I remember reading an email a couple of different times when it got passed around on the internet. It was about a person who was talking with her siblings after their mother died and each of them had thought they were their mother's favorite. At the time, I thought it was wonderful this mother had been able to let each of her children feel so special that they thought they were her favorite!
Well, this passage written by the Apostle John is much more significant than that. A few months ago, I started thinking about this and realized that Jesus went to great lengths to treat each of His disciples as if they were His favorite! Jesus loved Peter very much, as well."And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:16-18
Even though Jesus, being God's Son, knew ahead of time that Judas would betray Him, Jesus treated him with respect. I've eaten over friendships that have gone awry, and vowed not to have any more to do with them. If I had known my friend was going to betray me like Jesus did, I might not have been as kind as Jesus was.
So, what's this tell us? For one, as Christians, we are supposed to try our best to be examples of how Jesus works in our lives. So, what's that mean to me? Well, instead of eating over friendships that go awry, I need to be prayerful and make sure that my interactions with these people are respectful and not at all demeaning. I shouldn't talk behind their backs, sharing with others the despicable things they have said or done. I should realize that I am truly blessed to have a Savior who makes me feel so loved that I feel like I'm His favorite! In return, I have to realize that the person I'm mad at is also a child of God, as well, and I should treat them as such!
Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my overeating, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.
