Was Jesus a Vegetarian According to the Bible? Experts Have Mixed Thoughts (EXCLUSIVE)

The Bible is interpreted by its readers and religious followers through many lenses. Some people who adhere to a vegetarian diet have cited a belief that the Bible portrays Jesus as a vegetarian, hence the obligation to follow in similar footsteps in terms of the diet they seek to maintain.

Others, however, simply seek to focus on ethical food consumption, even if they do not interpret Jesus as having been a vegetarian based on the information in the bible.

To make sense of these oft-conflicting beliefs, as well as to better understand how some religious experts view this conundrum, Green Matters turned to an expert religious leader as well as responsible sources to elucidate why contrasting interpretations of Jesus's diet exist.

Keep reading for a respectful exploration of why some believe Jesus was a vegetarian based on the information in the bible — and why some believe such evidence simply does not exist.

It is crucially important to acknowledge that your interpretation of religious texts are valid, and your sacred connection to a higher power should never be infringed.

The nomenclature related to concepts of veganism is comparatively new; according to TIME, while the ethics of maintaining an animal-free diet are as old as time, the term "vegan" wasn't coined until the 1940s. However, "Vegetarianism is first mentioned by the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos around 500 BCE."

All of that said, Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard, the Director of Clergy Engagement at the Center for Jewish Food Ethics, tells Green Matters exclusively that "there is no direct evidence that Jesus was a vegetarian."

As one concerned social media user notes, "Luke 24:42–43 mentions [Jesus] taking broiled fish and eating it, while Mark 14:12-16 shows that there was passover lamb (pascha) and it is implied Jesus ate it."

Rabbi Bernhard agrees, noting that "in several instances when food is present, there is no indication that eating animals is in any way problematic: the miracle of feeding the masses (fish) and the last supper (lamb)."

"No, according to the New Testament, Jesus was not a vegetarian," he concludes, also making a point to note that being a vegetarian isn't the only moral barometer by which to assess someone's righteousness, as even one of the most evil humans in history was a vegetarian.

The popular and controversial Christspiracy documentary asserts, however, that Jesus was a vegetarian, according to the National Catholic Reporter, and the notion that this isn't more well-known is part of "the biggest coverup in the last 2,000 years."

Still, as Rabbi Bernhard notes, "at no point does [Jesus] say or do anything that indicates that his diet is in any way different from that of the typical diet of a Mediterranean Jewish man living 2,000 years ago."

"The [Christspiracy] filmmakers reason that all religions, at their root, value compassion for all beings," according to the National Catholic Reporter, which are certainly exemplified through things like plant-based Rosh Hashanah meals and vegan Diwali celebrations every year.

Certainly, some individuals will latch on to certain components that they believe attests to their assertion that Jesus was vegetarian, though there is evidence to the contrary.

Ultimately, many religious experts and those who maintain animal-free diets agree that living a life without the consumption of animals and animal byproducts is a decision that can be made in concert with the acknowledgment that Jesus was not a vegetarian.

The two beliefs need not conflict, some say, and it is perfectly acceptable to acknowledge that although Jesus didn't maintain a vegetarian diet as described in the bible, you and your family can still exemplify compassion through your diet.