2010 European Bible ConferenceThis is an edited version of the lecture titled, "35th European Bible Conference" which was preached on October 14th, 2010 EveningJesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. "    (John 6:35)Jesus Spoke of His BodyUntil last time, we examined, through the Old Testament, how the issue of eating and the issue of drinking were handled in the history of Israel. Also, we saw that the issue of eating has been directly connected, from the beginning, to the matters of the spirit of mankind. At the same time that Adam ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, the spiritual connection with God was broken. In terms of a phone, there has been a disconnection. In the history of mankind, which unfolded after that, God chose the people of Israel and led them, in order to reveal His glory in this world. Through their problems with eating and drinking, we also studied what pleases God and what God reproaches.When the Israelites complained because there was no food in the wilderness, the glory of the Lord appeared. The Israelites saw the glory in the clouds far away, and they collected manna (see Exodus chapter 16). The Israelites end up eating manna for forty years. Manna came down in the wilderness, and each morning, the Israelites collected it every day for themselves and for their families. They lived in the wilderness for forty years in this manner. When Moses spoke about this event and taught, he said, "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3). What is the significance of manna for us?The same applied to the issue of drinking. At the beginning, Moses did to the Israelites as God told him to do, but he made a mistake later on. Then, God said, "Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them"" (Numbers 20:12).These historical events appear in the Old Testament, and a verse in the New Testament says, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Does this verse teach us to pray before God when you eat and drink at a meal today? Or, does this verse teach us the path we must take in our lives, which includes eating and drinking? We had the opportunity to think about this.When Jesus came to this world, he spoke about the issue of eating. He carried out various actions, and we studied about how Jesus spoke about eating but that He did not eat. We studied that He fasted for forty days in the wilderness, that He spoke with a Samaritan woman and asked her for water in the village of Sychar, but that it does not say that He received and drank water. Jesus revealed to the woman that He was the Christ, and then many people that lived in that village believed Jesus. (See John chapter 4)When we read passages in the New Testament ? which is about Jesus coming to the world and dealing with the issue of eating and the issue of drinking _ we come to realize that He explains, at a more personal level and in more detail, the issue of eating and the issue of drinking, which appear through the history of Israel in the Old Testament. Jesus fasted, He made wine that they did not have at a wedding, He asked a Samaritan woman for water, and then, He said, "Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water"" (John 4:10). As such, there was a significant reason behind Jesus' actions, and the actions were meant to reveal the glory of God the Father. Nevertheless, this is not to say that Jesus did not eat at all when He came to the world. We will read from Luke's Gospel chapter 7 verse 31.And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: "We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.'" (Luke 7:31-32)Here, "children" refers to the men of this generation. "We," "the men of this generation," "played the flute for you, And you did not dance." This refers to Jesus and John the Baptist."For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, "He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, "Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by all her children." (Luke 7:33-35)A baby that was born in the house of Jesus' relative, several months before Jesus was born in this world, was John the Baptist. There is a prophecy about John in the Book of Isaiah and in the Book of Malachi. (See Isaiah 40:3-4; Malachi 3:1, 4:5) This person was raised by God from his childhood, he ate locusts and wild honey, and he was clothed in camel's hair (See Matthew 3:4); he had a peculiar appearance. The only goal of this person's entire life was to testify that it was time for the Messiah _ for whom the people of Israel had waited for a long time _ to come. It was in order to do this that he was born in this world, and he lived accordingly. John did not readily socialize with other people, he did not sit at a table at feasts, and he did not eat with others, so the people of the world said that John had a demon. Jesus, however, sat at the same table as tax collectors and sinners, and ate. Then the Jews attacked Jesus, saying that He was a glutton and a friend of sinners.God took hold of and managed history in order to save us mankind from sin, and Jesus appeared at a certain point in time in history, in order to fulfill everything. Before that, John the Baptist came as Jesus' messenger. The people at the time judged Jesus and John the Baptist with regard to the issue of eating and drinking.The Bible explains very persistently about the issue of eating and the issue of drinking. There are many passages. We may read certain passages lightly, but if we examine them carefully, we can see that all the matters of eating and drinking are directly related to the fate of mankind. The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Jesus' cross, and the various issues with which Jesus dealt when He spoke to people, while He lived in this world, pertained to the topic of eating and drinking.As such, people mistook Him as a friend of tax collectors and sinners, but Jesus spoke about various matters and spent time with various classes of people. Luke's Gospel says that He ate bread in the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees. It says when and with whom He ate bread. Jesus was human so He had to eat. However, was His eating comparable to how we meet friends for dinner or how we have dinner appointments with our boss at work?Everything about the bread _ which He put in His mouth, and about which He spoke with His mouth _ had to do with His body, which was the true sacrificial offering, to be offered on the cross. Jesus did not have one meal in order to please Himself. His every action and His every word were recorded in the Old Testament, and they were revealed to us. Every action was profound in that it could change our fate.Pharisees and Scribes Pointed to the Problem of EatingLet us read from Matthew's Gospel chapter 15 verse 1.Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." (verses 1-2)Food is mentioned again here. It speaks of eating bread.He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, "Honor your father and your mother'; and, "He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, "Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" _ then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition." (Matthew 15:3-6)It seems that the disciples simply grabbed bread and ate it. It says, "bread". The disciples simply took it and ate it, and the Pharisees and scribes started an argument. The Bible does not state a law that requires them to wash their hands when eating bread. However, within their history, Jews dealt with various issues of hygiene, based on their long years in the wilderness and other experiences. Perhaps that was why the Jews required people to wash their hands before they ate and after they came back from the market. The tradition of the elders ? such as that of washing plates ? had been applied to their daily living habits. Therefore, the Pharisees pointed to the disciples' actions and said, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?" The problem had to do with eating bread.Then Jesus said, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?" In this passage, He drew a connection between bread and "the commandment of God." Of all issues, why was it the issue of eating? Jesus continued and pointed out that the Law of Moses says, "Honor your father and your mother," but that their tradition teaches that they need not give to their father or mother if they have given to God; He said, "... you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."This is the mistake that many religious people in this world make. When they act according to a certain statute or rule, they mistakenly think that this is how they serve God. However, if you actually read the words in the Bible, you find that this is not the case in many cases. God considers this a problem. In this case, there was a problem with regard to eating bread. When the Pharisees started an argument with regard to it, Jesus pointed it out and said:"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." (Matthew 15:7-14)This passage warns about the many religious leaders and religious people that teach teachings that depart from the words of the Bible, while making others think that they are leading them to God.Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us." So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." (Matthew 15:15-20)When the Pharisees and Scribes pointed out that Jesus' disciples took food and ate with unwashed hands, Jesus asked in return and explained to them the words contained in the Law of God. While doing so, He explained the sinful nature within man. He said that man's heart was filled with "evil thoughts, murders, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies," and that they proceeded out of his mouth. It seems that He was speaking of the issue of eating bread, but through this incident, Jesus is actually speaking to us about the problem that arises in man's heart, in his spirit. This was how Jesus spoke and acted while He lived in this world.Jesus Tested a Gentile Woman through the Issue of EatingAfter Jesus spoke these words, He departed to go somewhere.Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cri

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