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Bible Question: If
Jesus had celebrated thanksgiving with us as a faithful Jew, would
He have eaten turkey?
Bible Answer: There
are a number of foods that God allowed the Jewish people to eat.
Today, the Jewish people call these kosher foods. The list of acceptable
and unacceptable foods can be found in Leviticus 11:1-47 and Deuteronomy
14:1-21. Here is the introduction to Leviticus 11.
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The
LORD spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, "Speak
to the sons of Israel, saying, 'These are the creatures which
you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. (NASB)
Leviticus 11:1-2 |
And here is a summary of the list of the foods they can and cannot
eat:
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Acceptable
and Unacceptable Foods |
|
Land
Animals |
Any
animal that divides foot and chews the cud such as:
|
ox |
|
sheep |
|
goat |
|
deer |
|
gazelle |
|
roebuck |
|
wild
goat |
|
ibex |
|
antelope |
|
mountain
sheep |
and
whatever walks on its paws. They cannot eat the following animals:
|
|
Lev.
11:3-8, 27
Deut. 14:4-8 |
|
Fish |
Any
fish that has fins and scales. |
|
Lev.
11:9-12
Deut. 14:9-10 |
|
Birds |
Any
birds not excluded such as:
|
red
kite |
|
falcon |
|
raven |
|
ostrich |
|
owl |
|
sea
gull |
|
hawk |
|
little
and great owls |
|
cormorant |
|
white
owl |
|
pelican |
|
carrion
vulture |
|
stork |
|
heron |
|
hoopoe |
|
bat |
|
|
Lev.
11:13-19
Deut. 14:11-20 |
|
Insects |
All
the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable
to you. |
|
Lev.
11:20 |
|
Swarming
Things |
These
creatures include:
|
mole |
|
mouse |
|
great
lizard in its kinds |
|
gecko |
|
crocodile |
|
lizard |
|
sand
reptile |
|
chameleon |
|
|
Lev.
11:29-30 |
God changed these laws in the New Testament after Jesus' death and
return to life, but the Jewish people do not accept this fact. We
find the change in the book of Acts.
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But
Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in
orderly sequence, saying, "I was in the city of Joppa
praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain object
coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from
the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed
my gaze upon it and was observing it I saw the four-footed
animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling
creatures and the birds of the air. And I also heard a voice
saying to me, 'Arise, Peter; kill and eat.' But I said, 'By
no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered
my mouth.' But a voice from heaven answered a second time,
'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' (NASB)
Acts 11:4-9 |
God no longer restricts what we can eat. However, that does not mean
we should eat poisonous mushrooms! God does expect us to use common
sense.
Conclusion: Jesus
could have eaten turkey on Thanksgiving day before Jesus and after
Jesus. |
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