Discussions with meat-eaters and milk-drinkers usually crosses one of many well-traveled paths. One of the most common is "well, just remember that Jesus fed fish to the 5000...so there..." They are speaking of the time when Jesus kept the people in church so long he had to feed them a meal. Seems unreasonable in our definition of church. When they became hungry, a boy gave up his lunch and Jesus multiplied the fish and bread to feed the multitude. One thing is sure about the fish -- it probably wasn't contaminated with mercury and I'm sure Jesus didn't dip it in batter and deep fry it. And, I still can't imagine how that makes it okay to eat at McDonalds or Chick-fil-a.
First of all, the menu for the day causes me to think back to the time in the wilderness when God provided manna (bread) from heaven. This was not enough for the complaining Israelites who lamented, "Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Ex. 16). God gave them quail as an appeasement. Jesus probably had this is mind when he fed them not only bread, but also fish. It's kind of hard to preach when everyone is murmuring (church term) and complaining.
To be fair, meat is most likely given to us as a survival food. However, science has proven that it is the not the best primary fuel for our bodies. Heart Disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke are just a few of the side-effects when we make it our primary fuel. Glucose is the body's primary energy source, which we receive from sugars and carbohydrates. A stretch might even be to say that since the people were starving, maybe that was the right food to sustain them for a long period of time until they could travel to their homes. But, most people of today are not starving! Especially, not the ones demanding meat.
We literally have everything we could possibly want, need and desire at our fingertips. If the local grocery store doesn't have it on the shelf, we can get it from Amazon in a couple of days. So, the wrong question is "What is permissible?" Most people would agree that everything is permissible. The right question is "What is best?" As more scientific and anecdotal evidence rolls in, we are more and more convinced that the best diet for humans is a whole-food, plant-based diet with moderate exercise and other positive lifestyle changes.
We can't use Jesus as a scapegoat for unwise behavior! We must make the right choice for our bodies and the planet!
See my Facebook Group * Missouri River Plant Based
Check out * WFPB Christians
See my YouTube Channel * FourEyedPlantEater
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