Moments That Change Everything
“When evening came, he was reclining at the table with the Twelve. – Matthew 26:20
There are moments in life that change everything. Encounters we experience that are so significant that we walk away different than we were before. Most of us can name a few of those moments without much effort. The day you gave your life to Jesus. The day you were married. The moment you became a parent. Moments that shaped you, defined you, and marked your story forever.
The same was true for the disciples. For three years, these men followed Jesus throughout Israel. They heard His teachings with their ears. They witnessed His miracles with their eyes. They experienced the supernatural in their own lives. Every encounter with Christ shaped their faith, built their character, and clarified their mission. And one of the most significant encounters they ever had happened around a dinner table.
Matthew tells us that Jesus and the disciples were reclining at the table. That phrase matters. In the first century, people did not sit upright at high tables the way we do today. They reclined on cushions around a low table, especially during important meals like Passover. Reclining was a posture of freedom and rest. Only free people could eat this way. Slaves were not allowed to recline.
That is why this posture was so significant during Passover. Passover celebrated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Reclining was a way of declaring, “We are no longer slaves. We are free.”
This was not an ordinary meal. This was Passover. A celebration designed to remember how God delivered His people when the blood of the lamb was placed on the doorposts and the angel of death passed over their homes. For generations, this meal marked freedom, victory, and thanksgiving.
So imagine the disciples’ mindset as they reclined at the table that night. Joy. Gratitude. Celebration. They assumed this was just another Passover meal. They had no idea that this encounter with Jesus would change everything.
Encounters with Jesus still do that. They interrupt our expectations. They challenge our assumptions. They meet us right where we are and then call us into something deeper. When Jesus invites you to the table, He is not offering a routine experience. He is offering a moment that can redefine your life if you let it.
There are moments in life that change everything. Encounters we experience that are so significant that we walk away different than we were before. Most of us can name a few of those moments without much effort. The day you gave your life to Jesus. The day you were married. The moment you became a parent. Moments that shaped you, defined you, and marked your story forever.
The same was true for the disciples. For three years, these men followed Jesus throughout Israel. They heard His teachings with their ears. They witnessed His miracles with their eyes. They experienced the supernatural in their own lives. Every encounter with Christ shaped their faith, built their character, and clarified their mission. And one of the most significant encounters they ever had happened around a dinner table.
Matthew tells us that Jesus and the disciples were reclining at the table. That phrase matters. In the first century, people did not sit upright at high tables the way we do today. They reclined on cushions around a low table, especially during important meals like Passover. Reclining was a posture of freedom and rest. Only free people could eat this way. Slaves were not allowed to recline.
That is why this posture was so significant during Passover. Passover celebrated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Reclining was a way of declaring, “We are no longer slaves. We are free.”
This was not an ordinary meal. This was Passover. A celebration designed to remember how God delivered His people when the blood of the lamb was placed on the doorposts and the angel of death passed over their homes. For generations, this meal marked freedom, victory, and thanksgiving.
So imagine the disciples’ mindset as they reclined at the table that night. Joy. Gratitude. Celebration. They assumed this was just another Passover meal. They had no idea that this encounter with Jesus would change everything.
Encounters with Jesus still do that. They interrupt our expectations. They challenge our assumptions. They meet us right where we are and then call us into something deeper. When Jesus invites you to the table, He is not offering a routine experience. He is offering a moment that can redefine your life if you let it.
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