Leviticus 5:14-7:10
Woah there Moses, you might say, is it really fair to call a little bit of dishonesty being “unfaithful to the Lord” (6:1-3)? Aren’t you being just a little bit super-spiritual, going and getting all uppity about a tiny bit of rule bending? After all, we know Jacob deceived just about everyone he met and yet the Lord was still willing to have a little wrestle with him.
Well, what I would say is that we see here in Leviticus the flip-side of our sinfulness. Previously, in the story of Jacob and his chums we looked at the human side of the drama; how individuals were called into God’s redemption narrative and how he walked them towards his promise. Here, we see God’s perspective. While God joyfully acts in grace, overlooking people’s sins and drawing them to himself he can’t just ignore the junk that these same people keep spewing out into his world. It’s almost like every decision to disrespect another person, every choice to play down the importance of God is an act of pollution putting something toxic out into the spiritual atmosphere. God doesn’t instantly enforce on every individual the punishment for this polluting - if he did there would be no-one left - but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the pollution can’t be tolerated and that amends needs to be made. So, while we wait for the true sacrifice that will deal with this problem once and for all, Leviticus installs a series of offering that point out to Israel the issue their sin is causing for God. The aroma of sizzling fat is a constant reminder that while God is gracious and compassionate and has committed himself to his people, he also doesn’t like sin and won’t tolerate a single piece of pollution in his atmosphere.
Mark 10:32-52
The point about the downwardly mobile nature of faith has already been made over the last couple of days so, while Mark lays it on even thicker here, I think I’ll focus on other things today.
I particularly like verse 32. The disciples are astonished and the people following are afraid but it is not clear to me quite what was causing such fervour. Maybe these were just the default emotions of anyone who got close to Jesus. To those who saw a bit, it all looked pretty terrifying and, for those who saw a bit more, this fear metamorphasised into an eyeball-straining state of astonishment. In fact, I think these vivid emotions were probably prompted by the fact that Jesus had just made the unbelievably ballsy move of turning to head directly for his enemies HQ; Jerusalem. A lot of people talk about sacrifice but it is a scary thing when you find yourself aligned with someone who actually intends to become one. This aspect of Jesus’ character is one that I completely admire in him - he was utterly, utterly brave. How could he go through with this even knowing that he would have to give himself as a ransom? How on earth could he have taken step after step towards confrontation and death? I’m sure his emotions were as wired as those of his followers at this point but incredibly, somehow he still managed to control his muscles and steel his resolve and walk, slowly but surely towards his fate.
Proverbs 6:12-19
Aren’t “a lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies” pretty much the same thing? Maybe Solomon was right the first time and there are only six things that the Lord hates. I’m just surprised prunes didn't make the list - they always struck me as the most sickening of foods.
