Food and Power

Although it may sound strange, one helpful way to view food is through the lens of power. The Bible often does.

In Mark 6 two banquet scenes unfold right next to each other. Here is how they play out:

Herod, on his birthday, held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders, and the leading people of Galilee… the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back the head of John the Baptist.- Mark 6:21, 27

He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things… and he said to them, “Give them something to eat.” - Mark 6:34, 36

Banquets - whether in a palace or on a hillside - are places where people gather, where a way of living is not just exhibited but taught and spread. Think about the meals you enjoy and ask yourself, Who gets invited? How are people treated? What’s the feel around the table? What does how we handle our food and our tables say about what we think of power?