The Spirit of Fika
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
Luke 24:30
The coffeehouse in the town near my house is named Fika. It’s a Swedish word meaning to take a break with coffee and a pastry, always with family, co-workers, or friends. I’m not Swedish, yet the spirit of fika describes one thing I love most about Jesus—His practice of taking a break to eat and relax with others.
Scholars say Jesus’s meals weren’t random. Theologian Mark Glanville calls them “the delightful ‘second course’” of Israel’s feasts and celebrations in the Old Testament. At the table, Jesus lived what God had intended Israel to be: “a center of joy, celebration and justice for the whole world.”
From the feeding of 5,000, to the Last Supper—even to the meal with two believers after His resurrection (Luke 24:30)—the table ministry of Jesus invites us to stop our constant striving and abide in Him. Indeed, not until eating with Jesus did the two believers recognize Him as the risen Lord. “He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened” (vv. 30-31) to the living Christ.
Sitting with a friend recently at Fika, enjoying hot chocolate and rolls, we found ourselves also talking of Jesus. He is the Bread of Life. May we linger at His table and find more of Him.
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
Make time to eat the Bread of Life.
Lord, thank You for making time and room for us to abide at Your table.
Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.
INSIGHT
In the lands and times of the Bible, bread and table were symbols of relationship and a shared life. So when Jesus broke bread with His disciples on the night of His betrayal and said, “This is My body which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24 nkjv; see Luke 22:19), He was using words rich in meaning to communicate more than His disciples understood. Not until three days later when Jesus lifted His scarred hands to break bread at a table in the village of Emmaus did two disciples recognize the Stranger who had been opening their understanding of the Scriptures (Luke 24:13-32). They were among the first to witness what others would soon hear and see for themselves (vv. 33-43). The Bread had been broken on a dark Passover night. The news would soon spread of a bigger table, shared life, and a new way to read the Scriptures and story of God (vv. 45-49). Mart DeHaan
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