It is altar and more than altar.
The apocryphal “come to dinner” scene with Jesus and Mary has become one of my favorites. Though I was initially uneasy with the scene I have come to love its inconography.
I like the whole idea of the table imagery, which is so rich, on so many levels. The table signifies the altar -- and Who plops Himself down upon it, of his own free will?
And still more: being a carpenter, it's Jesus's craft to make things from wood. He avails himself of a thing that's supposedly known, a tree, with a finite life and meaning, which he transfigures into something else. The Incarnate Logos orders "woodness" to a new and permanent life, informed with meaning. "Resurrected" as Table, the wood is saved from fire or corruption, and acquires a new life.
The scene ends with a vivid evocation of the Asperges, with specific application IMHO to the Immaculate Conception. It is a scene that keeps on giving, the longer you look.
It is a scene that keeps on giving, the longer you look.
You are right. I wonder how much more there might be.