There’s something about meals that can soften the hardest conversations and open doors that sermons sometimes can’t. In this episode, Pastor Matt and I kept the conversation going around how Jesus used meals—not as a backdrop, but as a ministry tool. This was part two of our “Dinner with Outsiders” series, and if you haven’t listened to part one, I’d suggest starting there. We laid some important groundwork about why meals mattered so much to Jesus—and why they should still matter to us today.

In Luke 5, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him. And what does He do right after? He goes to Levi’s house for dinner. That’s not a small thing. Tax collectors were despised—seen as traitors and thieves. So Jesus choosing to dine with Levi and his crew was radical. It still is. If you or I were trying to build a reputation, we’d probably avoid that dinner party. But Jesus wasn’t building a brand—He was building a kingdom. And that kingdom wasn’t just for the clean-cut and credentialed; it was for the outcast, the overlooked, and yes, even the corrupt.

That’s where it gets real for me. I grew up in the church, but there was a stretch—high school and college—where I drifted. And even now, I find I connect more easily with people outside the church world. Maybe it’s because I know what it feels like to be on the outside looking in. That’s why I love how Jesus didn’t lead with correction. He led with connection. He didn’t walk up to Levi and say, “Let’s talk about your sin.” He said, “Let’s eat.” He didn’t come with a tract—He came with time, attention, and presence. And that changes people.

Matt and I shared some stories in this episode—from burnt bacon and awkward dinners to unexpected testimonies at 4th of July block parties. Moments where we weren’t trying to preach but somehow ended up pointing people toward Jesus anyway. That’s the thing about hospitality—it’s not about performance. It’s about presence. Whether it’s pancakes with co-workers or grilled hot dogs in the cul-de-sac, if your heart says, “You’re welcome here,” God can do something with that. Even if the bacon burns.

So here’s the question we left listeners with, and the one I’ll leave you with too: Who do you eat with? Not just literally, but who are you making space for in your life? Because your table tells a story. It reveals whether you’re building comfort or building connection. And if you’re anything like me, you might find that the holiest things God does in your life won’t happen on a stage or with a microphone—they’ll happen at the table.