Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Jesus ate Meat
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Genesis 18:1-8
Did Jesus Christ eat meat? In Genesis 18:1-8, the pre-incarnate Christ appears to Abraham, who hastens to fix the Lord something to eat. Did he have Sarah run over to Whole Foods and put together something from the salad bar? No, as we see in verse 7-8: And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, and gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. That “he hastened to prepare it” means the young man killed the calf! Its body was drained of its blood, the best parts of meat were cut out and cooked, and it was served to the Being who later died as our perfect sacrifice. So, it is evident in verse 8 that Christ, in His pre-incarnate state, ate meat, butter, and milk! This biblical fact no doubt comes as shocking news to some. This incident is probably why critical scholars write things like, “Nowhere in the New Testament is Jesus depicted as eating meat” (emphasis added). This passage also counters the vegan argument against eating dairy. Despite claims that nowhere in the Bible is Christ seen eating or buying meat, we see Him doing that very thing in Abraham's day! Of course, these scholars probably do not believe that Christ was the God of the Old Testament (see John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:16; John 17:5, 8; Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:7, 11; 2:8; 22:14; Exodus 3:13-15; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Some critical scholars will allow that Jesus was Jewish, and sacrifices and Passover lambs were a way of life for Him and His family, yet maintain that we do not have a specific verse saying He bought meat or ate it. Aside from others' washing His feet a few times, do we have any verses telling us that He bathed regularly? From this omission, are we to assume showers and baths are forbidden? What we have seen is a common tactic of these so-called “biblical scholars.” They require chapter and verse to prove things they oppose, and if they cannot find one, they use the absence of a proof-text to peddle their pet theories. But the Bible tells us that the LORD, the One who became Jesus Christ, sat with Abraham and ate a meal of meat, butter, and milk. Later, as a man, He grew up with the Passover meal. Christ does not change (Hebrews 13:8; see also Malachi 3:6). Jesus ate meat.
Mike Ford
Was Jesus a Vegetarian?
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Matthew 14:15-20
The website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) contains an article, “Did Jesus Eat Fish?” This question may seem easy for us to answer because we are familiar with Matthew 15, Mark 6 and 8, Luke 9 and 24, John 6, and more—but not to these people. The author writes: Although there are stories [!] throughout the Bible that appear [!] to suggest [!] that Jesus ate fish, there has been serious theological debate as to whether he actually did, or if the word “fish” is a mistranslation. Who writes this nonsense? “Stories,” “appear,” and “suggest” inject a great deal of wiggle-room into this quotation. And “serious theological debate”? Really? We will unpack one of these “stories,” Christ's feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:15-20), to find out what God's Word says about this claim. We will consider the simplest matter first. In verse 17, did Matthew really write “fish”? The Greek word behind it is ichthus (Strong's Concordance #2486), which means “fish.” New Testament authors use it 21 times, and each time it is translated as “fish.” Sometimes a word has multiple applications and shades of meaning, but not ichthus. It means “fish” and nothing else. That seems straightforward enough. But not so fast, our “serious theologians” say. Half the disciples were fishermen. They tell us that early Christians used the fish symbol to recognize one another, in the manner of something like a secret handshake. (We will set aside the fact that the fish symbol is probably pagan in origin, in religious use long before the early church. This symbol was not a part of the true church, if for no other reason than its members did not have car bumpers to slap stickers on.) The five Greek letters used to spell ichthus are ΙΧΘΥΣ (iota chi theta upsilon sigma). These “theological scholars” assert that these letters are an acronym, standing for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” Therefore, their reasoning goes, Jesus was not giving the multitudes “fish” to eat but using the code word for “Christians.” Does this sound like “serious theological debate” to you? They further argue that verse 17 informs us that the only food in this crowd is five loaves and two fish. Christ says in verse 18, “Bring them here to Me,” and in verse 19, He blesses the food, both the loaves and the fishes, but gives only the loaves to His disciples. The verse does not mention that He gave the fish back to them. In verse 20, they gather the fragments, but again, the text does not explicitly say anything about the fish! Using this account alone and disregarding the other three gospels is called “proof-texting,” that is, lifting a passage that says what one wants and ignoring other verses that clarify or add to it. The same event is related in Mark 6:30-44. Verse 43 records, “And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.” Despite this clarification, these folks say that none of the gospel accounts of feeding the 5,000 say specifically that Jesus ate the fish! He blessed it and had the fish passed out to the crowd, but it does not say that He ate any. They, of course, ignore Matthew 14:20: “So they all ate.” Again, the text does not say explicitly that Christ ate, but even PETA knows this is a thin argument, writing, “We may never know for certain whether or not Jesus ate fish . . ., but it's certain He wouldn't today.” How do they know this? They back up their doubtful reasoning with another assumption.
Mike Ford
Was Jesus a Vegetarian?
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Luke 24:36-43
Some today claim Jesus did not eat meat, including fish. But notice this account. After Christ's resurrection, He appears in human form to the disciples (Luke 24:36). The disciples and others had gathered in a secure room, and He appears right in their midst, an act that shook them. They believe they are seeing a ghost, a spirit, but He assures them that He is indeed Christ. He lets them examine His hands and feet. Still, they do not seem quite convinced, so He asks, “'Have you any food here?' So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb” (verses 41-42). Fish and sweets made from the labor of bees? Oh, the horror of it all! Then what happened? “And He took it and ate it in their presence” (verse 43; emphasis added). This concise statement is a tough one to get around. The Greek word translated “broiled” here means simply “cooked.” Most translations use “broiled,” “baked,” or “cooked.” If anything, this verse might be a good argument against sushi! But there is no getting around what verse 43 states: The resurrected Christ ate the fish and the honeycomb right there in front of them. He put it in His mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. This would have been a good time for Him to say, “Fellows, we're going to give up eating fish and anything made with honey.” But He did not. Despite Luke writing in verse 45 that “He opened their understanding,” Jesus neglected to cover vegetarianism. A little later, Christ appeared to the disciples again (John 21:1-14). Peter and six other disciples decide to go fishing. Apparently, they had still not gotten the word that fishing was unethical. They fished all night and caught nothing. The next morning, Jesus, standing on the shore, asks if they have any food, and they reply in the negative. He tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, which they do, hauling in a net full of 153 “large” fish—so many that, by all rights, the net should have broken. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), of course, is against commercial fishing and says Christ would be too. Yet, is not what Peter and the other disciples did “commercial fishing”? By all accounts, they were returning to their pre-calling jobs. Instead of working against their catching any fish, Jesus helps them out! Notice that Christ has a fire going before they have even made it to shore, and fish and bread are cooking (verse 9). He tells the disciples in verse 12, “Come and eat breakfast,” one comprised of fish and toast made by the Creator God Himself! John writes in verse 15, “So when they had eaten breakfast,” verifying that the disciples—and probably Jesus too—ate what He had provided (leaving the 153 they had caught for crass money-making, no doubt). He misses another excellent opportunity to announce that Christians should be vegetarian. These people pose additional spurious arguments, such as saying Christ was an Essene, who were vegetarians. Neither of these assertions is true. They also claim that Jesus' teachings, especially His love for those whom society has marginalized, would make Him a vegan, a stricter regimen than vegetarianism. Somehow, in their minds, animals are “marginalized” but not unborn humans! The Bible supplies so much more evidence that Christ was not a vegetarian and certainly not a vegan, but the proof offered here should be enough. We may have gone down the rabbit hole as a society, but that does not mean we have to be taken in by these obvious deceits.
Mike Ford
Was Jesus a Vegetarian?
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