In the Christian congregations at Rome, some believers still kept these things. Others did not. The “weak,” those who don’t realize or understand their full freedom in Jesus, still continued to abide by these things. These believers were cautious with these food laws, and just ate vegetables to avoid the difficulty of eating unclean food. They still kept certain days and feasts. But can you blame them from a human standpoint?
If you were a Jew, you kept those things your whole life, and you avoided certain foods altogether. How challenging would it be to eat some of those forbidden foods, or to not celebrate some of those holidays? To some extent, I can relate. My wife bought some almond butter, which has the same consistency, smell, look, and taste of peanut butter. She wanted me to know the joys of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with stuff that wouldn’t kill me. Even though I could eat it, mentally, I couldn’t. It was weird to eat something I was forbidden to eat, even though it was fine. I waited for my lips to tingle and my throat to swell with each bite. It didn’t, but I still did not feel comfortable eating it. It was the same for these people. That freedom was a lot to get used to.