temple is exclusive; table is inclusive. Temple is hierarchical; table is egalitarian. Temple is authoritarian; table is affirming. Temple is uptight and status conscious. Table is relaxed and “family-style.” Temple is a rigorous enforcement of purity codes that prohibits the unclean. Table is a welcome home party celebrating the return of sinners. The temple was temporal. The table is eternal. We thought God was a deity in a temple. It turns out God is a father at a table.
