How About Some Chocolate?

Psalm 23

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 on a fishing trip with his dad, Stuart. They stopped at a little store to get bait. And Stuart said to Bertie,

“‘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, by Alexander McCall-Smith.

After reading about Bertie and his Dad, I was at the kitchen sink washing dishes. For no apparent reason, my mind drifted into pondering the words of Psalm 23. 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.

I stopped scrubbing the frying pan, stared straight ahead and felt the rosy glow of contentment disappear just as the crimson of a sunset vanishes when the sun sinks below the horizon.

“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. My ‘enemy’ would not be at the table with me, would they? The psalmist only says “in the presence of”, not at the table. Yes that enemy is not sitting with me. I am seated comfortably on a padded chair, in the candlelight, a banquet spread before me, while my enemy sits on the floor in a dark corner. I throw a crust in his direction. Oh, he’s thirsty, too! I toss a bottle of vinegar at him. “Here!” I say, “Wash it down with this!”

But Jesus did not gloat. He sat at the same table with Judas Iscariot and passed him good bread and good wine. Judas was included in the Last Supper with all the other friends. And Judas was an enemy of Jesus if ever there was one! Betraying your ‘friend’ to a death sentence is not a “friendly” thing to do.

So, I imagine sitting at a banqueting table, and a person I am not getting along with, my enemy, is with me. Is she by my side, or facing me? Does she have a place setting? Does she have a plate? A knife, fork and spoon?

I load my plate with potatoes roasted in butter with parsley and thyme, juicy slices of roast lamb drizzled with mint sauce, broccoli covered with cheese sauce, and gravy made with drippings from the meat.

But, can I relish the delicacies prepared for me with love? Or do I have a tight knot in my stomach. Do I pick away at my food, generously provided with love? Do the tasty morsels stick in my throat and refuse to be swallowed? Do I put down my fork because the food has lost its appeal?

I don’t even 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. I think the author put it so well when 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]

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[1] McCall Smith, Alexander, The Importance of Being Seven, Vintage, Canada, 2012, p. 244.

[2] Ibid.