More on Jesus & Food

A while ago, I mentioned that we can learn a lot about the spiritual significance of eating by exploring Jesus' relationship with food. Today, we'll take a deeper look.

Before Jesus told his first story, before he preached his first sermon, before he healed a sick person for the first time, before he called the first person to follow him, Jesus fasted. He did without food for 40 days in order to prepare himself spiritually for his work. After that extended period of fasting, he was obviously hungry. And that extreme hunger left him vulnerable. As Jesus was still in the desert wilderness, the tempter came to Jesus and tried to lead his astray, lead him away from what God wanted him to do, and lead him away from his true identity. The Gospel of Matthew records that the very first temptation involved food. “If you are the Son of God,” the tempter said, “command these stones to become loaves of bread.” That was a powerful temptation, a temptation for Jesus not only to prove that he really is the Son of God, but also a temptation to relieve his own, personal hunger, and relieve the hunger of other people, needy people. Just think of all the good he could do if he did transform not just one stone, but thousands of stones to bread? All he would have to do is listen to the tempter, instead of listening to God. Jesus responded to the temptation: “It is written, `One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4)

That one passage may leave the impression that Jesus discounted the value of food. After all, he did without food during a 40-day fast. He refused to turn stones into bread in order to feed himself and others in the area who were hungry. And he understood that while we need food to survive, we need to be guided by God even more.

Yet it is clear from reading the gospels that Jesus was not opposed to eating. He enjoyed food. In fact his enjoyment of eating and sharing meals was in stark contrast to other spiritual leaders at the time. The difference was so striking, that some people criticized him. Jesus did not dodge the criticism; he took it on. He realized that many of the same people who were complaining about him had also complained about John the Baptist, who ate a restricted diet. “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Matthew 11:18-19) Few people today have the image of Jesus as a glutton and drunkard, but his contemporary detractors did.

Balance is vital. Jesus knew we need to eat to survive. Food is so important that when he taught his disciples how to pray, he encouraged them to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) He knew that we need to acknowledge God as the source of our sustenance, and that worrying about what we are going to eat, and worrying about if we are going to eat, can throw our lives off track. Just after teaching his followers what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus said, “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Jesus urged people to not focus on worry. “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:25-33) Our primary focus is to be righteous, to live the right way, to live in a right relationship with God and thus live as though the kingdom of God were already fully here.