What ALL BELIEVERS SHOULD KNOW About FOOD!
Have you been taught that “the food laws given to Moses have been done away with and are not relevant for Christians today?” OR “Jesus made all foods clean, so now His followers can eat pork, shellfish, etc?” OR “Peter's vision in Acts 10 confirms that the food laws have been nullified? If so, YOU REALLY SHOULD READ ON...
Did you know that Yahweh's first recorded words to man, His First Commandment,[1] were instructions on what man can AND cannot eat? Consider;
Genesis 2:16-17 And Yahweh[2] Elohim commanded the man, saying, “Eat of every tree of the garden, but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall certainly die.”
In Genesis 3:6, we see Adam and Eve rejecting that Commandment. They chose to believe the serpent's lie and eat what was forbidden. This resulted in death. Death for them, and for all man-kind! Eating in accordance to what Yahweh has commanded is a more serious matter than so many realize![3]
At this point, you might be thinking, “I've been taught that the food laws found in the Torah[4] were just for the people of Israel.” Many have been taught that. However, Yahweh states that the same law is for Israelite and non-Israelite.
Num 15:15-16 “One law is for you of the assembly and for the stranger who sojourns with you – a law forever throughout your generations. As you are, so is the stranger before Yahweh. One Torah and one right-ruling is for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.” (“Stranger” is in reference to the non-Israelite.)
Noah knew the difference between “clean” (edible) and “unclean” (inedible), long before the Commandments were written down and arranged at Sinai.[5]
Abraham knew / obeyed Yahweh's Commandments long before Mount Sinai! Consider;
Genesis 26:5 (Yahweh says) “...because Abraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge:(meaning to preserve and keep)...My commands, My laws, and My Torah.”
These would include Yahweh's instructions on what to eat and what is forbidden.
My point in citing these examples is to prove that the Torah, including the food laws, were given and practiced long before there was a people known as Israel.
The FOOD Controversy of Mark 7 - “Jesus made all foods clean”.
Mar 7:1-5 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes assembled to Him, having come from Yerushalayim. And seeing some of His taught ones eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Yehudim do not eat unless they wash their hands thoroughly, holding fast the tradition of the elders, and coming from the market-place, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions which they have received and hold fast – the washing of cups and utensils and copper vessels and couches. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your taught ones not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
This discussion centers around hand washing traditions that Yahshua[6] and His followers were not practicing. The discussion has NOTHING to do with the food laws of Torah. If you will notice, the food mentioned in this section is “bread”, which would not have been a food addressed in the food laws of Torah. The Pharisees assumed that ANY food coming from the marketplace might have come in contact with a gentile or something defiled and so it would be considered “unclean.” They had devised a ritualistic technique for hand-washing to make sure that nothing “unclean” by their definition, would ever enter their mouth! However, no such ritual is found in the Torah. In fact, Yahshua rebukes them at least FIVE TIMES in this chapter for REPLACING the Commands of Yahweh with their man made traditions! That same problem exists today in “traditional” Christianity! It has evolved to the place that in the NIV, immediately following Mark 7:19 we see this in parenthesis; (“In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean”). This addition purposely ignores the context of this discussion about hand-washing and inserts man's dogma negating the Torah. Yahweh's established food IS Clean! Yahshua did not change that at all!
The FOOD Controversy of Acts 10.
In Acts 10, we read that two men, Cornelius, a gentile, and Peter, a Jew, each have a vision. Peter, raised in a Jewish community, was taught the Torah of clean and unclean, (regarding food), but he would also have been taught that gentiles are unclean...just because they are gentiles. Rectifying that fallacy is the subject of this chapter.
In Cornelius' vision he is told that YHWH has been aware of his kindness, generosity and prayers. He is told to send for Peter. He obeys. Meanwhile, Peter sees in a vision numerous kinds of animals presented to him and hears a voice instructing him to “eat” of them. By Peter's response, we can conclude that some of the animals were categorized as “unclean” according to Torah. This vision is not to inform Peter that the food laws have been abolished. On the contrary, he is being given the opportunity to obey Yahweh's Torah instead of the rabbinic prejudice toward gentiles! The vision appeared three times and ended with Peter hearing the voice say,“What YHWH has cleansed you do not call unclean.”
Sadly, Christianity has interpreted Peter's vision as proof that the food laws have been abolished! Meaning that Peter and all believers can now eat living creatures previously categorized as unclean. Is that what Yahshua taught in Mat.5:17-18?
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete.[7] For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.” (Peter was present when Yahshua taught this, by the way...Mat 5:1)
Obviously, heaven and earth had not passed away prior to Peter's vision! AND they still haven't! Right? Because all are NOT done! Lets continue with Acts 10...
Peter arrives at Cornelius' house and in (verse 28); And he said to them, “You know that a Jew is not allowed to associate with, or go to one of another race. But YHWH has shown me that I should not call ANY MAN common or unclean.” This is HUGE! Peter realized that the vision was given to him to teach him to pay attention to YHWH'S Commandments (the Torah never forbid Jews from associating with gentiles). And that he should NOT pay attention to the traditions and dogmas of man! Christianity has completely REVERSED the point of Peter's vision, putting words in his mouth that he did not say and ignoring the words that he did say!
So what we have seen is that Adam/Eve believed the first recorded lie and disobeyed Yahweh's first Torah/Command, which pertained to food. Their choice kept them and all man-kind from the tree of life. We have also seen that the serpent continues to deceive and manipulate those who put man's traditions and doctrines before The Commandments of Yahweh.
When Yahshua comes the second time, HE will bring final judgment upon the lawless and once again will grant access to the tree of life to those who believe and obey His Commands! Consider;
Rev 22:12-15 “And see, I am coming speedily, and My reward is with Me, to give to each according to his work. I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Taw’, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those doing His commands,so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city. (Footnotes: Long before the books were compiled to form “The New Testament,” Rev. 22:14 was quoted, as it is here given, by Tertullian (CE 208), and by Cyprian (CE 251) – see the well-known Antenicene Fathers.) 15 “But outside are the dogs and those who enchant with drugs, and those who whore, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and all who love and do falsehood.”
[1]Genesis 1:28 records the first Commandment given to both after the woman was created. See also Genesis 1:21-22
[2]Yahweh, referenced 6800+ times in the original manuscripts, is The Name of The Father.
[3]Leviticus 11 for further instructions on which living creatures are for food.
[4]Torah; precepts, statutes, laws, commandments, instructions. Also of the first 5 books of the bible. Exodus 24:12
[5]See Genesis 7:1-2
[6]The Messiah, born of a Hebrew maiden, was not instructed to give the Greek name “Jesus”. The name instructed by the messenger to be given is Yahshua, which means “Yah is Salvation.” Yah is short for Yahweh. Yahshua came in His Father's Name to reveal His Father's Name. See John 17 esp verses 6 and 26.
[7]GRK; Pleruo, translated “fulfill or complete” means to “fully proclaim, fill up, perfect, fully supply.” It does not mean to put an end to.