Thought for the Month

Pork is a major source of protein in Northwest Europe. According to the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board sales of pork are worth £4.5bn in the U.K. and about 11.2 million pigs are slaughtered in the U.K. annually. We are 62.5% self‑sufficient in pork. Many a child has been sent to school on a cooked breakfast with bacon and or a sausage as well as adults. A cooked breakfast is a mainstay of a guest house or hotel in the holidays and roast pork is popular for Sunday lunch.

However most people are aware the Old Testament states pork is "unclean" and should not be eaten. (Lev.11:7) What a terrible occasion it was when Antiochus Epiphanes slaughtered a pig on God’s altar in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. What a great disrespect to God’s laws.

The climate here in Britain is much colder and with modern methods with food such as smoking, refrigeration and freezing, pork is safe to eat if cooked thoroughly. Further than that both Peter and Paul showed pork was no longer to be "unclean." (Acts 10:15; Rom.14:14,17)

In the time of Jesus’ first advent pigs were still unclean. In Luke 15 the prodigal son left his father’s house with his inheritance given to him early. The son dissipated his money and life so much outside the land of Israel that he was forced to work on a Gentile farm looking after another man’s pigs who were fed better than he was. Working with swine and eating what was fed to pigs showed the degradation and humiliation of the situation his choices had led him to. The parable ends with him running back to his father who welcomes him back home.

Here when we think of animals in fields we generally think of sheep safely grazing in green fields and lambs in the spring or cattle grazing in similar fields to produce milk and dairy products or beef for food. Pigs on the contrary when seen in the fields seem to be in muddy paddocks. Peter (2 Pet.2:22) might have had such a vision in mind when he said about pigs wallowing in mud after they had been cleaned. The lesson being for the Christian not to return to their former sinful ways and unbelief.

Pigs were used by Jesus to heal the man who was possessed by demons. It was in Gadara an area to the east of the Jordan near the sea of Galilee. It seemed that Jewish farmers were farming pigs to sell to the Gentiles. Was that the reason why pigs were used? However one good outcome was the man was cured and became a believer and no doubt was a good witness of Jesus in his home area.

The scripture on the front cover from Matthew’s gospel is about not casting pearls before swine. Pearls are of great value in terms of beauty so much so they are a commodity like gold that holds it’s own value. It would be even more so then as imitation pearls were not produced in that day. Animals are unable to value commodities. (They would appear as little stones or pebbles and would be ignored as they could not be eaten which is one interest an animal has, food.) To the Christian the gospel has great value as well as beauty. To some of those listening it would have been like jewels before an animal. The Christian appreciates the gospel like a person appreciates jewels. This will not always be the case. In the times of restitution of all things all will have an opportunity to know the Lord and to understand the gospel.