Q. I had a discussion a week or so ago about the biblical food laws. My friend did some research with his pastor over the dietary laws and gave the fo

A. Well, let’s take them one at a time. I appreciate your question because it perfectly illustrates the false teaching out there and how God’s word has been perverted. Your friend and others who believe this have a false premise to begin with. They think that Yeshua and Paul ate pork and unclean creatures so these scriptures are interpreted to fit that false premise. Let me say again, Yeshua never ate pork, catfish, shellfish or any unclean creatures and he never taught anyone to do so either. And I’ll give two reason why. First, when his enemies were trying to find fault in him they couldn’t. If he ate the creatures or was teaching others to do so, don’t you think they would have accused him of it when they had a chance. Your friend and his pastor are accusing him of it or they would not have quoted the passage in Mark. Secondly, Peter said in Acts 10 that he never ate unclean creatures. Now, if Yeshua taught Peter he could because the “Law has been done away with” why didn’t he obey Yeshua and eat them after the Cross? Maybe Yeshua wasn’t a very good teacher and Peter didn’t get it, but I don’t think so. Or maybe Yeshua never taught it to begin with! The 1st century believers were Torah observant and were a sect of Judaism. Paul himself said in several places he never departed from the Torah (Acts 28.17; 24.14).That means they all ate kosher. Your friend and his false shepherd have a premise that is in error to begin with. No knowledgeable student of 1st century history will tell you that they disregarded the dietary laws found in the Torah. With that said I am going to approach these scriptures they gave from the premise that they were Torah observant and ate biblically kosher food. Let’s look at the first scripture briefly.



Col 2.16-17: The Colossians were living in a pagan society and were being criticized (like your friend and his pastor) for eating biblically kosher and keeping the biblical festivals. Paul is encouraging them to ignore their criticism because what they were doing meant something (obedience to God) and the festivals taught eschatology and about the end times and pointed toward Messiah (Jn 5.39-47).



Rom 14.3-8: This chapter deals with how to relate to others in the Roman synagogue which was made up of unbelieving Jews (weak ) and believing Jews and Gentiles (strong-Rom 4.19-20;10.2). This chapter deals with Jewish” halakah”(how to walk-practice)in that synagogue. Apparently non-believing Jews would not eat meat or wine from believing Gentiles in that congregation, which was the common practice in the 1st century and is the practice with some today. I know of many Jewish (unbelievers and believers) and Gentile believers in Yeshua who will not eat “common” food (not according to strict rabbinical standards) even to this day. This chapter is not about someone eating pork and others should not judge him, like your friend and pastor say. It is about the Jewish practice of not eating meat or wine from a Gentile because they thought it was “common”. Peter said as much in Acts 10.14 and God showed him in that vision, using unclean creatures to symbolize the Gentiles, that it was acceptable to accept the Gentiles who had faith in Yeshua. He still had a problem with this concept in Galatians when he withdrew from table fellowship with Gentile believers when other strict adherents to his practice came to Galatia (Gal 2.11-15). Paul is merely dealing with a related problem in Romans. He is telling them not to get upset over that issue or look with contempt towards others over food. That is their opinion (v1) and if that is what they want to do God accepts the actions of the “weak” and the “strong”. Remember they did not eat unclean creatures to begin with so can’t be the issue in Romans. We are commanded to say something when we see others doing wrong, and eating creatures that God commanded not to eat is something that should be pointed out. The issue in Romans is about kosher meat, vegetables and wine.



Mark 7.14-23: This passage is about Jewish halakah (practices) again and it plainly tells you that in v 3-5. Some believed that you had to ritually wash your hands before you ate. Jewish and non-Jewish people who follow the strict dietary laws of the Rabbis still do it today. Yeshua is saying that these regulations are man-made (v8) and that the food is clean if one eats it without ritually washing their hands according to the tradition of the elders. He is simply making a ruling on their halakah (practices) not saying that a person can eat pork or unclean creatures. If your friend and pastor think he is saying that then the messiah they have is a false messiah. Yeshua’s enemies would have pointed this fact out at his trial but remember “they found no fault in him” so he never taught that a person can eat pork, shrimp, lobster or any biblically un-kosher meat or creature.



1 Cor8.12-13: Your friend and pastor need to read the whole chapter to get what Paul is saying. The issue is eating meat sacrificed to idols. Some thought that food was “defiled” somehow if it was offered to an idol and therefore unlawful to eat(v 7). There is no divinity in idols, but one God so there is nothing that one “carries over” from a so-called idol. But, if a weak (unbeliever) sees you eating meat he knows was sacrificed to idols you may defile is conscience and encourage him to do likewise (v 10-12) and that is forbidden. It was decided in Acts 15.28 that Gentiles were not to eat meat sacrificed to idols, and that is based on the Torah in Lev 17 and 18 and that is the reason for what he is saying in this chapter.



I Tim 4.1-5: These verses are saying that many will abstain from food God already allowed us to eat. This is not saying that you can eat anything you want. The key verse to understand what food Paul is talking about is v 5. “for it (the food Paul had in mind) is set apart (to eat) by the word of God ( the acceptable creatures/unacceptable creatures list in Lev 11.1-47 and Deut 14.1-22) and prayer (blessings before and after meals).” The only word of God Paul could be talking about is the Torah and it tells you what to eat and not eat. Your friend and pastor apparently have another list.



Heb 8.6-7,9.910,10.1: Hebrews is another misunderstood book. Paul (who probably wrote it) is making the case that the Torah is a shadow (picture) of the spiritual (substance). That doesn’t mean the shadow has been done away with. If you do away with the shadow (The Torah) there is no substance. You can’t have one without the other. They both exist at the same time!. I know there is the substance (Messiah) because THERE IS a shadow! The Temple, it’s sacrifices and festivals (shadow) was valid. The scriptures never taught they took away sin. The 1st century believers went to the Temple daily. Paul offered animal sacrifices 30 years after Y eshua and after he wrote the book of Galatians (Acts 21.15-26; 24.14-18). Hebrews was written to Jewish believers ( that’s why it’s called Hebrews) who were being taught that the Temple services were abolished when Yeshua came (early Ebionites) or that the Temple and the priesthood should be rejected because it was corrupt (Essenes), which basically what your friend and pastor believe. There was also teaching that Yeshua should be rejected altogether. Paul is validating the Temple and the services ( the book is written in the context of Yom Kippur) and was advising them not to forsake them (10.19-25) and to not forsake Yeshua (10.25-39) despite all the pressure and persecution they were experiencing and to think about all the suffering Yeshua went through to relieve the pressure to encourage themselves (12.1-17). This book is written in the present tense in Greek so he is talking about how the Temple and the priesthood is a valid, present day(1st century) picture of spiritual things that should not be neglected. This book does not and never did teach that the Torah was done away with because the guy that wrote it went out of his way to attend the festivals at the Temple (Acts 20.16), offered animal sacrifices, paid for others to do animal sacrifices( Acts 21.24) and kept the commandments( Acts 28.17) and taught others to do the same (1Cor 11.1-2). No doubt your friend and or his pastor will say Paul did this because of Jewish pressure and he was “all things to all men.” But, Paul said himself that he came to Jerusalem to offer animal sacrifices and give alms( Acts 24.17). Secondly if Paul was weak and compromised the truth he shouldn’t be trusted. There is no way your friend and his pastor can justify their beliefs. If your friend and pastor believe that Yeshua did away with all this, Yeshua himself doesn’t believe it because when he returns he builds another Temple, institutes a priesthood and the sacrificial system (yes, animals!) and celebrates the festivals in the Messianic Kingdom (Isa 66.18-24; and read the last 9 chapters of Ezekiel, Zech 14.16-21).



Your friend is “blind” and his pastor is “a blind leader of the blind” and I would caution you not to “toy around” with false prophets and the teaching that tells you that the “law has been done away with” when it comes to keeping the Sabbath and the festivals and eating un-kosher meats/creatures until you are ready to defend the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). I do want to commend you, however, on having the insight to question their doctrine- keep it up!