If you’re really hungry, you can get your fill at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Years ago, I used to love to go eat at Golden Corral. It was like a challenge to eat so much that I knew I got more than my money’s worth. They also had a wide variety of food so there was always a temptation to put another helping on my plate. It didn’t matter if I needed it or not, because I didn’t. It didn’t matter if it was good for me or not, because it was not. I had the metabolism of youth that could burn off the overabundance of calories and thought, no harm. There was no restraint on what I put on my tray. Well, now that I’m older, and rounder, I wish someone smarter than me had put some kind of restraint on me. Actually, a muzzle might have been a good idea.

Now, it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault; I chose unwisely. I’m the one with the weak will and poor decision-making. We are fortunate in the U.S. to have a rich and plentiful variety of food to consume. But that doesn’t mean I should make unhealthy choices. In some ways, this reminds me of the freedom to consume many things that were not allowed under the dietary Laws of Moses but deemed acceptable by the grace of Jesus Christ.

In the first century, some felt that the Jewish dietary Laws must be kept. If they were not, then the one who ate what was called unclean food or food sold from temples dedicated to false gods was sinful. And sin pulls us away from our Lord, our God. Others had the knowledge of grace that made all foods acceptable. The problem was when those who understood the food was acceptable ate in front of those who believed it was sinful, they were inadvertently tempting their Christian family members to do what they considered to be sinful. If they believed what they were eating was against God and doing so pulled them back into the idol worship they had left, then it led them into a sin that could halt their Christian conversion. In the language of the time, new followers of God in Christ were called little children in the faith. Which is a good metaphor considering how much growing we all have to do in our walk with Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, the Apostle Paul addresses this situation. Surprisingly, Paul doesn’t criticize the ones sticking to the dietary code. He doesn’t tell them they need to have more faith in the grace of Christ, but instead focuses on the faith of the others who don’t seem to care if their eating caused others to falter in their faith. Paul, the champion of bacon-eating gentiles into the family of God, plainly states he would stop eating anything that led a new follower of Christ away. To put it another way, don’t break out the whiskey in front of an alcoholic who is trying to remain sober. Not because it is a sin to have a drink, but because it is certainly a sin to cause another to harm themselves. Tempting them to backslide into their destructive habit is harmful. While we are not likely to be tempted to eat meat from a pagan temple, we have plenty of temptations that pull us away from God.

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus put it this way: “If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea” Mark 9:42. Maybe it’s best we look out for one another in our walk with Christ Jesus. A church is a community, a family. Our Christianity is not meant to be a solo venture. We are here for one another even when it is inconvenient. So even if Jesus has put out the all-you-can-eat sign, we are still responsible for how our acts affect one another and God’s kingdom.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Pastor Rick