A few years ago, I taught a required Health & Wellness General Education class at a local Christian university. Like most GenEd classes at college, the freshman students were mainly concerned about fulfilling the requirement and moving on to classes within their field of study. And so, like most GenEd courses, getting the students to enthusiastically participate in class was a challenge. But there was one day when class participation went through roof all because I asked one simple question at the start of our unit on Nutrition and Eating Behavior. The question was: Would Jesus eat a Twinkie? There was an almost immediate uproar as the students grouped together with others taking their side on the issue. It was pretty much a 50/50 split and each group enthusiastically debated the merits of their stand on the issue. The first group was eager to speak as they believed that Jesus would absolutely not, under any circumstances, eat a Twinkie. Their argument consisted of the following points:
The second group rolled their eyes and sat back in their chairs with a bit of a smirk on their faces. When their time came to speak, they stated that they believed that Jesus would have no problem eating a Twinkie. Their argument consisted of the following points:
One student was particularly interested in discussing the matter further and suggested looking at it within the context of the greatest commandments of all: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-49 By applying the greatest commandments to the question, we were able to come to the following reasonable speculations about how Jesus would most likely react to the idea of eating a Twinkie: 1. The same God who asks us to honor Him with our bodies is the same God who provides all things for our enjoyment. If Jesus believed that eating a Twinkie would be enjoyable, He very well might eat one, but given that it is a “fun food” as opposed to a “fuel food” it would be a very small part of his diet, most likely eaten on rare occasions. 2. Putting God first in our lives means that we get rid of anything that would cause us to sin or interfere with our devotion and service to Him. So, Jesus would be the master of His Twinkie eating instead of the other way around. As Paul discussed with the Corinthians regarding their freedom in Christ, …“I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12). 3. If Jesus enjoyed eating a Twinkie, He would gladly forgo that experience if it would cause difficulty or hardship for anyone else in the room. He would follow the biblical principle of In humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4) and If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love…(Romans 14:15) 4. Jesus would honor the food choices and eating convictions others, without judgment or interference, Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another… Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification…So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God (Romans 14:13,19,22) unless those choices were associated with a sin (such as gluttony or greed) Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1). What do you think? Would Jesus eat a Twinkie? Whether you personally would ever choose to eat a Twinkie or not, the biblical principles that were part of our class discussion are relevant to all of us as we make our day to day food choices. It may be wise for all of us to ask ourselves:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 If you have a question or comment about this blog post or any other information on this website, please click here.
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About the AuthorHello! My name is Ginger Hill and I am a Christ follower and a n employee wellness professional. I am passionate about helping myself and others to live a healthy lifestyle and I believe that good health is essential in helping us to do the good works that God has called us to do. Because I am a work in progress, I write these blog posts to encourage myself and I share them with others in the hope that they may be encouraged as well.
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"But the godly will flourish...Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green."
Psalm 92:12,14 (NLT)
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Psalm 92:12,14 (NLT)
All Contents Copyrighted © Ginger Hill and Good Health for Good Works 2017-2022. No part of this website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted,
unless otherwise indicated. You may share this website by any of the following means:
1. Provide a back-link or the URL of the content you wish to disseminate.
2. Quote extracts (with context) from the website with attribution to www.goodhealthforgoodworks.org