I am dismayed that the majority of the posters are saying it's ok to eat pork! But I feel helpless to appropriately find the words to show them that what they are saying is not what the early followers had done.
It's very easy for people to take the words of the NT and rationalize away G-d's instructions for man.
Most people don't mind being told what they want to hear. We are all guilty of that to an extent.
However at some point in time one must decide to start seeking the truth on the matter for himself. Once they do, the NT takes on a whole new look.
I read your linked thread, but honestly do not want to waste my time on an issue people simply do not want to believe (so I won't reply in it). But the passage they keep bringing up (which btw is their best defense, weak as it is) is from matthew. Lets check it out;
Matthew 15:10-20 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
On the surface these sayings of Yeshua seemingly trample under foot the dietary restrictions given to mankind (yes, mankind. Long before Sinai, Noah took clean and unclean animals alike onto the ark) But if we look at the last verse in the passage, we are given what he meant, in it's entirety;
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
So it would appear that the problem was eating with unwashed hands that was being addressed. (keep in mind the pharisees complaint:
Mt 15:2 -Why do thy disciples transgress the
tradition of the elders? for they
wash not their hands when they eat bread.)
Let me prove this to you. Notice in verse 15 where Peter says;
15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
Peter asked for clarity and Yeshua gave it to him. Now, lets look ahead and we will see the understanding that Peter left with that day.
Acts 10:9-18
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice:
So years after Peter asked for clarity on the meaning of Yeshuas words, he was still holding fast to the dietary laws. And he continued to do so the remainder of his life.
It wasn't made clear to Peter (nor any of Yeshuas apstles) that on that day Yeshua nullified the commandments of his G-d and Father. How can we today think that he did?
Not from the words of G-d, Yeshua, any prophet, nor any of Yeshuas true apostles will you ever see the commandments of G-d be lessened or nullified. Much less trampled under foot such as those of us in mainstream christianity have done. (
Mt 7:6 - Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.)
One last thing on this passage that most people use to justify doing away with the dietary laws. Are not the dietary restrictions part of the law, the teachings of G-d? One would be hard pressed to argue that they were not. Now, that being established lets turn to the Tanakh for a moment;
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
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1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
Read that a few times and ask yourself, who would Yeshua be if he attempted to do away with the dietary laws?
No, Yeshua did not come to do away with the laws of G-d.
Also notice in Acts 15 that at the Jerusalem council 3 out of the 4 "necessary things" instructed for gentiles were of a dietary nature.
One last note on this matter, from Isaiah 66;
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts:
This is a future event. So...
Just another quick question....
I find that with threads like these the argument used to justify eating pork etc is Matt 5:17 where the word 'fulfil' has been taken to mean 'complete' - that with the onset of Messiah people do not need to live by the Law.
And yet when I looked up the word 'fulfil' in my concordance, it can also mean to 'verify' amongst other things.
Does anyone familiar with Biblical Greek know the exact contextual meaning of this verse?
Thank you!
Hopefully this may put to rest the fact that this has gotten under my skin for so many days
While I'm not familar with biblical greek. I believe it's quite possible just by reading the words of Yeshua that when he said fulfill, he obviously did not mean complete (which is really a candy coated word for abolished IMO).
Peace.
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