Letter to the Daily Courier 7/12/07
What would Jesus eat? Raven Sara asks us to “follow the example of
Jesus” in making food choices, saying “He never ate ice cream, chips, soft
drinks or beer,” and asking us to replace them with watermelon, snap peas,
carrots and celery sticks.
Jesus didn’t have ice cream, chips, or soft drinks
available, and apparently drank wine instead of beer—a lot of wine, as did
everyone else. It was safer than the
water. He also didn’t have watermelon,
snap peas, or carrots, though he may have eaten celery or something like it.. Fish and bread he had in abundance, and
probably a little beef or lamb on occasion
But I don’t imagine he would have turned his nose up
at ice cream, chips, or soft drinks. He
was not terribly concerned with the health of the body, but rather with that of
the soul. He battled with the Pharisees
of his time over their petty hygiene regulations, declaring, “Hear me everyone,
and understand: There is nothing that
enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things that come out of
him, those are the things that defile a man.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 7:14-16)
He was far more concerned with how one treated other
people than how one treated oneself.
When asked by a rich young man what good thing he should do to be saved,
he said “Obey the commandments.” When
asked which ones, he named 6, all of which deal with how one treats others, and
none with personal health. (Matthew
19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22)
On another occasion, he said, “For John came neither
eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
they say, ’Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of harlots and sinners!’”
The best reason to take care of one’s health is the
vigor that good health brings. But
preaching and nagging about it just drives people to bad habits in
reaction. The best way to spread good
health habits is by personal example, not by the example of Jesus.
Live Free and Prosper,
Rycke Brown
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