Dealing with Dietary Laws

 

15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

 

Mark 7:15-19 KJV

 

Jordan Rubin wrote an excellent book on the Maker’s Diet. In the book, he wrote on how in eating a Kosher Diet actually reversed the digestive problems he was having with Crohn’s Disease.  There is a lot to say about the book and would suggest anyone to read it and understand the benefits of a Kosher Diet.  Kosher diets do have their benefits on the reduction of health problems but needless to say the health and wealth movement distorts such teaching as an end to good health. Our Savior Jesus actually is not saying that the Kosher diet is done away with but that in the eliminating of meats the digestive track is making it clean.  With Crohn’s disease, such a diet would have tremendous benefits.  I totally agree that with a Kosher diet one will have better health.  Also, to eat with malice angry heart does indeed deliver trouble like ulcers and other issues to the digestive track.  So the point to Jesus statement is that emotions lead to actually defilement.  

As the Gentiles were known to not eat the same diet, Paul does appear to relax the dietary laws.  For one thing, the access to Kosher meats may have not been readily throughout Rome.  The second thing is that Paul is mirroring the same emphasis as Christ on issues of the heart over the issues of dietary laws.  Legalism in dietary laws suggest that conversion is by the flesh. I would assume then that the actual sin in eating unclean meats is a complete disregard to biblical wisdom when one does have the option of eating clean meats and by the way look at the blessings that came to Daniel when he opted out of the Babylonian diet.