I think we can all agree that doughnuts are wonderful things, and that bacon should be eaten at every possible opportunity. There is nothing quite like a grilled cheeseburger, and ice cream is in a category of its own.
Good food is a gift. Scripture paints a picture of heaven as a sumptuous feast, and enjoying God's creation is often done through a rich meal.
But our relationship with food can be a dangerous thing. That appetite can transform from a way we enjoy God's creation to something that controls us. If a good meal doesn't point beyond itself to the One who created the food, if you leave a good meal obsessed with finding the next good meal, to the point that all you're doing is searching for a feeling of satisfaction that can be obtained only through food, then a meal can be an idol. Not just a meal -- anything. Anything that doesn't point beyond itself and only leaves you craving more to the point where you're no longer in control becomes an addiction that is an endless cycle.
And when you're in a cycle, what you need is someone with the capability to escape it to step in below you and hold you up. You need a rescuer.
This is what Jesus does -- Jesus transforms our lowly bodies, our sinful selves, into something glorious, and Christ does this by stepping into our sin, into our addictions, into our vicious cycles that lead to destruction, and taking that destruction upon himself. He is destroyed so that we might have solid footing upon which to stand, giving us the confidence to claim our citizenship in heaven and to look beyond our addictions, beyond our sin -- so that we can watch out for each other, and remind one another of the dangers of addiction and of the hope that we have, even in its grip, that there is someone strong enough to save.
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