In India, eating with others is not an easy mission. In school, I was once shunned by a classmate for bringing meat in my lunchbox. We were as young as 7 or 8 years old, but I remember this peer walking up to me and peeping into my lunchbox. “What is that”? she asked inquisitively. I informed her it's meat, without realising what would follow. She made a disgusted face and stepped away from me and announced to the class, “Girls don’t touch her; she is eating meat!” It was a scarring experience, but it quickly made me realise which tables I could eat at and whom I could share my food with.
In college, our hostel mess was divided by the different states of India because it reflected different food choices and preferences. The girls from the North-East would sit at a separate table, because most others could not tolerate the smell of the bamboo shoot pickle or partake in the dried meats. The other tables would be divided between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Even today, religion, caste, and class barriers withhold access to kitchens and dining tables- some blatantly and some in a more subtle but continuing manner. Thus, both these spaces (kitchen and dining table) are intimate and guarded by cultural practices and belief systems.
Opening your kitchen is opening your life to others. The kitchen is a place that embodies a large part of hospitality, and it’s difficult to imagine true hospitality without food. The writers of the New Testament, in several places, have reminders to be hospitable. In the biblical world, food and hospitality went hand in hand—sharing a meal was often the first and most concrete expression of welcome, care, and relationship. The simple act of preparing and serving food reflects both practical love and deep generosity, making the kitchen a sacred space of service.
Throughout Scripture, hospitality is reflected in the treatment of people and what they were served: Among several stories we remember Abraham welcomed strangers by preparing a feast (Genesis 18), Abigail generously fed the army of David (1 Samuel 25), Martha and Mary served Jesus and his disciples on several occasions (Luke 10, John 11,12), and Jesus Himself often ministered at dining tables, using shared meals to teach, heal, and extend grace. He washed the feet of his disciples and shared a meal with them the night before he was arrested (John 13), and even after His resurrection, He prepared breakfast for His disciples (John 21), showing that service and hospitality are not beneath even the Saviour.
Of course, Biblical hospitality goes beyond food—it includes welcoming strangers as friends (Hebrews 13:2), offering company, shelter, listening with compassion, and creating a space where people feel the warmth and love of Christ. Whether it happens in the kitchen, at the table, or in the quiet moments of conversation, true hospitality is about opening our lives generously to others with the heart of Christ.
In a country like ours, the kitchen becomes a powerful place, not just for provision but also for reformation. Two years ago, my husband and I prepared a vegetarian meal, without onion and garlic, for our neighbours for Christmas. They were touched that we changed our menu for them, and for us too, it was an important lesson. The kitchen is not just a place to cook for our desires and appetite, but can be used to challenge the practices or beliefs others or ourselves are used to. The kitchen can be a place to serve others in a way that might even be new to us, yet be able to do so with the heart of Christ.
I used to say "I love cooking" until I got married. For a few years after my marriage, I disliked cooking. Most likely, I associated it with the cultural role and expectations for women, and I didn’t want to adhere to any norms. In addition, I was at the time suffering from a medical issue that severely restricted my diet, and made me lose interest in food sometimes. However, my husband and I want to serve young people and were actively involved in student ministry. As students and youngsters gathered in our home and we sat and chatted, the one question we asked most after “How are you?” was “What will you have?” As the electric kettle boiled water for tea or coffee, and the food was prepared over the gas stove, it hit me: “Everyone needs food!” Some love it, some like it, some eat to get by, but everyone needs it! In those years, I realised it was impossible to serve others while at the same time disliking cooking for them. So, one morning, while I tossed poha in a large kadhai for breakfast for our friends, I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to serve people in my home, create a love for cooking in my heart.”
God’s changed a lot in my heart over the years. He has dealt a lot with my pride, my anguish around women’s issues, my biases and stubbornness, and has slowly opened my eyes. Through cooking and the rhythms of the kitchen, I sure have learned a lot about serving people.
For the Indian context, there is something powerful that Jesus models for us. He eats with the sinners and tax collectors (Matt 9:11; Luke 5: 30, 15:2). He invites himself over to the house of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5) and shares the last supper with men who will betray him, deny him, and show doubt!
Jesus, despite being the Messiah, levels all differences by engaging in one of the most intimate expressions of fellowship—eating together. By eating with people who were shunned, looked down upon, and outcasts as well as his loved disciples and followers, He shows compassion, acceptance, and a tangible gesture of love and grace. Eating together is such an influential and lofty expression in the Christian faith that the Lord’s Supper is also taken “in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:7-21). The early church carried this tradition in addition to taking care of each other’s needs (Acts 2:46), and the Lord added to their numbers. Eating together with Jesus is significant in establishing a personal renewed relationship (Rev 3:20) and with the body of Christ, a symbol of fellowship and family.
Extending the love of Christ for us is inviting people to our homes, cooking meals that might be new to us, challenging our culinary skills and limits by trying out meals that are different for our palate, and eating food that is new to us. In India, sharing meals openly, not differentiating utensils for serving, and cooking and feeding everyone generously can challenge some of the cultural practices that perpetuate the differences between castes, religions, and gender. The example of Christ helps us to make love palpable – from the kitchen to the dining table- and straight to the hearts! The kitchen is not just for cooking—it can be a sacred space where God's love is made tangible. Through our food, service, and hospitality, we can reflect Jesus and extend His invitation to others. When we cook and serve with purpose, we participate in God’s mission—one meal at a time.
Photo by Mayur Roxan on Unsplash
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This is such a beautiful picture and reminder - thank you!
VERY, VERY, TRUE. God bless you Ishnitha!
Nice post , Thanks for sharing.