Repair a table after an accident with a candle
This table top can be sanded down to fresh wood surface to accept a new finish. That is unless the burn mark is quite deep. Sanding out a deep burn mark could end up leaving a depression in that part of the table surface unless you would aggressively sand most the rest of the surface the same amount. 

Refinishing to still show the wood grain as present would not mean painting the surface. Instead it would mean some type of natural oil type finish to attain the current look. After careful sanding down to a smooth surface an oil finish can be installed simply by wiping it on and then buffing it out. Such finish would want to be renewed from time to time. 

Any type of more durable finish would leave a glossy surface such as would come with something like a polyurethane finish.