Matthew Chapter 15 – Spiritual Gut Health
We are what we eat, how we eat, where we eat, when we eat, and whom we eat with. Intimately personal, food consumption is when we are at our most vulnerable and truest. Many healthcare professionals have explained that our whole body health is vitally dependent on our gut health. Through food consumption and absorption, our digestive system breaks down food into pulp of nutrients. These nutrients are then digested and distributed to different parts of our body for nourishment. Eventually, what is not needed by the body, such as wastes and toxins, is passed out from the body. When our gut health is down, our immunity also goes down. Different organs of our body subsequently suffer mal- or even dysfunction.
In chapter 15, Jesus links his teaching closely to the ideas of food and food consumption. It opens with the Pharisees debating with Jesus on what was clean and unclean. Their debate ended with Jesus using excrement as an analogy to show the malice of man’s heart is way more toxic, corrupt, and foul. Such malice not only damages but also leads to spiritual cancer.
This was followed by Jesus’s encounter with a Canaanite woman whose daughter was demon possessed. She persistently begged to Jesus’s nonchalance. He even bluntly confronted her he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel (not gentiles). It wasn’t right to toss the children’s (Israel’s) bread to their dogs (the gentiles). She remained unfazed. She accepted the whole analogy and completed the scenario for Jesus. Yes, even dogs ate the crumbs that fell from the table. (Translation: Yes, indeed, I am a dog that belongs to the children. Shouldn’t the dog get some fragments of the children’s leftover? Further translation: I may be tangentially related to the Israelites. Tangentially would I not receive some of your grace even in small amount?). It’s unusual for us to see Jesus speak condescendingly in the Bible, but this is that one instance.
Finally Jesus fed the four thousand. For three days, Jesus taught and healed troubled bodies that suffered inflammation and disability of all sorts. Towards the end, Jesus concerned that there was no nearby food and beverage outlets, and knowing everyone’s blood sugar level was dropping, he fed them. Perhaps the crowd could not yet fully understand what eternal rest and spiritual abundance entailed. Yet through the healing of their bodies and feeding of their hunger, Jesus wanted the crowd to get a foretaste of what eternal life would be like, only far more blissful, restful, and glorious.
In the Bible, food refers to the words of God (Matt 4:4), the practice of carrying out the words of God (John 4:34), and most importantly, Jesus himself (John 6: 35). Like food, we must eat the words of God, digest, and absorb them well so that we become like Christ.
Through the incidents recorded in Matthew 15, Jesus invites us to do some spiritual gut health check and to consider replanning our spiritual diet:
- Do I have a comprehensive dietary plan in place?
The dietary plan that Pharisees had wasn’t quite comprehensive. They were quite picky with food based on personal preference, rather than on a desire for better health.
- Do I have digestive issues?
Certainly, the Canaanite woman had an excellent digestive system. She was able to consume and digest hard solid food. In contrast, the Pharisees had a rather poor digestion.
- Related to the above, do I eat whole foods?
The Canaanite woman ate whole foods by accepting Jesus’ teaching in all its totality. In contrast, the Pharisees preferred processed food. They did so by interpreting the teaching of God in a way that was more palatable.
- Do I eat superfood?
Superfood is food packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It boosts the energy and immunity of our body. Jesus explicitly proclaims that the food he gives is one such kind that endures to eternal life (John 6:27). Those that eat it will never be hungry or thirsty again (John 6:35). It is also our only lifeline (Matt 4:4).
Going back to the four thousand. If the crowd was with Jesus only for complimentary medical consultations and free food, they would have missed out on a big chunk of what Jesus had to offer. Ultimately, the superfood Jesus wants to give us is far more valuable and enduring. We may have received bodily healing and material abundance from God. Never stop there. Seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and everything else will be added onto you (Matt 6:33).
