One day when I was a student at school, I asked my friend for some of the chips he had for lunch. Very reluctantly, he offered me the bag. But he deliberately restricted its opening – there was only a small hole. I could only get a measly chip or two! Let’s just say he wasn’t very generous in his offer.
God’s lavish generosity towards us is nothing like my friend’s ‘generosity’. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah writes this about the generosity of God towards us in chapter 25:
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;
He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
Isaiah wants us to understand the lavish and generous nature of God. God gives to us unrestricted generosity. You can see this fulfilled when Jesus turns water into wine in John 2. It’s not just a cup of the best wine he offers to the wedding guests; it is six stone jars filled to the brim, which could have been over 100 litres.
Interestingly, John calls this miracle a sign. A sign points to a greater reality than itself. So, Jesus’ generous act at the wedding is a sign that points to Jesus being the one who will provide “a rich food for all peoples”. This feast isn’t food or wine that lasts only in the moment. Jesus provides for us a feast of life. Jesus offers us his life, so that “He will swallow up death forever”. That Jesus will “remove his people’s disgrace” (from Isaiah above).
Today you will be offered many things that will promise life, love, and joy. You will chase after them and put your hopes in them. However, these things will only give us a taste of these good things. It’s like being offered a few crumbs from the chip bag.
Jesus, on the other hand, is the only one who freely and lavishly provides you with more life, love and joy that we could ever hope to receive. A feast that will never perish, spoil, or fade.