Abstaining from meat on Good Friday - have we missed the point?

I'm always amazed by the people who never spare a thought for God in their everyday lives, but get very legalistic about abstaining from meat on Good Friday - sometimes to the point of being horrified when someone else does eat meat on that day - and I'm not just talking about Catholics. Now there's nothing wrong with abstaining from meat - and there are many good reasons to do so, not all of them religious. But I can't help thinking this legalistic approach kind of misses the point.

After all, didn't Jesus say it's not what a person puts into their mouth that defiles them, but what comes out of their mouth (Matthew 15:11).

I don't think this means we should just scrap the rule about not eating meat on Good Friday - at least for those who want to keep abstaining. I believe that symbolic actions and practices like this are important, meaningful and help turn our thoughts towards God.

But those symbolic actions should never become more important than the reason behind those symbolic actions.

It's pointless abstaining from meat if we don't give any thought to why we might be abstaining from meat.

So why do we?

The reason behind abstaining from meat on Good Friday was to share in the sufferings of Jesus. By denying ourselves, we entered into the suffering that Jesus underwent on that day. And by denying ourselves, hopefully we remember that suffering - because we too are suffering.

Okay, confession time. The meal I eat on Good Friday is often one of the best meals I eat that year. Because while I eat fish and vegetarian meals frequently, I make the Good Friday meal a little bit fancy and a little bit special.

And that kind of defeats the purpose.

Or maybe not.

Because in reality, what actually matters about abstaining from meat is whether we are remembering the suffering of Jesus. We don't have to do this by eating fish. We can do it by denying ourselves something else. We can do this by reflecting on the crucifixion. We can do this by remembering the suffering of people around the world.

You can do this while eating a big beefy steak or a meat pie or a baked fish dish or a bowl of rice.

It's not what we put into our mouths that defile us, it's what comes out of our mouth.

It's what's in our hearts.

And it's the suffering of Jesus that is important - and the suffering of the whole world that he entered into - rather than what we eat.

How we reflect and think about that suffering is up to us. For some, it may mean abstaining from meat. Others may choose different ways to remember it. But it definitely shouldn't become a legalistic rule where abstaining from meat is more important than our reasons for doing so.

Spiritual Meaning Behind Real Events

In looking at the historicity of the Gospel of John, some writers have come to the conclusion that it is symbolic, rather than historical. They seek spiritual meaning behind many of the stories and thus conclude that those stories did not actually happen. For example, the raising of Lazarus can said to be symbolic of the way in which Jesus Christ gives new life. Therefore, it did not really happen. It was meant to convey a spiritual truth, rather than give a historic account.

However, in my experience and I’m sure in the experiences of many other Christians, everyday life is loaded with symbolism. Barely a day goes past when I cannot find a spiritual meaning behind events that actually happened. In writing this blog, there are many ideas I have that revolve around some event that occurred in my life. These events may remind me of a spiritual truth or convey a spiritual lesson. When I wish to describe these events, I focus on how they are symbolic of God or faith or being a Christian. But just because they are symbolic does not mean they did not occur.

I try not to write too many of these types of blogs. Firstly, because I don’t have the time to write them all down. Secondly, because I think they can be a bit boring. The type that start with ‘I was feeding my dog today and that made me think about how God…’ Don’t laugh. That was an actual idea at one point. My son had made the comment that the poor dog must be starving because he hadn’t been fed in five days. Don’t report me to the RSPCA just yet. I had been feeding my dog. It’s just my son hadn’t seen it and so he presumed that it hadn’t happened. Made me think about all the times that we think God isn’t doing something, just because we haven’t actually seen Him do it.

You may have noticed that there’s been a bit more time than usual between blog posts. That is because my old computer decided to die on me. It would frequently either freeze or shut down in the middle of what I was doing, with no warning and for no apparent reason. So I had to get a new one. And I have spent the last couple of days setting it up and adding all the programs that I need.

Anyway, to go back to that moment when I walked out of the computer store. There were a few different emotions happening for me at the time. But one thing I did feel was this sense that what I was holding was new and clean and incorrupt. I had a fresh start. My old computer had been with me for five years. During that time, I had added a lot of programs and files that I didn’t want and didn’t need. For example, I had five programs to tell me how fast I type. I know I’m a fast typist. I don’t need five programs to tell me that. They were clogging up the system, affecting my performance and holding me back. Now all those programs were gone. I had a clean slate to work with.

Of course, if you go back a couple of paragraphs, you’ll see that I’ve already added new programs. At the moment, most of these are ones that I need. But give it time. I’m sure that before too long, I’ll have a number of programs that aren’t really necessary. And if I have this computer for five years, it will probably be just as full of junk as the old one was.

Yesterday, I was listening to a Catholic Answers podcast. And someone rang up to ask why we continue to sin after baptism. I can’t remember the exact answer. But I know the person answering said that we do not lose our inclination to sin. And straightaway, I thought of my computer. I thought I may have lost all the old crappy programs I had on my old computer. But I haven’t lost the inclination to add new ones. And I believe his answer will stay in mind because I was able to immediately apply it to something I understood.

Jesus used parables a lot. He used parables to discuss heavenly realities in a form that his hearers would understand. Whether they really happened, in this case, is irrelevant. But in a way they did happen. They had happened to all the people who were listening to him. They were the symbolic meaning that occurred in their everyday lives.

I believe God often uses earthly things to describe heavenly realities. And so do people who talk about God. To say well this has a symbolic meaning, so it didn’t really happen is to miss the point entirely. My son really did say that about the dog food. I did really get a new computer. The fact that I attach a spiritual meaning to it doesn’t invalidate the truth of that.

And if everyday life is so full of spiritual meaning, how much more so when Jesus walked the earth. Jesus wasn’t just describing heavenly realities in earthly form, he was the heavenly reality in earth form. To try and separate Jesus into those events that had spiritual meaning and those that are historically true, is like trying to separate any other person into the part of them that breathes in and the part of them that breathes out. They are both intertwined.

Jesus really walked the earth. He did the things described in the gospels. But he also was a symbolic representation of God. More than that, he was God. He was a symbol that represented the very thing He was symbolising. And so it would be surprising if Jesus only did those things that had no spiritual meaning. Everything he did had spiritual meaning. It was part of who he was.

Watering Friendships

I am a plant killer. I have a row of pot plants on my verandah, all filled with very dead plants. The last plant I bought, I joked to the person I was with that if plants had thoughts, they might consider being bought by me similar to a death sentence. You can almost hear them saying, ‘Pick someone else. I have a wife and family.’ And then after the plant is gone, the other plants say in hushed whispers, ‘Poor Lavender. And so young.’

I’m not quite so bad with friendships, but I’ve been known to kill a few of them too. Over-watered this one and smothered it. Under-watered this one, so that it died of neglect. I am fortunate to have some very good friends. But I think the survival of those friendships has more to do with the fact that they are hardy plants that have learnt to survive in tough conditions, rather than any proper care of them on my part.

Even though I do tend to kill almost all the plants I buy, I have managed to plant and grow two. A rose bush and a wattle tree. They’ve been going for years and are unlikely to die any time soon. Strangely enough, I probably take better care of them than I do of the new plants I buy. I guess it’s because I know they’re going to stick around. Whereas with new plants, there’s always this semi-expectation that they won’t be here for long. I feel like I shouldn’t get too attached, just in case they’re dead by the end of the season.

Friends need just as much care as plants. Too much water and they drown. Too little water and they dehydrate. It can be a hard balancing act trying to get it right. Which can be scary when you’ve seen a few friendships die from improper care, like I have. I do tend to worry occasionally whether I’m saying the wrong thing or not saying the right thing. It’s not like I live like that all the time. But there is this fear sometimes that I will kill the friendship. Especially with people that mean a lot to me.

It would be good if friends came with instructions. (Then again, plants do and I still manage to kill them.) But something along the lines of ring up once a week, meet for coffee once a month, send birthday card once a year. Remember to ask about any new developments in their life. Listen to problems carefully. Offer advice only when needed. Sprinkle liberally with laughter and tears.

Jesus’ friends didn’t always treat him the right way. Peter denied him. James and John asked for a place at his side in the kingdom of Heaven. But Jesus’ friendship remained constant. That’s something to keep in mind. Even though I may sometimes worry about my friends disappearing, I know that Jesus is not going anywhere. His love is hardier than my rose bush and wattle tree. Neglect him or deny him and he will still be there. Ask for too much and he will still be there. He’s not going to suddenly leave just because I do the wrong thing. He will never leave.

And that is very reassuring. Because I’m human. And I know there’s a good chance I will do the wrong thing. If not this very minute, then possibly in the next hour or so. It’s nice to know that whatever I do won’t suddenly kill the friendship. And it’s also nice to know there will always be someone’s love and friendship I can count on, no matter what I do. Not just for a season. Not just for a year. But always.

Miracles

1. An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God.

That’s the definition of ‘miracle’ according to The Free Dictionary. But the definitions of miracles we have in our mind can be quite different. To some people, a miracle is ‘an impossible event’ or ‘something that always has a rational explanation’ or ‘a coincidence’ or ‘pure luck’. To others, it may be ‘any occurrence where God intervenes’ or ‘something that can only be explained by supernatural means’. Miracles might happen never, everyday or only occasionally, depending on who you talk to.

Ena Zizi believes she received a miracle. She is the 69-year-old woman who was rescued after being trapped under rubble in Haiti for a week. She says she spent the week praying to God. On a much lesser scale, my son believes he received a miracle. He was looking for a toy and could not find it anywhere. He prayed before going to sleep at night and the next morning it was on top of his toybox.

Now these may be miracles or they may not be. Ena Zizi may have just been lucky. My son might have moved his toy to the top of the toybox without noticing. If they are miracles, they are the sort of miracles where another possible explanation can be found.

For those who do not believe in miracles, the other explanation is the only possible explanation. If God does not supernaturally intervene, then there must be some other reason for what happened. But for those who do believe in miracles, sometimes the intervention of God is the most likely explanation.

To illustrate this, let’s imagine I have paid a visit to my neighbour and mentioned in passing that I like carrot cake. The next day, there is a carrot cake by my front door. Now the most likely explanation for this is that my neighbour left me the carrot cake. But then imagine a friend comes over and says, ‘Well I have never seen your neighbour. I’m not even sure that she exists. And there are any number of other explanations for how you came to receive that carrot cake. Some other friend may have put it there. Perhaps someone dropped it off at your house by mistake. Maybe someone was given a carrot cake that they didn’t like and instead of throwing it out, they put it at the front door of the nearest house they could find.’

Now all these are possibilities. They might have happened. But the best explanation is still that my neighbour gave me the carrot cake.

To simply point out that there are other possible explanations for something is not to prove that a miracle did not happen. And sometimes those other explanations seem a lot less likely than the possibility that God actually intervened.

And then there are the miracles where there is no other possible explanation. To those who do not believe in miracles, these are simply impossible and could not have happened. So you end up with a whole lot of books that promise to tell you about the real Jesus – which ends up being nothing but the Jesus of the Gospels, with all miracles removed. In other words, it ends up being a Jesus that is nothing like the Jesus of the Gospels at all.

Some of them try to take the ‘other explanation’ approach to Jesus’ miracles. I have seen it suggested that with the feeding of the 5000, Jesus did not really multiply the loaves and fishes. Instead, when people saw he was feeding the crowd with such a small amount, they felt guilty and brought out their own food. Some of these authors take a semi-miraculous view and suggest that maybe God could have prompted their sudden guilt-induced generosity.

They can accept things like the feeding of the 5000, because that has another possible explanation. But as for things like Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life, they come to conclusion that it did not happen because it could not have happened. People do not get brought back to life after they have died.

And so they claim to demythologise Jesus by stating that some of his miracles have rational explanations and the rest of his miracles did not really happen because they do not have rational explanations. And what we are left with is a man, who we can accept, because he did nothing out of the ordinary. He didn’t rise from the dead. He wasn’t born of a virgin. He performed no miracles. He only did the type of things that normally happen.

Sounds like a pretty ordinary man to me. But it doesn’t sound much like the Son of God. Why would God send his Son to earth, just to do the same kind of stuff that can be found at any shopping mall or suburban street?

I like how N. T. Wright puts it. He says that ‘what happened to Jesus is not what normally happens’.

And so, for those who accept that Jesus really was the Son of God, what seems more likely? That he came to earth and acted as an ordinary man? Or that he came to earth and performed miracles?

And if Jesus did perform miracles during his earthly life, doesn’t it also seem possible that God may still be performing miracles now?

I believe in miracles. I believe they happen all the time. Sometimes they’re so extraordinary that no other explanation can be found. Sometimes they’re little miracles, mini miracles as I like to call them, where God just intervenes a little bit to answer a prayer or help someone. There will always be people who seek to find other explanations for these miracles. And no doubt, they will find them. But there will also always be people who recognise that sometimes the supernatural intervention of God is the best possible explanation.

(Image details: Raising of Lazarus by Jesus by Carl Heinrich Bloch)