What I’ve Learned About Clean & Unclean Foods
This past Sabbath, I attended a “Torah-pursuant” Messianic service. What led me there is a story for another day, but this morning when I opened Leviticus, I felt an increased reverence for the Torah. My reading today included Leviticus 11, which if you know, it’s all about clean and unclean animals. Guidelines on what animals and creatures God’s people, the Jews, could and could not eat.
As I read, my big question was, “Abba, do I need to eat like this?” Do I need to give up pork and shrimp? I now know a ton of people who do. And as I read, fear began to rise in my belly.
Alongside Leviticus 11, I was led to two other passages: Leviticus 20:24-26 and Acts 10 that helped me see the full picture in Scripture.
Let's look at both.
Leviticus 20:24-26
’But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. ' (ESV).
What does this say? It says that because God separated his people from the peoples of the world, they should therefore separate the unclean from the clean animals. This leads me to believe that these animal and food restrictions were to be a sign. A sign for Israel and for the world that God has separated Israel out from among the rest of the world.
Now, let’s take a look at Acts 10. This story has two main characters: Cornelius, a God-fearing gentile and Peter, a Jew and apostle of Jesus Christ. Abba uses visions of food and two devout and prayerful men to show them and us his intentions for the nations.
The chapter begins with Cornelius. While in prayer, God gives him a vision and tells him to find a man named Peter from a place called Joppa. Cornelius then sends his servants to go find him.
Acts 10:9-16
''The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. '(ESV)
When I first read this years ago, I came to the conclusion that we can now eat all foods because God has called them clean. But, when I read this passage again last week verse 28 puzzled me.
Cornelius’ servants find Peter and invite him to be a guest in Cornelius’ house. Peter goes and enters the house full of gentiles gathered together. A typical no-no for Jews.
Verse 28
'And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. '
Wait, I thought this was about food? Why was Peter’s interpretation about people?
Remember Leviticus 20? I think it’s the key to understanding this. What was the purpose of clean and unclean foods? To be a sign that God has separated his people, the Jews, from the rest of the nations, the gentiles. But one of the wonderful accomplishments of our Messiah, Jesus, is that all who believe can find eternal life in him (John 3:16).
Acts 10:34-48
'So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ ( he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.'
So, the conclusion I’ve come to is this:
Just like clean and unclean foods were a sign or reminder that God chose a people for his own possession from among the nations, maybe now eating all foods is a sign of the finished work of Christ. That “…God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34).
