April-June 1999
Volume 2 Number 2.1
Was Jesus a Vegetarian? The Billboard Says So! Was He?
Some believe so, and they want you to stop eating meat. Should you? Did Jesus teach his followers to avoid animal flesh? The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals want you to believe so.
When I first heard that a group of animal rights activists claimed that Jesus was a vegetarian it surprised me. Very few things surprise me anymore, but this I did not expect. My wife pointed to the CNN story on her computer screen. Sure enough, in billboard ads the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) proclaimed "JESUS WAS A VEGETARIAN" to promote their cause. Now I know that Jesus would not have endorsed pork products, but lamb too?
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This kind of reasoning is called a referral argument. Its thrust is that since Jesus eschewed, not chewed, meat then we should too. Such arguments are always of questionable validity.
My somewhat humorous, decidedly caustic, and pointed comment to my wife was--which Jesus? The one in the New Testament was anything but a vegetarian. In deed, how could he keep Torah and observe the Passover without resorting to eating mutton? If Jesus opposed flesh-eating why then did he eat fish (Luke 24:42), prepare a fish fry for his followers (John 21:9-13), and in a major miracle multiply enough fish and loaves to feed 4,000 people (Matthew 15:36)?
The apostle Paul, in reference to our world today, condemned vegetarianism (I Timothy 4:3). With respect to those weak in faith he wrote to Roman Christians that "he who is weak eats vegetables only" (Romans 14:2). Moreover, this very same apostle called the practice of vegetarianism the doctrine of demons (I Timothy 4:1). Rather strong language, I know, but this apostle did not mince around. Paul told his readers that they should follow him as he followed Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 11:1; II Thessalonians 3:7-9). Apparently Paul ate not only meat, but had no compunction in polishing off a good steak or slice of mutton, along with a nice flask of red wine. He even recommended that a little wine, not unfermented grape juice but alcohol, was good for the stomach (I Timothy 5:23). Sounds like a balanced guy.
Paul did lay down some guidelines for the Corinthian Christians concerning eating idol meat (I Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:28). He explained in his first epistle to the Corinthians that eating meat was appropriate except when it involved idol-meat (meat sacrificed to pagan gods in the course of pagan worship and sold in pagan temples). That had nothing to do with vegetarianism. It involved avoiding paganism. With respect to eating meat he told the Roman congregation that "the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17 NASB).
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One has to wonder about the place of humans in the world. The Bible has much to say on the topic. In anthropology, however, we attempt to understand the role of humans through the means of science. From scientific inquiry we know that the design of Homo sapiens is as omnivores. Now, if humans are not to eat flesh, then why are we omnivores and not herbivores? If we follow Jesus of Nazareth and the apostle Paul then we will conclude that the God of the Bible made human kind so. Surely, the PETA folks are not so naive, nor so biblically ignorant, as to believe that the historical figure, Jesus of Nazareth, did not consume flesh?
He cooked it and gave it to his followers to eat. He multiplied sufficient fish and loaves to feed a couple of crowds. I suppose someone will argue that fish is not meat. Alright, but fish are animals composed of flesh. Their cells contain nuclear DNA strands molecularly programmed to produce flesh not turnips, chard, or beets.
Perhaps PETA's need for publicizing their cause outweighed their sensitivity toward biblical understanding in this matter. Or perchance one of their members named Jesus, a fellow from Southern California, is indeed a vegetarian. Last time my friend Jesus had us over for dinner at his place in Pomona, we had a great Mexican American meal with plenty of meat to eat, but he did not belong to PETA. But anyway, in our culture all to many of our American people believe that the ends justifies the means. In this case, what possible harm comes from claiming Jesus was a vegetarian? The answer is a lot!
Jesus of Nazareth taught that how we live our lives is quite important. Or, to borrow a metaphor from two former athletic director colleagues of mine, Floyd Lochner and James Petty, how you play the game is more important than whether you win or lose. Honesty, character, truth, and fact are important values. The Jesus of the Bible was not careless in such matters and taught that we should not be so either. If biblical understanding is important at all, which unfortunately is not high on the American peoples' agenda, then a more careful reading of the Bible is necessary.
Misinformation clouds our understanding. Spinning the Bible leads to an erroneous perception of Jesus and the Bible's message. Any hope of an accurate perception of the real Jesus of Nazareth and biblical understanding requires that we handle "accurately the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:14-15 NASB). Anything less leads to misunderstanding and confusion.
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This problem exists to some extent in biblical archaeology as well. Eisogesis does not produce truth. Quests for Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, David's Tomb, the Exodus' route, and the treasures of the Second Temple, are all adventures into pop-archaeology. They may be serious ventures but they are not real science. They are amusement and fiction. Unfortunately all too many people believe such tales are fact and truth. Such ventures occasionally provide entertainment as other forms of fiction. However, interesting reading is not science nor biblical archaeology. Neither are claims that Jesus was an Essene ascetic monk, married, Mary Magdalene's lover, a homosexual, a teenage traveler to the British Isles to visit the tin mines, a blond, a white-robed hippie with unkempt long hair, nor a vegetarian. In appearance he was an average, typical Jew of his day. He looked and dressed as an ordinary Jewish man in the Herodian period, but more importantly, he was and remains your Messiah!
I do not advocate cruelty to animals and have never tolerated such at home nor at work. I have consistently supported the humane treatment of animals and will continue to do so. But, I find it troubling that at the end of the 20th century that we find people seeking to give greater rights to cows, dogs, and guppies than to unborn human beings. Our national form of infanticide through abortion, particularly the atrocity of partial birth abortion, is as far from the life, teachings, and example of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, as it can get. In stead, we have people appropriating Jesus as their authority to advance their animal rights cause. Our schools pass out condoms to children and we wonder why we have an epidemic of children having babies? How would Jesus view that?
Jesus loved little children. Jesus advocated human rights in an age when they did not exist. Jesus valued human life. Jesus died that humans could live. Would the Jesus of your Bible terminate a human life by abortion? Would he counsel you to do so? If you think so, then you lack in your understanding of the real Jesus Christ of the New Testament. When will we finally realize that human rights, as well as human life, must begin with conception? It appears the priorities of some people are as upside down as their exegesis and understanding of the Bible. Anything less than recognizing that human rights begin with conception is not consistent with the Bible nor with Christianity.
Page last edited: 12/17/05 01:11 PM
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