HOW ABOUT SOME CHOCOLATE?
Nobody had offered Bertie chocolate before. His mother had never allowed him to have chocolate. And quite right, too! Bertie was not quite seven years old. Obesity and diabetes are not good for anyone.
But one day, he was out with Stuart and Stuart said to him,
“‘How about some chocolate?’
‘Chocolate?’ said Bertie…Bertie looked at the trays of chocolate bars…He hesitated, and then made his choice – a bar of gold-wrapped Crunchie with peppermint- flavoured air holes.”1
I met Bertie in the novel The Importance of Being Seven.
As I was washing dishes after reading about Bertie and his Dad, my mind drifted into the Twenty Third Psalm. This psalm is such a comfort! It’s like a bar of chocolate – exuding with the peace and contentment of having your deepest needs satisfied.
No danger threatens and all is right with the world.
That is, until you reach verse five. “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies”! What would it feel like to be sitting down for a wonderful, delicious meal (or a bar of chocolate) with someone you were on the outs with?
I imagine gloating over the blessings poured out upon me by God while my enemy sits on the floor in the corner with a crust I throw in his direction. The imp inside me says, “Yeah! Hand him a glass of vinegar to wash it down.” But Jesus did not gloat. He sat at the same table with Judas and passed him good bread and good wine. Judas was included in the Last Supper with all the other friends. So, probably, the one I am not getting along with is sitting at the banqueting table with me, by my side, or facing me instead of watching me from the corner of the room.
But then, could I really relish the delicacies prepared for me with love? Or would I have a tight knot in my stomach and be unable to lift my head to look that person in the eye. Would I pick away at food, trying to swallow tasty morsels that had lost their appeal? No! I don’t want to go to such a banquet! I would rather stay away.
However, the banquet table referred to in Psalm 23 has been prepared for me by my Maker and Jesus has invited me to sit with Him. How can I refuse such an invitation?
Alexander McCall Smith, who wrote about Bertie, also thought about difficult relationships. Sometimes it is easier to make an enemy than a friend; it can happen without even trying.
He went on to say,
“How about some chocolate? It was not a complex phrase, but its power, its sheer, overwhelming sense of gift and possibility filled Bertie with awe. Well might more of us say these words to others, and more frequently – how healing would that prove to be. ‘Look, we’ve had our differences, but how about some chocolate?’ or: ‘I’m so sorry: how about some chocolate?’ Or simply: ‘Great to see you! How about some chocolate?’”2
I hope there is some chocolate at Jesus’ banqueting table, nice dark chocolate with almonds. I could pass the plate and say,
“How about some chocolate?”
- McCall Smith, Alexander, The Importance of Being Seven, Vintage, Canada, 2012,
p. 244. - Ibid.
