received the hope of resurrection when they saw His empty tomb. In the days to follow, they were still lonely from His physical absence in their daily life, the same as anyone feels after losing a close loved one.
One morning, as the disciples were fishing, there stood Jesus, on the shore, fully alive, cheerfully calling to them in their boat, “Come and have breakfast.” Jesus had fish and bread already cooked and ready to eat. The thrill of that moment was far beyond the chance to fill their empty stomachs, it was the joy of seeing their risen Lord, in the flesh, inviting them to Him. Jesus ate and drank with them in His resurrected body that morning and that was an invitation that they cherished for the rest of their lives.
There’s fewer things that are more exciting and memorable than to be invited to something or somewhere by a person we haven’t seen or been with for a long time. It doesn’t even matter where or what the invite is for, it’s the “who” that makes it special and exciting.
I can only think of one example in my own life, when I received an exciting invitation, but it wasn’t from a long time friend, it was from a celebrity.
Many years ago when I was single, I went to a comedy club to see a favorite Jewish comedian. My mother, brother and I had all been long time fans, and since Jackie Mason was in town, I went to see his show, hoping to meet him afterward.
After the show, I went to speak to him in person. There was a crowd of people asking for his autograph and speaking to him in a corner of the comedy club, where he signed autographs and posed for pictures.
I waited my turn to tell him that I had all his tapes and enjoyed his Jewish humor. I let him know I was not Jewish, but grew up in that environment in Chicago, and was a long time fan of his and then I asked for his autograph.
To my shock, he invited me to join him and four other people, who were going to dinner that evening to a restaurant in Chicago, called Carmine’s. I have no idea how I, a total stranger, ever ranked to be invited to dinner with a celebrity comedian, but I accepted his invitation. He shared stories with me that evening. He told me that both his grandfather and father were rabbis, but he was the first of his family’s generation to not follow that pattern. I learned that he was a man of faith, with deep respect for his Jewish heritage, and his humor was his way of expressing it.
I felt so honored to be invited out with him, and I was impressed that he was neither conceited or haughty, but willing to invite a total stranger to dinner. I cannot remember a thing about what I ate for dinner, but will always remember the invitation and the joy of the experience.
Invitations can mean so much to us. It doesn’t have to be a celebrity, it could be any unexpected invitation, that comes at a time in our lives, that both surprises and restores our sense of worth and dignity.
From then on, it made me think about how I treat others. Jesus invited the disciples to breakfast when they were at a low point, feeling lost and lonely without His physical presence. I think about opportunities in my life, when I can invite someone to something, because I have become more aware of how an invitation can bless someone, especially if they are at a low point in life.
I know of someone who once was at a low place in her life. She was in her early twenties, had a baby out of wedlock, and since the baby’s father was not in the picture, she was living with her mother, who had mental health issues, and had recently become separated.
One day, after she had a disagreement with her mother, in an angry rage, her mother kicked her out of the house, along with her six month old granddaughter.
Not knowing where to go, she was invited by her two bachelor uncles, to come live with them until she was able to live on her own. That made the difference in her life and she regained her dignity, found faith in Jesus, and eventually met and married a wonderful man. She later had a son, and today her whole family has invited Jesus to be the center of their lives. If not for the invitation she once received, her life could have gone a very different direction.
My mother once invited my first cousin, in his early twenties, to come live in our basement apartment for a brief time. I was young, and didn’t even know why he needed a place to stay, when his parents lived in a neighboring suburb. My mother showed him kindness, and gave him a sense of dignity. Sadly, about a year after that, he died suddenly in a tragic car accident.
We never know what impact our invitation can have on a person’s life, even if the years of their life are brief on this earth.
Paul tells us, “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.” (Romans 12:16)
Nothing can top the invitation we have received from Jesus, to come to Him when we are weary, to follow and abide in Him all of our days, to live in His peace and dignity as a child of God, and then to live with Him forever in heaven.
Lord, as we follow you, make us people of invitation and show us how we can bless others who are at a low place in their life. Amen