A Quick Bible Study Vol. 321: What Jesus Said About Food |
Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining our study on a topic that affects our everyday lives. We all love and need food. It unites humanity. Meals bring us together, especially families, even amid conflict, which reminds me of my deceased sister, Andrea. She was known for her provocative nature and declared, “I love Thanksgiving because all you have to do is show up and eat.” In 2008, after Andrea’s hero, Hillary Clinton, lost the Democratic primary to Barack Obama, Andrea announced she was “done with politics and would only watch the Food Channel.”
If you were busy watching the Food Channel last Sunday, preparing for this weekend’s official opening of the grilling season, and missed last week’s study, please read it now. The study was titled “What the Old Testament Says About Food,” and the verses we discussed were foundational to my ancestors’ relationship with God. He chose the Israelites as His people. God commanded them to obey the Ten Commandments and dietary laws as they journeyed toward the Promised Land.
Below is a brief overview of what food represents in the Old Testament from last week:
First, gratitude to God, a thanksgiving for providing food. Second, nourishment, representing His care for us. Third, fellowship, “breaking bread” to eat and worship together to glorify Him. Fourth, food represents generosity and sharing. Fifth, overeating underscores the need for self-control because gluttony is a sin against your body.
With all that in mind, let’s turn to the New Testament, which is all about Jesus. His relationship to food could be considered somewhat “radical” compared with how food is portrayed in the Old Testament. Simply stated, Jesus is food, the “bread of life.” What........