从前有一部叫少林寺的电影，里面有一场景中几个和尚偷吃狗肉，还振振有词地说“闻到狗肉香，神仙也跳墙。”意思是，肉香的诱惑力是很大的，连神仙也会受其诱惑。
旧约《利末记》有几段经文，似乎在说上帝也是喜欢闻到祭肉的香味：
3 “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is
from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of
the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the Lord.4 Lay your hand on
the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place
to purify you, making you right with him. 5 Then slaughter the young
bull in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present
the animal’s blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands
at the entrance to the Tabernacle. 6 Then skin the animal and cut it
into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on
the altar. 8 They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including
the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. 9 But the
internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest
will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a
special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
10 “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is
from the flock, it may be either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a male with
no defects. 11 Slaughter the animal on the north side of the altar in
the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter its
blood against all sides of the altar. 12 Then cut the animal in
pieces, and the priests will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the
head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar.13 But the internal organs
and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the
entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a
pleasing aroma to the Lord.
14 “If you present a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord,
choose either a
turtledove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest will take
the bird to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. But first
he must drain its blood against the side of the altar. 16 The priest
must also remove the crop and the feathers and throw them in the ashes on the
east side of the altar. 17 Then, grasping the bird by its wings, the
priest will tear the bird open, but without tearing it apart. Then he will burn
it as a burnt offering on the wood burning on the altar.
It is a special gift,
a pleasing aroma to the Lord.（Leviticus 1:3-17, NLT, 重点号加入)
上帝造人之后原是想让人吃素的（创 1：29），圣经中也有人素食后反而身体得强壮的记载（但 1：15-16) 。估计在大洪水后人类被折腾的够呛，上帝体恤其选民，就开恩让他们开始吃起了动物。 (创 9:2-3)。
久而久之，上帝也喜欢肉味了，尽管没有记载说 他本人会直接品尝肉本身。上段《利末记》的经文表明，牛，羊，禽肉烧烤时的“香味”，是可以让神"喜悦"的"特别礼物"。这似乎解释了为什么教堂聚会常常采用Bar-B-Q的形式。
远古时期神为什么选择要求其选民用这种特定方式是表达赎罪、敬虔之心？祭物的味道是如何上达天庭的？神为什么会觉得这香味特别喜悦？这些方式为什么与holiness有关（利 11:44-45）？对这一切人们并不是十分清楚。今人清楚的是在经受了各类烧烤奉供一千数百年后（如果我们从公元前1446年摩西带领以色列人出埃及算起－－另一算法说出埃及是公元前1270年），神终于腻了。觉得这样效率太低，每天世界各地都有人如此上供，闻着有限几种动物的熏肉，烦也烦死了。就派他的儿子来到下界，以他为羔羊，以其一人之血，换得所有世人的救赎。大家也不用再在祭台前将动物开膛破肚，除毛碎尸。信徒在敬拜神时从此远离了鲜血四濺，腥味纷扬的场面。
神的这一手果然管用，自公元15年耶稣受难以来，基督教迅速在全球兴起而不再局限于西亚这片狭小的区域内。这一决定显然是救赎机制的革命，正如后来的工业革命、信息革命一样，这种革命为基督教的掘起与传播起到了巨大的作用。不仅如此，由于人类救赎工作进展迅速，神也就退隐江湖，从此不再现身。今天别说是烤生肉，就是宫爆鸡丁、夫妻肺片、红油肚丝、猪排牛柳，也别想嬴得他老人家的喜悦了。
以祭物悦神的时代已经永远过去了，这是一个只能以心（信心、爱心与耐心）悦神的时代。
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| Sacrifices (woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1860) |
