Should a Christian be a vegetarian? Was Jesus vegetarian?

from the old testament

• Genesis 1:29 says, "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.'"
• At creation man was vegetarian. However, Genesis 9:3 records God telling Noah, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything." Following the flood, man was no longer vegetarian.
• Later, God instituted dietary restrictions for the Israelite people (Leviticus 11; 17; Deuteronomy 14), now known as kosher dietary laws.

from the new testament

• Jesus was born in a Jewish society that would have followed a kosher diet. Such a diet includes the eating of meat. Though the Bible does not specifically state that Jesus ate lamb, we know that Jesus ate the Passover meal, which traditionally includes lamb (Exodus 12:8-14; Mark 14:12–25).
• The Bible tells us that Jesus provided fish to others to eat (Mark 8:1–8; Luke 9:10–17). If eating fish were wrong, Jesus would not have given it to the people.
• Luke records Jesus eating fish after He was resurrected (Luke 24:41–43).
• God removed the kosher dietary restrictions (see Mark 7:10; Acts 11:1–11; 15:19–21; Romans 14:2–6). For Christians, this means that there is no biblical mandate regarding what food can or cannot be eaten. That being said, there is also no mandate requiring Christians to eat all kinds of food. What a Christian eats is a matter of freedom.
• Paul writes in Romans, "One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him" (Romans 14:2–3). It is evident from this that vegetarianism is neither glorified nor looked down upon.

implications for today

When considering whether a Christian should be a vegetarian, it's essential to recognize that the decision is ultimately personal and should be approached thoughtfully through research and prayer. The Bible presents a diverse view of dietary practices, from the original vegetarian diet in Genesis to God's permission for Noah to eat all living creatures after the flood to God’s designation of clean and unclean animals for the Israelite people under the Mosaic covenant to God’s lifting of those dietary laws in the new covenant. Jesus, who lived within the context of Jewish dietary laws, is noted to have eaten fish and participated in meals that included meat, suggesting that He did not adhere to a strictly vegetarian diet. Romans 14 emphasizes the importance of individual convictions regarding food, reminding us that neither choice is superior; we are called to respect one another's decisions without judgment. Therefore, whether one chooses to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle or include meat as part of their nutrition, the key is to do so in a way that honors God and reflects love toward others.