DAY 42

ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER

Leviticus 11 & 12 and Matthew 26:1 - 25

At this point I looked ahead and asked, “So how many chapters are there in Leviticus?” The answer is 27; we are a bit more than a third of the way there. The readings for today with all the details about what to eat were tough. Then there are the directions about a woman after childbirth, “Gee I can’t wait to blog about this.” Then the New Testament, which usually gives some relief, tells of Jesus’ betrayal. There are days like this in life, where you have to pause and think; so here we go!

The overriding point of Leviticus 11-15 might be summed up as: how we live matters.

Chapter 11 of Leviticus is primarily about one thing: forming the people of God into a separate (holy) people. We often hear the phrase, "a holy people for God", how exactly does that happen? The people are in the wilderness and this journey of wandering is a journey of formation. They are being formed because when they get to their new home they will face many challenges by the cultures they encounter. Those cultures are not cultures that glorify God, quite the opposite. If they participate in those cultures they will not be a "holy people for God" rather they will be "unclean."

How do you form people into a separate distinct group? One way is by having them not eat the food that others eat and by not having them touch the food that other cultures view as sacred. Close personal friendships are often formed over a meal; if you never eat with them, you reduce the risk of abandoning your culture for theirs. This is even further reinforced if you think their food is abhorrent to God.

The Israelites were not alone in this approach. In the story of Joseph (Genesis 43) we read that the Egyptians were not allowed to eat with Semitic people. We also know that Egyptians view cows as sacred, while the Israelites could eat them. The point of Leviticus 11 - become my people - stay on My Side of things says God.

Which brings us to Leviticus 12: children are a blessing from God (Psalm 127) and we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1). Yet we need to pause and realize that there is a difference between Leviticus 11 and 12. In chapter 11 God was talking about everyday life; what you eat and what you touch in your own tent. In chapter 12 God is talking about entering the Tabernacle. While they are still in the desert, the directions in Chapter 12 only apply to the Tabernacle. Later when they live in villages and towns, this regulation will not apply to their synagogues either, only the Tabernacle (and later Temple).

If chapter 11 is part of helping them be a holy people, chapter 12 is about what condition people, in this instance women, must be in to enter the truly holy place. The truly holy place, the place where God dwells, is not an earthly place. It is a slice of heaven if you like.

I have read many commentaries about this chapter written by both men and women. I will avoid much of the detail regarding what a woman is actually going through. I will simply say that being in the presence of God requires that we be 100% whole. We of course never are and that is why all the sacrifices are offered (and why Jesus ultimately made the complete one-for-all sacrifice). The point is that a woman after giving birth needs to recover and become whole. 

Now if you are still struggling with this rule, thinking that God is somehow being mean to women, then I would encourage you to go back to a very important point: God has already chosen these people, including women who have just given birth. It is done, the Covenant is made. They are God’s people and He loves them.  This is not about degrading a woman. It is about the holiness of God.

The New Testament reading is in some ways the antithesis of working to accept God on God’s terms. It is the beginning of the end: the start of, not the acceptance, but the complete and utter rejection, of God.

In Leviticus we are immersed in a sea of laws all of which are designed to make people “holy unto God” and in process teach them to put their complete trust in Him and Him alone. In the Gospel, have we not been immersed in a similar sea? For over twenty chapters "God come to earth" has flooded us with his teaching and compassion. Don’t think for a minute that if Jesus had only stayed around for one more year that everyone would change their minds. No, there are some who will reject. I don’t know why, but there are some who choose the other side.

It is especially brutal when it is a friend, a friend who will betray with a kiss.

The readings today hold up for us God’s desire for us to be his people and the degree to which we must go if we are to become wholly his. Again, this is not to earn our place at the table. He has already granted that. Rather, it is so that once we are at the table, we strive to live for him. The readings today also hold up that there is another alternative.

I don’t believe you can have “a little bit of God”. You are either all His, or against Him. People who call themselves neutral merely stand silent while those more aggressive come against the Gospel. History bears this point.

Today I am reminded that as a member of the family, I need to live into that inheritance.