Table Talks of Jesus: Didactics of Reversals in the Gospel of Luke

Food, eating, and drinking permeate the Gospel of Luke from the beginning till the end. In Table Talks of Jesus: Didactics of Reversals in the Gospel of Luke, James Kalong analyzes the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14 employing social scientific criticism and applies this further as a hermeneutical lens to read other meal scenes of Jesus and his associates. In so doing, Jesus’ table fellowships engender reversals in conventional meal practices and teach new standards of how meals and table fellowships epitomize faith and daily living for Christians.

“This thoughtful new book by James Kalong deserves attention. Of the four canonical evangelists, Luke places the most emphasis on Jesus’ meals and table talk. Kalong strategically submits Luke’s reports of Jesus’ conversations with his associates to close and illuminating social analysis.” –Excerpt from the Foreword by Douglas E. Oakman, Professor of Religion, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington and author of The Political Aims of Jesus and Jesus and the Economic Questions of His Day

“The piece is very well put together. It makes excellent use of social scientific criticism and the research that has been done on these topics in recent years. It also makes a very convincing case for the reversal described.” –Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Paul S. Wright Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon and author of The New Testament in Cross-Cultural Perspective and Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels

“In this thoughtful and carefully researched book, James Kalong takes us to the dining table, both in Luke’s Gospel and in our own homes today. We learn that what we eat, and with whom, are like parables—daily realities that speak profoundly about the nature of everyday faithfulness to Jesus. As we read this book, we are challenged by Jesus’s table dealings to learn more fully and to reflect more deeply on his message.” –Joel B. Green, Professor of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California and author of The Theology of the Gospel of Luke and The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social and Historical Contexts.