Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 12/1/2008

Question
Where/when did God mention that we cannot eat pork? And we cannot eat shellfish and all other kinds of seafood?


Answer
Dear Maria,

Some people wonder if Jesus said anything about clean and unclean meets, specifically pork. Actually there’s only one instance in which Jesus had anything to say about pork and it didn’t have to do with not eating it. Notice what happened:

Luke 8:26  They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.
Luke 8:27  When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
Luke 8:28  When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!"
Luke 8:29  For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Luke 8:30  Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
Luke 8:31  And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
Luke 8:32  A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission.
Luke 8:33  When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

The fact that Jesus let the demons destroy the pigs seems to show that He placed no value on them. Actually Israelites were not to keep pigs.

We have to realize that Jesus was/is God and that He was the Creator of the world:

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2  He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:3  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. . . .
John 1:14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So Jesus was the Creator of the world. He was the One who spoke to Moses and all the prophets. He was the One who inspired the entire Old Testament, and it was the Old Testament—the Scriptures—that Jesus used to prove that He was Messiah. So Jesus was the One who gave the instructions about the health of His people—in all generations to the end of the world—asking them not to eat unclean meats.

Lev 11:1  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
Lev 11:2  "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:
Lev 11:3  You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.
Lev 11:4  "'There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.
Lev 11:5  The coney, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
Lev 11:6  The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
Lev 11:7  And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
Lev 11:8  You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
Lev 11:9  "'Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales.
Lev 11:10  But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the

So the test of land animals that are clean and all right to eat is that they must have a split hoof AND chew the cud. This would include cattle, goats, sheep, deer, and many others. But you’ll notice that there are some who chew the cud OR that have split hooves—but not both. Jesus names the camel, the pig, etc. as in this class. He points out that these are unclean and that we should not only refrain from eating them, but shouldn’t even touch they dead bodies. He also gave instructions that, of everything that lives in the waters, we should only eat those things that have both fins AND scales.

Some people think that this rule was given only to the Israelites, and that others were not under it. But think about it. This is a law pertaining to health. The Israelites were human beings just like you and me. They had the same digestive systems that we have. If the meat was not good for them, it certainly wouldn’t be good for us either.

Another thing to think about. This matter of “clean and unclean” didn’t originate with Moses at Sinai. It wasn’t new at all. Look at this:

Gen 7:2  Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,

Way back at the Flood, Noah knew the difference between clean and unclean animals. And down in the book of Revelation John tells us that at the end of time there will still be birds that are considered as unclean:

Rev 18:2  With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

If Jesus told Noah and Moses the difference between clean and unclean animals, and even indicated that at the end of time there would still be unclean animals; if He told His people not to eat unclean animals—then it seems to me we would do well to follow His commands and not to eat them today.

If you have any more questions about this, feel free to write me at Thurman@PettyPress.com.

Check out my website www.PettyPress.com where I’ve posted the entire text of 18 of my books, 40 Bible lessons, and much more.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.