You Are What You Eat

I've been studying Revelation 10 this past week for my Bible study group, and verses 9-11 stood out to me most.

 ⁹ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” 

It seemed odd to me that such bizarre verses would keep bouncing around in my head.  Maybe the fact that I'll be teaching the kids about the human digestive system next week in science has something to do with it.  Whatever, the reason, I think the Lord is trying to speak to me through these verses.

These words seem strange, but they are not unique. Ezekiel was instructed to eat a scroll before God sent him out to prophesy. 

 ¹ And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. ³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. ⁴ He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.  (Ezekiel 3:1-4)

Both scrolls tasted like honey in the mouth.  However, I did not see where Ezekiel's scroll makes his stomach sour as did John's even though both scrolls were filled with words of judgment. Surely both scrolls were upsetting enough to make the stomach feel sick since the judgments were so terrible. Perhaps the difference was that with Ezekiel's pronouncement of judgment, there was still time to repent, and God still spared a few.  The words on John's scroll have been kept secret until the appointed time, so we do not know what words were written on the scroll.  We do know based on Revelation 10:6 that there will be no delay after the 7th trumpet sounds, so perhaps Revelation 10 mentions John's stomach feeling sour because the time for repentance will have ended.

Jesus used eating imagery when He described Himself as the "bread of life".

 John 6: 35
³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6: 50-51
⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

At the last supper, Jesus compared his body to bread and his blood to wine.
 
1 Corinthians 11:24-26
²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

These words disturbed the Jews, and some even thought Jesus was promoting cannibalism.  Even after coming to understand that Jesus spoke metaphorically, I have struggled with these passages over the years. Now, however, I'm beginning to see a glimpse of why this eating imagery is so appropriate.

Part of the kids' science project last week

How many times have we heard the phrase, "You are what you eat"?  The human body requires a certain amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, water, vitamins, and fiber to function properly.  God brilliantly designed the epiglottis and soft palate to function in such a way that ensures that food passes from the mouth down the esophagus into the stomach instead of dropping into the lungs or passing up into the nasal cavity.  God placed enzymes in the stomach to break down the food into chemicals the body can use.  These chemical cells are absorbed through the wall of the small intestine and into the bloodstream with the aid of villi.  When the blood enters the kidneys, the kidneys purify the blood and remove excess waste and water which then pass through the renal system and out of the body.

So, if we eat a variety of healthful foods in the correct proportions, our bodies will grow strong and healthy.  Conversely, a diet comprised only of junk food will make us tired, sick, and continuously hungry and thirsty. The kidneys will work themselves to death trying to rid the body of waste while fat and glucose stores increase.

In the Old Testament, an acceptable sacrifice required that blood be poured out of an animal without blemish.  The life is in the blood.  When Jesus compares His broken body to bread, He is saying that His pure body is our perfect offering.  When we fill our bodies with Christ, the Living Word, our blood pulses with His life giving Spirit.  His word flows through our veins and gives us all the nourishment and energy we need.  Christ is perfectly holy and pure, so there is never any waste to remove from this "bread".  He sustains us and nourishes us so that we no longer hunger spiritually.   His blood poured out for us on the cross fully satisfied the requirements of the Law and enables us to find perfect satisfaction in Him alone.  When His blood becomes our own, we no longer spiritually thirst.

I've been trying to digest (pun intended) the meaning of "eating the scroll" so as to apply it personally.  When Ezekiel and John ate the scroll, they were completely consumed with God's calling on them to prophesy.  What consumes and fills me?  Do I still feel an urgency to go and tell others of this truth that perfectly satisfies?  Does my heart break for those who will face the final judgment?  Do I listen to the lies the enemy tells me, or does God's truth vanquish these deceitful arrows?  Do others see Christ pumping through my veins?    

If we feast on unclean thoughts, we work our kidneys to death.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Am I spiritually healthy?  Am I seeking earthly things to satisfy my hunger for attention, affirmation, and intimacy, or am I completely satisfied in the nourishing Word of God?

You are what you eat.  Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ.   When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He noted that they are sanctified and protected from the evil one by the truth.

John 17
¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Application:  
Feed on God's word as regularly as you eat your meals.  Don't just talk about God's word; become the word.  Live it.  Own it.  Apply it.  Be sanctified by it.