In the desert, hospitality was a necessity for survival. As any traveler might be in need of hospitality, any guest might reasonably expect hospitality from any host. Strangers arriving in a city sat in the central square until invited to someone’s home. A guest was entitled to protection from the host, and a good host made a feast for his guest greater than he would make for members of his own family.

Sharing a meal was at the heart of the guest/host relationship. Beginning with the prophet Isaiah in the eighth century B.C., the image of the banquet prefigures the joy of the messianic banquet on Mount Zion, where all those who are saved will be invited.

In the ministry of Jesus, whether it be the feeding of the five thousand or the request to be a guest at the home of Zacchaeus, the meal becomes an anticipation of the Kingdom of God. The cup that Jesus shared with his disciples at the Last Supper was a pledge of the cup he will share with them at their next banquet in the Kingdom of God.