A Consideration of Appetite
April 28, 2010
It is no secret that we Americans are eating more and more. Interestingly, we see this trend in culture and in art! Researchers used a computer and compared the size of the food to the size of the heads in 52 paintings of Jesus Christ and his disciples at their final meal before his death. Referencing paintings featured in the 2000 Phaidon Press book The Last Supper, they discovered that, between the years 1000 and 2000, the size of the main dish grew sixty-nine percent; the size of the plate grew by sixty-six percent, and the size of the bread grew by twenty-three percent. When we hear the term “supersizing,” we think usually of a modern phenomenon. But according to Brian Wansink, a food behavior scientist at Cornell University, “What we see recently may be just a more noticeable part of a very long trend.” Friends, how does this study of “appetites” speak to us, today? First, it speaks to us negatively. We live in a time when persons are increasingly pursuing actions that are shameful, hurtful, and destructive (2 Tim. 3:1-4 ). Our gluttony regarding these behaviors has destroyed the homes, lives, and hope of many. And there appears to be no end in sight; just like the portions in Wansink’s study, American appetite for vice continues to grow. But there is hope. That is, the study portrays a negative trend, but I believe it can be redirected toward a positive end. Specifically, instead of developing an increasing appetite for food that will hurt us, let us develop an increasing appetite for food that will help us (1 Pet. 2:1-3)! What if we pile our plates high with a heaping-helping of peace and holiness (Heb. 12:14)? Add an order of faithfulness (Heb 10:35-39). While you are at the counter, ask for a side of justice (Amos 5:24). And for dessert, get a triple-cone of evangelistic zeal (Matt. 28:19-20). Eating like this on a consistent basis will surely cause you to gain weight. However, you will be heavy with truth, compassion, godliness, and love. Oh, yes — increased plaque will flow through your veins, but the build up of this material will attack your heart for Jesus (Eph. 3:17-19)! Today people are heavy with weight that could kill them. Let us do our part in downtown Richmond to help them develop an appetite for righteousness and put on the pounds that will allow them to live (Rom. 1:17)! —JLNJR (Resource: Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer, 3/23/2010. Details of Dr. Wansink’s study are in the April issue of The International Journal of Obesity)
