Was Jesus Vegetarian?

I’m going to step out on a shaky limb and throw out a thought -  that Jesus was vegetarian. The only food he seemed to eat, and at least enjoy, was fish. He hung out with fishermen. He knew how to fish for sure - He advised them which side of the boat they would find the best catch. When He appears to the disciples who were discussing how Jesus had risen from the dead, Jesus asked if they had anything to eat, among other things. It was like - “Here. Look.  I have hands and feet.  I am not a ghost. I’m a human body risen from the dead and  soon will be on the way to my Father, our Father,  your Father.” But Jesus was still on earth and He was hungry. “Do you have anything to eat?” He asked. It was such a normal request.  The disciples offered him a piece of broiled fish, which He consumed while they were watching. So they could check off that from their list of fears. Jesus was physically still Jesus. He did normal things.  

Then He reminded them that He had told them these things “while I was still with you - that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” He probably was sad because they still didn’t understand. So He took time to  open their minds to understand it all. Even told them once more that the Messiah had to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day. And that repentance and forgiveness of sins was to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. In other words, He was leading them into the pastures of their future. The  burden was on them to carry the message far and wide, to tell the story of Jesus to young and old, to enemy and believer, to diplomat and street beggar, to those who called themselves Kings and High Priests. and those who swept the castles and synagogues. 

Everyone needed to know that God IS and that His Son was a human being who spent his short life expressing truth about God and Love and Heaven and Everlasting life. He was depending on His disciples, since they were there, they were the witnesses, they were the hope for all those in Jerusalem at the moment, and all those scattered around the world who would be saved and become disciples and followers and believers in the most important thing in life on earth - that there was life in the end. Love was the tune that made it all smile. 

When Jesus fed the 5000, He gathered from a boy five small loaves and two fish. Bread and fish. Bread- being manna  like-  and fish being protein which became the symbol of Jesus for the followers being persecuted after his death. In a parable of drawing in the nets, Jesus compares angels separating the righteous from the wicked to fishers sorting out their catch, keeping the good fish, throwing out the bad fish. Christ tells Peter to cast a line in the water to fine a coin in the fish’s mouth. Fish was used for the sign of Jonah and is the symbol of Jesus’s resurrection. There is even a fish tattoo which so many have on their skin today. Rarely do we see holy people in the Bible eating beef or even chicken. It’s mostly fish, which, of course is much healthier and on the shores of Israel, be it lake or sea, that was the primary life-supporting job. 

Jesus must have had amazing patience. Over and Over again He had to explain what was happening, who He was, what the ending would be and how it would occur. Over and over the disciples and followers didn’t get it. It was sort of outside their realm of knowledge even if they did know the Old Testament history, even if they had been walking beside Jesus day in and day out, it was like a mystery, something too hard to dig deep into their hearts or open their minds, which were so used to daily occurrences, good and bad. It just didn’t stick, even the simple stories He might throw out, like those about sheep and shepherds. That’s so simple and so beautiful, and so part of their region. Or the fishing for men concept. 

I remember going two rodeos early in my life, and watching the dogs and cowboys on quarter horses herding wayward sheep into a corral, with the intention of saving them from the wolves, a skill that kept our mouth’s opened. Truly the cowboy life which in modern times was on horseback, was similar to shepherd life, except the real shepherd in the Middle East, for instance, even today, travels on foot and all he has is his staff (now a part of the holiness dress of a bishop), and with that staff, sometimes he might have to whack a thief in the night when he confronts a wolf, or worse coyote, which attacks at the throat, or  bobcats, ravens, vultures, foxes, wolves, bears, dogs, eagles… the list is long so no matter where the herd of sheep might be, it’s vital that there is a savior, a wise and awake shepherd who might even carry guns and cell phones these days - but in the olden times, just whopped the invaders with their staffs or canes while trying to keep  the herd of sheep calm and together so they wouldn’t  scattered. It’s the same task a priest has - to keep his congregation together, to be of one mind, that of Jesus Christ, whom we love and worship, and in whom we find our souls and purposes on this very confusing and frightening planet, where things seem more out of control than in control. We must find that shepherd meant for us to lead us through the confusion and muck to a peaceful freedom called heaven, where our God is.
 

 ~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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