In the churches I have attended, “fellowship” is often synonymous with “eating,” but I have rarely heard the topic of food addressed from the pulpit. When I hear it discussed on Christian radio, the teachers make it clear that God does not care about what we eat. They cite verses like Matthew 6:25, where Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what to eat or drink. But is that possible? Could God really not have an opinion about an activity that every human being must do several times a day? Does the Bible address every aspect of life, including birth, death, marriage, sex, work and money, but forget this one?
Most people have heard about Noah and the great flood that destroyed most of the earth’s life forms. In preparation for the downpour, Noah took only two of each animal onto the ark with him, right? Wrong. God actually tells Noah:
You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female. (Genesis 7:2)
While God did tell Noah to take one pair of each unclean animal, Noah was actually told to collect seven pairs of the clean ones.
What can we discern from this little-recognized fact? The distinction between clean and unclean animals appeared long before the existence of the Jewish people or the laws of the Covenant. In fact, since the flood occurred nearly 1,000 years before the giving of the Law at
Mount Sinai
, the distinction between clean and unclean animals appears to have universal application. It is not just a Jewish thing.
God’s design for marriage, for money stewardship, for servant leadership—it seems like God has wisdom for every subject imaginable. Following God’s Word in these matters brings good results. This makes me wonder: why did God designate some animals as clean and other as unclean? Is pork’s compatibility with the human digestive system really any different from cows’? Or did He just flip a coin to determine which would be which? Are the commands set forth in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 arbitrary? Or is there some kind of hidden wisdom in the dietary laws that we have overlooked?
Many traditional interpretations—both Christian and Jewish—claim that there is no rhyme or reason for God’s classification system. But this perspective implies that God essentially pulled names out of a hat when deciding how to categorize His many creatures. It also implies that our bodies, which He carefully designed, are totally indifferent to what we ingest.
I don’t buy it!
It is no surprise that Jesus obeyed God’s Word and therefore ate only clean animals. What about His contemporaries? Were they secretly hankering for baby back ribs or shrimp scampi? Probably not.
To any Torah-observant person of Jesus’ day, eating an animal that God designated as unclean would be abhorrent. Think about it. How do we react when another culture eats dogs, cats or horses—animals that we do not consider food? How much more repulsed would we be knowing that God’s Word also condemns it! Even during the early first century, when several different sects of Judaism (such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and the Way) each interpreted the Scriptures differently, they all agreed that only those animals designated fit for human consumption per the Scriptures would be considered food. Knowing that Jesus and His disciples likely followed Leviticus 11’s definition of food sheds some light on early first-century life.
Christian theologians have written reams of articles, books, commentaries and Bible footnotes about why Leviticus 11 is not applicable to believers. Before we examine the food-specific verses that they cite, let’s look at three general phrases that are often used to set aside the entire Torah (the Law): “Messiah fulfilled the Law,” “We are no longer under Law, we are under grace,” and “Messiah is the end of the Law.”
Could the original meaning of these three verses be different than what most of Christianity has historically taught? Here are some alternative interpretations to ponder.
It is clear to me that I don’t have to follow the Hebrew Scriptures’ laws as a means to gain right-standing before God. However, as part of my response to His loving presence in my life, and my desire to follow Him with my heart, mind, body and soul, I am excited to investigate His Word—all 66 books—to discover how He wants me to live.
Did you know that the Bible prohibits eating certain fats? In recent years, Atkins proponents have proclaimed the end of the “low-fat/no-fat” era. But perhaps there is biblical wisdom to avoiding certain fats.
So where does this leave my vegetarian friends?
As they raised me, my parents had two goals: to love me and to teach me to love others. But they did not ignore what I ate, since it was an integral part of loving me. Left to my own devices, I would have eaten only pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches. Thankfully, Mom had better ideas, and her annoying pleas to “eat your vegetables” contributed to my well-being. If Mom’s wisdom for my food choices was good for me, how much more so is the wisdom that comes directly from the Creator of anatomy, botany and zoology? God’s love for us is immeasurable, so He has carefully crafted both our bodies and the fuel for them.
When I read the Bible as a whole, I see a God who cares about the details of how we live our lives—including what we eat.
