Food For Thought

When thinking about the glory of God, a common image that comes to mind is the vast landscape with a beautiful sunset or sunrise, with a panoramic view of the sky, and so forth. When thinking about God’s glory as it pertains to food, the image is a little less stereotypical. We wanted to focus on something that communicated the majesty and splendor of God’s glory, but through the richness of God that is manifested in a simple form. For example, the greatness of God’s glory was ultimately made manifest through Yeshua, when He took the form of flesh. God’s glory was shown when He appeared as a man – a simple and average man – yet possessed all of the attribute and characteristics of the Father. Simple in appearance, but glorious in substance because of the richness of His substance.

That discussion brought up the idea of a well-made grilled cheese sandwich. The truth of the matter is, not all grilled cheese sandwiches are made equal. A good grilled cheese, given at the right time, can be magical! Yet, one of the most satisfying things about eating a well-made grilled cheese sandwich, is the experience of splitting the sandwich in half, feeling the crispness of the perfectly toasted bread, and then separating the halves while the cheese stretches, drips, and oozes from the center. That is culinary glory!

A grilled cheese is all about rich flavors in a simple package. Even though it’s just bread and cheese, the quality of bread, the type of cheese, the amount of cheese, the cut of the bread, the manner in which it’s layered, toasted, and handled, all have a profound effect on the final product. In other words, there are a lot of subtle nuances to a simple sandwich that ultimately determine how good it will be in the end. Attention to those details ensures that the richness of the cheese and the heartiness of the bread are complimentary to each other. The quality of the toasting on the bread and the extent of melt on the cheese, ensures that the sandwich is just as fun to eat as it is tasty. Again, a grilled cheese is a simple package, that when handled correctly, produce a quality of richness in flavor for pure indulgence.

One of the best parts of the grilled cheese is the infamous “pull.” The more the cheese stretches and drips, the more exciting the sandwich becomes for some reason. The glory of the sandwich is often measured in the manner in which the sandwich can hold up to the tearing and breaking of the bread. There are some cool parallels in that concept, to the glory of our Savior. The quality of His glory was also measured by how He held up to the tearing and breaking of the “bread” of His body while on the cross. Since He rose from the dead, it showed that, while His “package” seemed simple and average, His internal makeup was handled with a quality of care, wisdom, power, and skill, that is unmatched. If we think this sandwich looks good because of the glory of that melted cheese and toasted bread, how much more glorious are the body and blood of Jesus Christ?