March 14th: Leviticus 22, Psalm 125-127 and Luke 5

Luke 5.  Jesus didn't come to save "the righteous."  He came to save the sinners.  That means he spent time with them.  He took them out to eat.  He partied, er, "feasted" with them.  He loved them in the situations that they would be familiar with.  He accepted invites to parties, even if some people wouldn't be kosher (in the most literal sense of the word, HA!). Remember, Luke 5:29, "Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them."  I'm sure Matthew told his story.  But notice, it freaked out the religious ultra-conservatives.  Something here wasn't safe.

What does that look like for us?  Like Sunday afternoon buffets around the corner from the church?  Maybe, but my guess is that it looks more like O'Patty's on a Tuesday night talking about the hurt of a lost job, the frustrations of a failing marriage or celebrating at an open bar after the Smith and Williams wedding.  

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel like this is a open invitation to overindulge whether in gluttony, alcohol or to escape "normal" responsibilities.  But I think this is a call to seek divine appointments in the haunts of sinners and tax collectors.  A call to say "yes" to an invitation that may cause you to rub with the elbows of sinners... not in our churches, not in our youth buildings... but in their homes. In their 3rd places.

March 13th: Leviticus 21, Psalm 120-124 and Luke 4

"Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

That last phrase "opportune time," is so telling.  Even if we can overcome temptation for a while when we are strong, when we doing OK,  Satan knows when we are weak.  He knows the things that get us.  He knows the times that are the hardest.  He is an opportunist.

That whole seeking to devour part really makes sense here.

What are you doing to stay strong?

March 12th: Leviticus 20, Psalm 119 and Luke 3

Reading through Leviticus 20 for the first time is like reading through Leviticus 20 for the second time.  Confession, I actually read it twice and skimmed it like 3 times because it seemed so familiar.  Why? Take a look at Leviticus 18.  Very similar...except for all the burning with fire, stoning and putting to death.

Talk about repeating for emphasis.

March 11th: Leviticus 19, Psalm 119 again and Luke 2

I love that it says that Jesus was "submissive" to his parents. Sure, he was perfect. He didn't sin. But it doesn't say that his parents didn't sin in the way they raised him. I imagine Joseph coming home after a long day of putting up crown molding. Thumbs a little more bruised than normal. Jesus is playing quietly in the door way and Joseph not seeing him, trips over him on his way in. Of course, Joseph drops his thermos and cooler while yelling, "Jesus-son-of-Mary" (But I'm not sure, I wasn't there). Joseph, already annoyed because of the price of acacia wood, grounds Jesus from TV for a month.

Does he argue? Get mad? Make another TV in his room out of dust and a little spittle? No. Jesus, maker of the universe, honors his parents and submits. It's a beautiful picture of the incarnation. And the whole situation flies in the face of every whiny "but-that's-not-fair" that any kid would ever throw out there.

Yeah, I made this whole scenario up. But watching a lot of parents, I don't think I'm that far off.

March 10th: Leviticus 17-18, Psalm 119 and Luke 1

I love Zechariah's reaction to seeing the angel in the temple.

To fully appreciate it, you probably need to have read the rather long rather mundane laws that governed priesthood found in Leviticus. Convenient, I know.

Anyway, there were bells tied into the garments that the priests wore. The whole point was to make sure that when the priest went in he didn't die. Remember, there were a crap ton of laws surrounding what made you unclean. You go in unclean and they'll be pulling you out with the rope that's tied to your foot specifically for such an occasion.

Zechariah goes in. Chosen by lot. Meaning, in Z's mind, God wanted him in there. God picked him. Old boy goes in and poof, there's an angel. Think Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-burn-your-face-off angel not the creep cute Christian one with the droopy eyes.

Zechariah's day is racing through his mind, the steak was medium well, right? No blood. No touching of prematurely bald men that could turn out to be lepers, right? The incense was mixed with the right proportions? No strange fire. Learned that lesson with Aaron's boys. Nothing had made him unclean. So why was this angel here!?!?! There hadn't been a message from God in 400 years!* But here's this angel. Why him? Why now? Surely, God wan't going to kim him, right?

Now that I understand why a priest would be afraid of seeing an angel in the temple (imagine that), it makes sense why Zachariah was freaking out a bit.

Suddenly, the Jewish culture of the NT is making more sense because of Leviticus. Cool.



*sorry, Bible-college-me knew that

March 9th: Leviticus 16, Psalm 119 and 2 Corinthians 12-13

The similarities between Jesus and the goat sacrificed during Atonement are astounding. I wonder if there was anyone in the crowd that day who believed because of the parallelism.

Take a look...

On the day of Atonement, lots are cast to determine which goat to set free. When Jesus was crucified another man was set free (Did Barabbas bear the guilt of the people into the desert? Maybe not.). When the second goat had been killed, the priest was to take the blood inside the veil to where God resided and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. And that's how the priest would make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins.

After Jesus rose, he sees Mary and and tells her not to hold onto her because he had not yet gone to the father. He had died, he had rose, but the work was not yet complete. The blood had to be take to the Mercy Seat. It had to be taken to God the Father.

It's cool to see that this was the plan from the beginning realized in Jesus.

March 8th: Leviticus 15, Psalm 117-118 and 2 Corinthians 10-11

Unclean.

Being unclean wasn't the same as being sinful. Is that a wrong conclusion? If that's correct, it doesn't make the God the tyrant that some paint him to be. Becoming "unclean" was natural. It was a normal part of life. Sex, menstruation, blisters, shrimp and bacon all are fall under this heading.

God is holy, "set apart." These things weren't to be mixed with holy. Right?

Looking at this list, most of the things were capable of either causing sickness, or were privacy issues that God was protecting the individual from embarrassment.

I could be way off on this... let me know.