The lines we draw...

I’m reading Deuteronomy 12, and it reminded me of something funny from my own life—food. I’m a vegetarian, and for a long time I struggled to even sit next to someone eating non-vegetarian food. Please don’t misunderstand; it wasn’t judgment. I simply couldn’t handle the smell. I’ve had many friends who prefer non-vegetarian food, and they respected my habits just as I respected theirs. Still, there were moments when, if someone accidentally used their spoon in my food, I’d hesitate to eat it. Funnily enough, my own brother loves chicken lollipop, and I can’t eat meat at all.

I don’t know this for sure, but I’m certain there were times when someone close to me wanted to sit next to me while eating, and because of my habits, I didn’t give them that space. I would naturally choose to sit next to someone who ate the same way I did. What I tried to separate myself from may have unintentionally caused me to exclude someone who could have been a great friend. Looking back, I think God had a sense of humor about all this. I ended up marrying a woman who eats everything under the sun, and my kids enjoy eating meat too. My wife often jokes with me, “You know, it’s the same mouth that ate the meat that you’re kissing.”

As I continued reading Deuteronomy 12, I realized that food has always carried more meaning than we think. It was never just about taste or preference—it was about identity, holiness, and boundaries. One of the instructions God gives Israel is not to consume blood, because life belongs to Him. This was one way God set His people apart, ensuring that pagan worship did not quietly creep into their daily lives through something as ordinary as food. At the same time, this chapter brings clarity about a centralized place of worship and about everyday eating. God teaches them the difference between holiness and ordinary life. Not every meal is worship, and everyday food does not require ritual purity. They are permitted to slaughter and eat meat freely, like the gazelle or the deer, according to the desire of their hearts.

Now let’s fast-forward to Acts 10. Here we hear Peter say something that is not found in Deuteronomy: “It is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.” Did you notice what happened over time? The food restrictions God put in place to guard holiness slowly became rules for excluding people. The question should have been, “If I eat this, will it draw me into idolatry?” Instead, it became, “Will this make me unclean?”

God had to give Peter a vision of unclean animals. At first, Peter thought it was about food. But he later realized it wasn’t about food at all but rather about people. God was revealing that His kingdom was open to all. What God once distinguished for a purpose, people turned into exclusion, and God had to correct it.

As you read this today, I would encourage you to examine your own heart. Sometimes what begins as a boundary becomes a line that keeps others out. In Christ, holiness was never meant to exclude but it was meant to invite.