You know I've been bragging about our new preacher Bobby Valentine. Well - he's gone too far. At our LIFE group meeting on Monday we were discussing Acts 10 vs 9-33. This is the section where Peter has the vision about the sheet from heaven which contained foods that a devout Jew would not eat. Peter was told to eat and even though the lesson is about the acceptance of the gentiles I've always assumed that meant there were no dietary restrictions anymore. We read from Leviticus Ch 11 about clean and unclean foods. Wow, there a lot of things the Jews couldn't eat - can you believe no lobster, shrimp or crab? When I questioned Bobby he referred me to Acts 15 vs 22 - 29. In these verses the apostles are saying to the gentile Christians to refrain from food sacrificed to animals (no problem here) from blood, (rare steak??) from the meat of strangled animals (how do I know how chickens are killed?) and immorality (no-brainer). Well, I told Bobby he has quit preaching and "gone to meddlin". I love medium rare to rare steak. I thought when you cut into it that it was juice coming out? Is that blood?? Do I need to give up Ruth's Chris Steak House which serves the best filet I have ever had? Is well done steak really even worth eating? These are all thought provoking questions. What do you think?
8 comments:
Well, I don't think Bobby expects you to eat steak that looks like the altar of the Baal idols.... however, perhaps it just has to be cooked past a certain temperature to be considered done enough? I'm no scholar, but vs. 29 says "you will do well to avoid these things", but not as a commandment.
Acts: 15 - 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things." And, these were specific instructions in a letter written to a group of Gentile followers that needed assistance. Does that apply to us today, or was it written directly so that Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and Barsabbas could be a good example to the people in Antioch? Bobby?
I guess I should have been at your life group on Monday instead of at work!
Sandy
eat up girl...if you can't eat that meat then you better not braid your hair or wear jewelry..
Hey guys this is the infamous Valentine here, :-)
Just a couple of quick observations or comments I wish to make.
1) No one said it was wrong to eat meat. I will eat my steak off the grill. All food is clean but Yahweh is still Lord of Life. Life comes from him ... even animals and it is not to be taken lightly.
2) I do not disagree one iota that Table was and remains a "central tenant" of Paul's ministry. I do, however, gently disagree on his individualism which seems to undercut the previous comment about table which is all about "communal" responsibility. My relationship with God is not just between me and God. It is about "us" and God. The word "you" almost never refers to an individual in Scriputre, it is the vast majority of the time plural ... "us". Or as they say in Alabama "Ya'll"
Without making this into something that it isn't (a major theological issue) I make the following observations:
The letter in Acts 15 is written to "Gentiles." That letter declares all food to be clean but it does not say we can eat blood.
3) The restriction against blood is not like braids or jewelry because Braids and Jewelry are very culturally specific -- Paul is concerned about ethics and social status divisions in such things. (Issues that destroy community) The issue of blood is theological -- that is life itself is from God.
4) This last statement is rooted in far more than the Law of Moses. This prohibition was around long before Moses was around and it was around after Moses torah was supposedly nailed to the cross. Here are a few scriptures:
A) It was not until after the flood humans were even allowed to eat meat. But even then the Scripture says: "you must not east meat that has its lifeblood still in it." (Gen 9:4, see 9.1-7) Noah was not a Jew.
B) "And where ever you live, you must not eat the blood fo any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood that person must be cut off from his people." (Lev 7:26-27)
C) "For the LIFE of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves at the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, 'None of you may eat blood, nor many any alien living among you eat blood" (Lev 17:11-12; see vv. 10-14. This restriction was not on Israel but also on non-Israelites)
D)"But you must not eat blood" (Deut 12: 16, 23)
E) "Then someone said to Saul, 'Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that has blood in it" (1 Sam 14:33; see 14:32-35)
F)"It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood ..." (Acts 15:28-29)
By refraining from eating "flesh" with blood, the principle seems to be, that we honor life as belonging to God alone.
I do not know if an uncooked steak at Outback or Ruth Chris still has real blood in it. It may not. I don't think God is going to "burn" anyone for it if it does. That is not the point. But the point is to honor life as something God and God alone has the right to give or to take.
Now I am going to get a good hamburger and enjoy it, :-) I hope I have not offended anyone in the slightest. If I have I apologize for doing so.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Wow - a real theological discussion on my blog. Move over Mike Cope and Don Neyland
Thanks Sandy, Bev, Bobby and Jeremy.
Even though I was giving Bobby a hard time I am going to study this and try to take it more seriously.
Jeremiah I do not wish to challenge the right of anyone to study and pray and think. I ask folks to do it all the time. I tell folks all the time to never take my word for it.
Yet I do not want to devalue the role of the chrisitan community and it is my own personal belief that American Christians have a propensity to do just that. I suppose one of the great values of Postmodernism is the realization that "I" am never complete without the group.
Vonnie you are an instigator of all kinds of theological discussion. It happens every monday, :-) Don Neyland has nothing on you!!! :-)
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
My mother's parents came from the 'old country'- Calabria region of Italy. I can remember when I was much younger that she ate very rare meat because my grandparents did to "feed her blood".
Native Americans believed that eating a part of the animal (raw) that you just killed honored the kill and allowed the animal's spirit to live in you.
Now I'm not picking on my mother or anyone but eating blood to participate or take advantage of the "life" that is in the blood is a pagan concept.
So what? Well, part of the prohibition against eating blood in the Bible is also about idolatry. The life is in the blood is as Bobby says a reminder that all life belongs to God and not to man. And, I believe it was also a restriction made by God to help mankind avoid this animalistic and pagan activity.
Think about our present society. Who would devour their prey as an animal? Who drinks blood? Who mixes blood with other foods or drinks to take advantage of its power? No one who would claim Jehovah as their God.
Having said that... I eat my steaks rare. But not raw and certainly not to take advantage of the 'spirit' of that animal.
AW (Don)
Vonnie; I know I should be getting advice from you instead of trying to give it, but please don't get in between Bobby and Donny these two boys will leave you battered and bloody Ha:)
Now as far as what you serve on the table, it is good to eat as long as it is prepared properly. We make a mistake when we believe God only gave spiritual advise to us, I do believe he also said take care of our body/temple because that is where we live while on this earth. The items named are dangerous and can harm the body if not prepared correctly. shell fish have been proven to be so. the blood in animals or humans carry diseases that can make you sick or even kill you. all advice from God was not for the spirit only. Have a nice day and may God bless.
By the way you have a friend here to help keep these two meddlers in line Ha :) as if that could be done.
"How do I know how chickens are killed?"
I don't know, but it's DELICIOUS!!!
It's odd that no one has brought up Colossians 2:20-23.
Or the discrepancy between the instruction of the council in Acts 15 (do not eat meat sacrificed to idols) and the "don't worry about it" communicated in Romans 14:16-19.
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