The Catfish Conundrum: Are We Still Bound by Ancient Law?
It started simply enough—a family dinner, a menu, and a recommendation. Knowing how much a dear family member of mine loves seafood, I suggested the catfish. The response I got left me completely flummoxed:
"Oh, I can’t eat catfish anymore because it is an unclean food."
As it turns out, they had been attending a new church for nearly a year that follows the ancient laws of Israel. While they’ve stopped short of animal sacrifices, they strictly adhere to the Mosaic food laws and Jewish festivals. We managed to have a lovely dinner, but later that evening, the conversation turned toward the theology behind the plate.
They asked me point-blank: "Do you believe that Jesus did away with—abolished—the Ancient Laws of Moses?"
It was a thought-provoking question, and my immediate answer was this: "Jesus did not do away with or abolish the law; instead, he was the fulfillment of the law, therefore rendering the 'old laws' obsolete."
That sparked a heated debate, with both of us quoting scripture to defend our positions. Since that night, the topic hasn't left my mind. I keep finding myself drawn back to the Word, looking for clarity on where the Law ends and Grace begins.
The Vision and the Verdict
The first place my mind goes is Acts 10:9-16. The Apostle Peter has a vision of a large sheet lowered from heaven containing all kinds of animals, including those deemed "unclean" by Jewish law. A voice commands him to "kill and eat," but Peter refuses, stating he has never eaten anything "common or unclean."
The voice replies: "What God has made clean, do not call common."
This wasn't just about food; it was about a shift in the very nature of our relationship with God. Jesus himself addressed this directly in Mark 7:18-19 (NIV):
"‘Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.’ (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods ‘clean.’)"
Jesus’ point was clear: spiritual purity isn't a matter of what is on your fork, but what is in your heart.
The Purpose of the Law
To understand why the Law is now "obsolete" in a practical sense, we have to understand why it was given in the first place. The Law wasn’t given for the righteous; it was given for sinners so that they would be able to recognize their sin.
Think of it like this: while Adam was in the Garden of Eden, there were no complex legal codes. There was only one commandment:
"The Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17)
The Law was a mirror, showing us our flaws and our need for a Savior. Once the Savior arrived and fulfilled every requirement of that Law, the mirror had done its job.
A New Commandment
During the Last Supper, Jesus moved us from a checklist of "don'ts" to a proactive "do." He said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, also love one another."
When we walk in the love of Christ, we aren't just following a rule; we are living out the very essence of what the Law was trying to point toward all along. The "unclean" foods of the past were shadows, but in Jesus, we have found the substance.
I still love my family member dearly, and our debate remains unfinished. But for me, the beauty of the Gospel is that the "Ancient Laws" have been swallowed up by an even more ancient Grace.