Jesus didn't directly address eating pork but declared that what goes into a person doesn't defile them, only what comes out of their heart, implying dietary laws (like pork prohibition from the Old Testament) aren't about outward cleanliness but inner spiritual purity, though many interpretations exist, with some believing He fulfilled the Law to make all foods clean (Mark 7:15-19, Matthew 15:10-11), while others emphasize His Jewish context and the ongoing relevance of such laws for believers.
Answer: Eating pork is not an intrinsic evil as is, say, adultery. Eating pork becomes a sin for a Catholic when he deliberately eats it on a Lenten Friday which is also not a solemnity, given that he's violating a Church precept to abstain from meat on such days.
To be specific, Jesus drank water and wine, ate only whole grain bread, abstained from pork and shellfish, and ate large quantities of healthy foods like olive oil, grapes, figs, pomegranates, various kinds of vegetables, and fish. This is “the Jesus way of eating” [p. xv].
Later, in the New Testament, Jesus swept away these rules and “declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:18-19): “There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.”
The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals" (Acts 15:29), teachings that the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, preached for believers to follow.
The issue had nothing to do with pork or shellfish. He was talking about what could enter a person's digestive system as a result of eating with ceremonially unwashed hands—perhaps a little dirt. The issue was clean or unclean hands—not clean or unclean meats!
It is only in Leviticus 11:7 that eating pork is forbidden to God's people for the very first time—“… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc.)
God states that cud-chewing animals with split hooves can be eaten (Leviticus 11:3; Deuteronomy 14:6). These specifically include the cattle, sheep, goat, deer and gazelle families (Deuteronomy 14:4-5). He also lists such animals as camels, rabbits and pigs as being unclean, or unfit to eat (Leviticus 11:4-8).
The Bible does not explicitly state that Jesus ate any meat, and Webb cites the fact that no lamb is mentioned at the Last Supper as evidence that he did not.
God designed humanity to thrive on plants. After the fall, God introduced vegetables into the diet of man as part of the plan of salvation. After the flood, God permitted man to eat flesh meats (without the blood and fat) because vegetation was scarce until man could cultivate once again.
Christians, however, do eat pork because of a shift in the understanding of dietary laws in the New Testament. Specifically, in Acts 10, the apostle Peter has a vision in which God shows him various animals and tells him to "kill and eat," declaring that what God has made clean should not be called unclean.
The foods He likes best are flatbread, olives, raisins, figs, pomegranates, grapes, honey, and almonds.
In Heaven Randy writes that it appears that neither animals nor people ate meat until after the flood. But Genesis 4 says Abel kept flocks and gave fat offerings, which suggests he ate meat.
Taken by itself, Matt. 7:6 is a weird thing to say: “Don't give holy things to dogs, don't throw your pearls to pigs, lest they trample them under their feet and, turning, tear you to pieces” (author's translation).
Cooking with pork isn't without risk. "In places around the world with high pork consumption, an infection called trichinosis is a concern. The infection can be fatal. It is caused by the Trichinella roundworm, which is found in undercooked and raw pork," says Burdeos.
According to Christ, there is only one sin which is unforgivable, which is the "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit;" in other words, the wholehearted rejection of the Holy Spirit. Accidentally eating a meat product during Lent purely out of ignorance doesn't even come close to being on the same level.
No, Jesus never let pork, shellfish or any other unclean meat pass between His lips. When He ate meat, He ate only clean meats—such as fish with fins and scales, lamb, goat and beef. If you are a Christian who tries to follow Jesus' example, it's time to start eating like He did.
Old Testament
Some Christians interpret that to mean that vegetarianism was part of God's original purpose and plan for both man and the animals. Because of that, they've decided that vegetarianism is a necessary part of a redeemed and sanctified life.
Many biblical scholars believe that Jesus was a vegetarian. Jesus' message is one of love and compassion, and there is nothing loving or compassionate about factory farms and slaughterhouses, where billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths.
The people of Israel were commanded in their law to never eat pork, but the nation disobeyed the Lord nonetheless. Because of their disobedience under the Law, the Lord promises to prevent them from receiving their Messiah for a time, while the Gospel goes to the Gentiles.
With regard to Christianity, only certain sects that consider Jewish dietary laws to still be binding abstain from pork, including Seventh-day Adventists, Hebrew Roots, and Messianic Jews.
📖 In Leviticus 11, God clearly lays out dietary instructions — no pork 🐖, no shellfish 🦐, no scavenger birds 🦅, and no animals with paws 🐻🐇. But did you know the difference between prohibited foods and clean vs.
Leviticus 11, god provides a list of animals. that are considered clean and can be eaten, as well as animals that are considered unclean. and should not be consumed. Among the unclean animals listed is the pig, which includes pork.
So Jesus is declared all foods clean regardless of the traditional washing. When the NLT says every food is acceptable in God's eyes it is absolutely accurate. Pork was never considered food in this context either by Jesus or the pharisees.
Vitamins B6 and B12, also found abundantly in pork, are essential for blood cell formation and brain function. Pork is also an excellent source of iron — the heme-iron found in red meats is absorbed very easily by the human digestive system. The selenium in pork is essential for proper thyroid function.