I grew up in a believing home extremely involved in the church, but I don't think I heard Mephibosheth's story until I was in college. It's just not a story we hear very often. But it has become one of my favorite Old Testament accounts. Setting the stage a bit, you may recall that David—-before he was the king-—was best friends with Jonathan, who was the son of the then-king Saul. The story we’ll look at today takes place several years into David’s reign as king, a while after Saul and Jonathan have both died.

David and Mephibosheth

And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ... Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” ... And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” ... Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons... So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

- 2 Samuel 9 (ESV)

It’s often the case that art captures truth and beauty more accurately and powerfully than we can see it otherwise. There’s a song by Leeland called “Carried to the Table” that is an extended meditation on this passage, which made me absolutely love this story. I’ll read a bit of the lyrics.

The song picks up on an aspect of the story that the story itself emphasizes—Mephibosheth was lame in both feet. He couldn’t walk. And the last line of 2 Sam 9 says: “[Mephibosheth] ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.” So every single day, Mephibosheth ate at King David’s table with the king—but how did he get there? Physically, I mean, how did he get there? He was carried! He didn’t have a motorized wheelchair. He was quite literally carried to the table of the king and seated where he had absolutely no right to be seated.

Christ and Us

Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were his enemies, Christ died for us. C. S. Lewis put it really memorably when he said that “fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.” Jesus didn’t come down from heaven and ask for a show of hands on who wanted to follow him. Romans gives us a pretty clear answer to that as well: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God” (Rom 3:10–11). If he had left it up to us, we would have whole–heartedly chosen to die in our sins rather than to die to our sins. But— as one old hymn puts it,

The church's one foundation / is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation / by water and the word.
From heaven He came and sought her / to be His holy bride;
with His own blood He bought her / and for her life He died.

Mephibosheth was the last surviving grandson of the king who had tried to kill David. And the Bible says that we were enemies of King Jesus.

Mephibosheth was lame in both feet, but he was carried to the table of the king. And the Bible says that we were dead in our sins but that God made us alive in Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places (Eph 2).

One of the incredible truths that the Lord has taught me recently is that the Jesus who currently sits in heaven upholding the universe is the same Jesus we read about in the gospel stories. I suppose I’ve known that, but I’ve always tended to think of the earthly Jesus as a really nice guy—a friend of tax collectors and sinners; who wept with Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died, and who prayed from the cross, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what it is that they’re doing.” What an incredibly compassionate Jesus.

But then somehow I get this idea that now there’s a different Jesus sitting on his throne in heaven just being constantly annoyed with me or disappointed in me. As if when he was on earth he could put up with people nailing him to the cross, to say “Father forgive them,” but now he can’t put up with me yelling at my kids, to say “Father forgive him.” That’s just terrible theology. Jesus didn’t change into some sort of heavenly snob when he ascended into heaven. The Jesus who sits on his throne as king of the universe is the exact same Jesus who healed the blind man and talked to the Samaritan woman at the well.

From heaven he came and sought us. We were carried to his table and seated with him in the heavenly places. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.