16C22.    Genesis 18:1-10.   “The Lord appeared to Abraham.”  “Abraham saw three men.” My understanding is that God appeared to Abraham as one of three men, the other two being angels.  In the Scriptures living angels never appear with wings.  Wings on angels are used in art to indicate that the figures are angels.  The strict code of the desert people was the obligation to offer hospitality to anyone who happened to wander in, in that barren hostile environment.  Abraham responds to the needs of his unexpected guests with extravagant generosity.   God is never to be outdone in generosity by giving Abraham the son he must have to continue his lineage.

Luke 10:38-42.  Martha, as did Abraham, offers generous hospitality.  She complains to Jesus that her sister Mary is not helping “to do the serving.”  Jesus responds that what Martha is doing is good but that what Mary is doing is even better.  Mary “sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.”  Mary chose to be the recipient of Jesus’ hospitality in offering himself in a spiritual way.  Jesus felt the need to feed God’s people with salvific food even more than Martha felt the need to feed Jesus with earthly food.

Colossians 1:24-28.  Jesus said that he must suffer greatly and be killed.  Then in Luke 9:23 he said, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  In other words Jesus called upon his followers to suffer as he did, which is to say that we would have to suffer as he suffered. In that sense Paul says that his suffering is “filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.”  Jesus said in John 16:33b, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”  Paul encourages everyone to live in the riches of the presence of Christ in us.  The life we have with Jesus within us enables to live with a profound joy despite the difficulties this world may bring us.  Jesus is the bread of life that feeds us with the life that is beyond this earthly life.