Jesus enters this world of expectation and distinction, of hope and fear and even hatred. And, as a Jew, we would expect for him to follow the same categories of his forefathers, to see the meal as an anticipation for the Kingdom and a way of creating distinction with the world in which he currently inhabits. And he does! But not in the way that those who were waiting on God to redeem recognized.
One author puts it this way,
“[Jesus] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45); ‘The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10); ‘The Son of Man has come eating and drinking...’ (Luke 7:34).
The first two are statements of purpose. Why did Jesus come? He came to serve, to give his life as a ransom, to seek and to save the lost. The third is a statement of method. How did Jesus come? He came eating and drinking.”
Thus it can be said that Jesus,
“...did evangelism and discipleship around the table with some grilled fish, a loaf of bread, and a pitcher of wine...
...This is why eating and drinking were so important in the mission of Jesus: they were a sign of friendship with tax collectors and sinners. His ‘excess’ of food and ‘excess’ of grace are linked. In the ministry of Jesus, meals were enacted grace, community and mission.”
Jesus recognized that meals were a means of anticipating the Kingdom, of enacting grace and community, of sharing in the now abundance of God as we taste a bit of what the full banquet will be!