A Duel Meaning? "Stop desecrating your sacred body with such an abominable diet. The land around us grows the most exquisite and delicious fruits in plenty. The Earth gives enough nourishment from just its vegetable realm, without the need for torture or violence" —Pythagoras   There is a story in John 2:13-16 that I think most of us are probably quite familiar with. However, as we read it again today I'd like to look at it from a little different perspective. Perhaps we will find that it is speaking to us personally still today.   Here we find Christ at the temple in Jerusalem. As He enters the temple, instead of being among fellow worshipers, He finds the tumult of an animal auction. The Apostle John tells the story in these words: And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them...Take these things hence...   Could these verses possibly have a more personal meaning for us today? The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of God. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are 1 Corinthians 3:16,17. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.   When Christ cleansed the temple there were only clean animals in it. Was He trying to tell us something? I believe He was telling us there would come a time when even the animals that are clean should not enter our bodily temples, since they are no longer clean. Our bodies are not really ours, but God's, and therefore need to be kept pure and undefiled for His service. He later repeated cleansing the temple, shortly before His death. At that time He said, ...It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves Matthew 21:13.   When we eat things that God never intended for us to eat, we rob ourselves, others and, more importantly, God, of a clear mind capable of discerning right from wrong, of optimum health and vigor. We become our own thieves! ...flesh food has a tendency to animalize the nature, to rob men and women of the love and sympathy which they should feel for everyone, and to give the lower passions control over the higher powers of the being. 1 ...when the stomach is given flesh foods, the brain [becomes] clouded, the intellect inactive, the moral sensibilities blunted. Understanding the Body Organs, compiled by Celeste Lee, pg. 53.  In this sinful and degenerate time in history we need to keep our minds clear and receptive to hear the Holy Spirit's still, small voice speaking to our hearts, "...This is the way, walk ye in it..." Isaiah 30:21.   Remember the hippie who became a Christian, later to become a preacher and evangelist? He shared this lesson: Since I sold prime beef, I decided I should use my own products. Soon I was eating New York steak for breakfast, T-bone steak for lunch, and fillet mignon for dinner. But then I noticed that I felt rundown all the time, with no energy. My behavior began to change too. At night I would sit and watch TV and eat a quart of ice cream by myself—yes, a whole quart! I felt my spiritual life being numbed, and I had less inclination to resist temptation. My caveman diet of rice, beans, bread and fruit had given me a feeling of strength and vigor. For the first time I realized what an impact diet had on my physical, spiritual and moral well-being. The Richest Caveman, Doug Batchelor, pg. 95.   Was Christ possibly signifying that there would come a time when we should not eat even the clean meats? If He was, that time could be none other than now! All rights reserved Copyright © 2006 By J. Lee