Freedom from Food

Rom 14:17-21

 

1. From the last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent has begun. The word means spring, but it is the period of 40 days excluding Sundays until the Holy Weekend and Easter, during which Christians participate in the suffering of Christ in fasting, penance and self-renunciation to properly prepare the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. Even though our salvation is the pure grace, Jesus asked his disciples to participate in His cross and suffering for the fulfillment of our salvation and His Kingdom. As we wait for the new spring, we prepare for our own spiritual new spring. It is the Lent, and the Church has kept this holy season for the last two thousand years.

2. During the Lent, fasting has been encouraged and even required, though it differs according to several traditions. The early churches prohibited food during the day, and it is closely kept in the Eastern Orthodox churches. Forty hours of fasting is encouraged. The Roman Catholic Church requires no meat on every Friday. In the Protestant churches, it is not obligation but choice, and it encourages to give up some favorite food such as chocolate or alcohol, some favorite activity such as movie or game, and to dedicate more time for prayer, almsgiving, and voluntary service.

3. However, to many Christians, this practice of fasting and abstinence was not conducted willingly but became a great burden. So, in the Pancake Tuesday, one day before the Lent begins, many carnivals of overeating like Mardi Gras have been celebrated. When Jesus came to the world, Jewish people were used to this kind of hypocrisy. Even today, many Jews are trafficking meat and delicacies while participating in the religious feasts. What is the worth of this hypocrisy? Christ came to free us from every hypocrisy. Therefore, it is meaningless if we follow only the form of the Lent and try some fasting or abstinence.

4. However, we may not totally ignore the long and unified tradition of the Lent. We need both form and matter of this custom for the full benefit of this meaningful season. Why do they fast and abstain from some delicious food? It is a way to free from sin, the sinful desires of the flesh. The Bible uses two Greek words for human body: soma and sarks. Soma is simply our biological body element, but sarks represents some sinful drive residing in our body. Sarks obstructs our soul and attempts to lead us to sin. Our sarks likes to fall in sin but dislikes holy and meaningful things. Therefore, we need to control this flesh and keep tension with it. When our body demands something, we have to discern whether it is soma or sarks.

5. In this affluent society, we are so addicted to food and drink. Overeating and obesity is a serious sin of rich nations like America. It is sinful because it is addictive and makes poor countries hungry. The sin of gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins. It indulges and destroys our soul. It blinds and confuses our true needs and spiritual appetite. It is harmful to our body and soul. However, many Christians are not so serious to this sin and even thank God as a rich blessing.

6. Food is necessary for living, and appetite certainly is a blessing to be given together with the divine command to live energetically. However, Satan pollutes our appetite and makes us his slave. The sin is not food itself but the loss of control. We do not eat food, but food eats us. If you eat food when not physically hungry, or eat food too fast, or eat until the point of feeling uncomfortable, or eat alone out of unhappiness, or feel guilty after eating, you have the psychological problem of BED (Binge Eating Disorder). You know that overeating is bad in every aspect including your health, look, finance, happiness, relationship, and piety, but still you cannot stop to eat. Your willpower is so weak. Your faith is too weak. Overeaters Anonymous suggests 12 steps to free from overeating, and it recommends to depend on the power of God.

7. Salvation is liberation. We have to be free from everything including our favorite food and drink. Even in this area of eating and drinking, our principle should be love. Therefore, Paul declared: “if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”(1Cor 8:13) If I have to eat less for our poor neighbors, we have to do it. And, we have to stop to harm our body, for it is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. America has overeating problem, and we Koreans certainly have it too. We were poor and hungry in the past. Only in feast time we had enough and delicious foods. Now it seems that we are making feast meal everyday. We have a wonderful food culture, but it is wrong to prepare too much food and eat too expensive food too often. When we become Christian and participate in the spiritual training for liberation from sinful nature, we are obliged to control our eating.

8. The Bible says that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”(Rom 14:17) We Christians should be different from worldly people: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”(Phil 3:19) Prepare food delicious and clean, but not too many or too much. Save your food and money for the poor people, for “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.”(21)  In this season of Lent, practice and achieve your freedom from food in the Holy Spirit.

9. Another aspect of freedom from food is desacralization of food. Food and religion have been related. But Jesus disconnected it. Not only some food but every food is the gift of God to be eaten with gratitude and joy. There is no better or worse food, no holy or unholy food. Taoism taught us that some food will significantly contribute to longevity and even to eternal life. Paul said that “food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”(8) Jerusalem Council desacralized food culture. Modern man is too dependent and addicted to medicine and food. Salvation means freedom from food. Therefore, pious and dedicated Christians have practiced food control small and simple. Food ascetism is not biblical, because it is another form of slavery to food. Freedom from food is openness to every God-given food without prejudice, and every food culture has to be respected. So, Paul said: “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.”(20) Salvation is not achieved by dependence on food but by freedom from food, for it is deeply related with our sinful desires of the flesh and self-destructive indulgence.

10. Jesus declared: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”(John 6:35); “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”(51); “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.”(54-55) Do not forget this real and true food whenever you are thinking about food. We need both material and spiritual food, but what makes you eternally and what sustains your eternal life is Jesus Christ. May God bless your Lent graciously so that you are truly freed from food and welcome your new spiritual spring! Amen.