Leviticus 21

 An interesting note here is that the commands given here are to the "priest the sons of Aaron." In other places in the Pentateuch, they are referred to as “the sons of Aaron the priests.” What is going on why the change and what is God saying. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers says that the reason this is said the way it is to remind the priest that it isn't by their merit that they got to become priests it was through because of who they are related to. In many places including America, the idea that being born into a family gives you privileged status sounds wrong. Normally I would agree, however, when we consider that ultimately what is being seen here is a picture of Jesus and the church it makes perfect sense. Christians don't become part of God's family and God's priesthood due to their own merit. We can not do anything to deserve it. Jesus can and did. It is because of our relationship with him, that Christians can become what John says "a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father." 

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Mark 2

 Here again are my rough (very rough) notes for my message on this passage.  

Sin, Forgiveness, and Healing

  Mark 2:1-12

In the Bible, there are several words translated Sin. Each one covers a different aspect of how we do things that are destructive to ourselves and disobedient to God.

The word used in the passage we are looking at today carries the idea of missing the mark. Like if someone is shooting for a target and hitting something else.

Sin - Missing the Mark

Some may want to say what does it matter if we aren’t exactly right as long as we were trying hard. That’s what matters isn’t it, our good intentions?

However, if someone misses the mark with their shotgun and blow out the tire of your car are you okay that they missed the mark?

What if a surgeon misses the mark and takes off the wrong leg or doesn’t get all the cancer?

When the Apollo 13 spacecraft had an explosion and the craft was disabled and the flight controllers had to find a way to get the astronauts home. The makes of the Movie summarizes what Gene Krantz NASA’s Director of Flight operations as saying “Failure is not an Option.”

Missing the mark not being where God wants us to be is just as fatal as if the people at Mission Control missed the mark with Apollo 13.  

When we begin looking at Mark chapter 2 we see that the crowds are still there blocking any entry to the house.

We see no evidence that anyone looked back and saw these people with their burden willing to move out of the way.

Here again people are hindering others from getting to Jesus.

The friends aren’t to be dissuaded.

Side not here: We need to be thankful for friends that are willing to do what they have to get people to Jesus.

The friends climb up on the roof and begin to tear through.

If we think of someone tearing through our houses today it would destroy it. But the construction of the day the roofs were made of sticks laid across the roof beams and then covered with mud that would dry and become like plaster.

After this was done the homeowners or I have to believe the guys who did it could lay the sticks back in place and re-mud it and it would be as good as new.

Jesus then does something that angered the teachers of the Law and may have made those who looked on question.

Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus literally said, “What has caused you to miss the make is gone.”

This was by all accounts blasphemous. The Jews believed only God could forgive and only God could make that kind of pronouncement.

Then it says Jesus knew in His spirit.

HOW? By the Holy Spirit.

So Jesus poses a rhetorical question? Which is easier or the word could also be translated better. To offer forgiveness or to do a miracle?

The answer is neither is easier or better in human strength and wisdom.

We can’t grant forgiveness for God and neither do we know what is best.

Only God can do these things. Only God can cleanse the unclean.

I want to pause a second and look at the other way this Greek word can be used. With is well or better. Because I think Jesus is asking both. Which is easier and which is better.

We think we know what is easier and better in our lives and in the lives of others. The truth is we don’t.

Jesus told his disciples it is better to be maimed in this life and make it to heaven (Matthew 18:2-9). Scholars agree that Jesus isn’t saying we should physically hurt ourselves but that we need to realize that getting to heaven is worth more than any comfort we could have on earth.

You may think that ease you want in this life is what you need but Jesus knows that the ease you need is something longer lasting.

It’s easy not to diet but what really makes life easier?

It’s easier to give into your fleshly desires but is it easier or better in the long run? No.

What is best for this man?

Jesus knows but

Jesus then says, in order to prove I can forgive, I will do what is equally impossible for a mere man. He did the miracle.

Jesus is showing like we saw in the previous chapter that Jesus can make right what is broken, he can cleanse what is unclean.

Jesus can make things right and take us from a place where we have missed the mark to the place God want us to be.

 

Mark shows this again by what he tells us next about the calling of Levi(matthew).

Mark 2:13-17

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus is showing not just that he can do miracles but that he can transform sinners.

The problem was that the teachers of the Law saw Jesus as missing the mark. They thought Jesus was where he shouldn’t be.

If you can’t help you shouldn’t be in a sick ward, if you’re there you have missed the mark. However, if you’re a doctor then that is exactly where you should be.

They couldn’t see Jesus as one that could forgive sin and transform people. They could not see him as a doctor.  

What doesn’t this teach us?

1.   That we should just hang out with sinners pretending they are saints.

2.   That we should participate in sin.

What does this teach us?

1.   Jesus came to bring forgiveness to bring people who have missed it and bring them back to God.

2.   Jesus knows who and what is correct.

 

Extra: Verses 18-22 They disciples of John and the Pharisees fasted because they were didn’t have something. Jesus was saying his disciples had what they needed.

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Psalm 42

 The psalmist says he wants God. The problem is that as you read the Psalm the psalmist feels as if God is far off. Things are not going the way they should be in his mind. I find this encouraging as it is a reminder that you and I aren't the only ones who have asked the question, "Where are you God?" or "Why is this happening?." The psalmist here has the same question and God allows the question to stand. God doesn't just allow the question, He puts it in the Bible. God isn't offended when we ask hard questions or say we don't understand. God does have a problem with people throwing accusations at him in hate or derision. God understands we don't see it all and allows us questions. Yet, at the end of the day, he still wants us to trust Him. 

Leviticus 20

 There are interesting differences in what the punishments are in the chapter. Yes. for some, it is very clear they are to die if they disobey. God is setting up a kingdom with Israel where He is to be king. Idolatry and spiritualism are in this time and in this nation, treason. Treason is punishable by death. Some acts of disobedience end in childlessness. Some acts call for the people to be cut off (separated from, ostracized) from the people of Israel. God's reasons are because if they act like the nations around them they will end up like the nations around them, conquered and driven off (verses 22-24 ). 

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Leviticus 19

 There are a lot of laws in this chapter. Many of the laws here are repeats of what God has said before but I see many laws could be done and the person doing them could seem to get away with it, like swearing at a deaf person. They can't hear so it does not harm correct? Not according to God. God here as in the New Testament is concerned not just what we do but the motive of our heart. Let me explain part of it this way: yes, no one will know we did wrong, but when we do wrong, our hearts are damaged, leading to more problems if not dealt with. God has always been concerned not just with what we do but also our attitude of our heart. Thankfully, God gives us a way to have our attitudes, our heart, changed in Jesus.  

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Isaiah 52

In verse 15, God's servant will sprinkle many nations. The word sprinkle is the same word used for sprinkling blood on the altar in Leviticus. God's promise is that His servant, who we know will be Jesus, will sprinkle the blood of purification not only on Israel but on the nations of the world. Even those who have had no knowledge of God's promises to Israel will be able to know salvation the text goes on to say. This is a great promise to those who are not Jewish because it confirms God's plan was always for everyone not just one people group. 

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Leviticus 18

 

Here is the St. Charles (me) paraphrase. I don't care what the other people are doing it's going to end badly for them. Listen, DO NOT LIVE LIKE THEM! I'm God and I know better.

It is easy to look at those around you and conclude that everything is going great so why not try it. An episode on the old Twilight Zone called The Old Man in the Mountian gave a great picture of this and man's propensity to destroy oneself. People who feel they are depraved destroy the one thing that is keeping them alive as it is the thing that warns them of the things that are dangerous in a post-nuclear world. As a result of its destruction and the people ignoring the warnings, everyone dies. The one man who didn't participate sees this and he bemoans the death of everyone. in the closing credits In the closing credits says "Mr. Goldsmith, survivor. An eyewitness to man's imperfection. An observer of the very human trait of greed. And a chronicler of the last chapter—the one reading "suicide". Not a prediction of what is to be, just a projection of what could be. This has been - The Twilight Zone."1 

Man has tried to kill God but succeeds only in ignoring him and God's warning that the land itself will vomit them out. Nature revolts against man seeking unbridled pleasure. 

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_in_the_Cave

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Mark 1

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 As I will be preaching each chapter of Mark this year, I have decided to put my notes as they are here for you to look at. Disclaimer: My notes and my sermon rarely match and there may be things I leave out here. As it is I pray that it is something you can be blessed by.

Leviticus 11:9-12; 13:45-46; 15:31; Exodus 15:26  

Leviticus 11:9-12 “ ‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean. Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.

Leviticus 13:45-46 “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’  As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.

Leviticus 15:31  ‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place,  which is among them.’ 

Exodus 15:26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

The Disciples and Capernaum (village of comfort)

Mark 1:14-45

Jesus Announces the Good News

 

Mark 1:14-15 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Galilee of the Nations/of the Gentiles was referred to because of all the areas of Israel it had the most gentiles of any other area, it was also considered the most pagan part of the country but the religious leaders.

Yet this is where Jesus started his ministry.

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

Mark 1:16- 20 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Things to note: This isn’t a contradiction of the calls we see in other gospels. Mark is laying out something about where these two sets of brothers came from and their occupation.

Fishermen according to rabbinic teaching considered Fishermen lower even than shepherds. They were considered bottom feeders because not only did they bring up fish but they would also bring up salvage. They were considered greedy and dishonest (a loose translation of Rabbinic text said one should watch their wallets). In text from the Sanhedrin, they were referred to a “bears.” They considered bears not only dangerous wild animals but unclean.

Typically, fishermen didn’t work together, in other gospels we will read that they did, but here Mark is pointing out they are not sitting beside one another.

Mark is pointing out that Jesus is going to the worst place and picking some of the worst men to begin his work. Jesus as we will see will continue to choose people who by all rights should hate each other and yet he brings them together.

Capernaum and the Synagogue

Mark 1: 21-28 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

Capernaum means “village of comfort?”

1.   Roman’s had a garrison here as well as center of tax collection.

2.   Demon was in church and either they didn’t know or couldn’t do anything about it.

a.   Note: Jesus doesn’t carry on a conversation with the demon just says be silent and come out.

b.   Jesus is wanting people to focus on the message and the demon is distracting with a truth.

3.   The people missed the message but latched onto the power.

a.   The message was to repent and believe.

b.   They spread the story of his power

 

Jesus Heals Many

 Mark 1: 29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Things to note

1.   James and John come to the home of Simon and Andrew

2.   Simon’s mother-in-law sick (warn Jesus unclean)

3.   Jesus touches here (see this a lot Jesus can’t be made unclean)

4.   There were a multitude who had demons and sickness (Where were the Levites?)

The people who lived in the village of comfort were not comforted. Jesus had to bring them comfort

Jesus Prays and Leaves

Mark 1:35-39 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

1.   Jesus went off to pray (so should we)

2.   Jesus didn’t tell them (he still doesn’t)

3.   Go and PREACH (preaching was why he came)

4.   Yet, he still keep driving out the demons (Jesus is willing to drive out not just literal demons, but as we discussed last week the demons of sin/bad habits/addictions in your life).

Man With Leprosy

Mark 1:40-45 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Personal note to self; indignant - moved on the inward parts often translated compassion possibly both anger toward the disease/satan and compassion for the person. 

1.   Jesus touches the man

2.   Jesus gives two commands

a.   Don’t tell anyone

b.   Go to the priest & offer sacrifice

3.   The man probably didn’t do either

4.   Jesus’ ministry hindered (but not stopped)

We can hinder the ministry of God in our midst (it looked like Herod did when he arrested John the Baptist and here).

We can’t stop God’s work in the world.

 

Conclusion

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,  so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

1.   Jesus calls the unlikely

2.   Jesus is powerful than evil

3.   Jesus can cleanse the unclean

4.   We might be able hinder God’s work but we can’t stop it.

The take away: You might come from the worse place, you might have a horrible pedigree, you might be invested with all kinds of evil and sin but Jesus can cleanse you in fact he wants to cleanse you. 

Proverb 10

 "The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked" Proverbs 10:3. This is one of those proverbs that make people question its truthfulness. In this world, the ones who try to do right get shortchanged, and the evil wins. As it says in Charles Bowen's poem: 

“The rain it raineth on the just

And also on the unjust fella;

But chiefly on the just, because

The unjust hath the just’s umbrella.”

However, just as in a race, it may look like one side has won at the beginning at the end is where it matters. Ultimately, the evil will not get what they want, they will not be satisfied. The righteous will be satisfied because the righteous hunger after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). There are a myriad of other Scriptures that say the same, so don't be swayed by the short-term results in life. As it says in verse 29, "The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright, but destruction awaits those who do evil."   

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Leviticus 17

 

The question might be asked if the person is offering sacrifice to God why would God care? The answer is to keep the people from developing their own version of worship to God. In a world where different churches have different worship services, this may seem silly, but it isn't. The truth was that God was trying to keep them from claiming they were worshiping God, but by their practices and actions worshipping another god. This is what we see today in groups that say they worship God but are actually cults that have nothing to do with authentic Christianity. 

There may be a time today to break away from a group but one should always look carefully that you aren't trying to set up worship to a different God or joining those who claim to worship God but don't. 

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Leviticus 16

 

It is interesting to note that it is noted that God gave the commands to Aaron after the death of his sons. This caught my attention and I looked to see what other commentators thought. What I found meshed with what felt like the truth to me. The reason for this obvious addition is to remind the reader why it was dangerous for Aaron to not follow the commands of God. God was very serious about how the atonement for the people and entry into the Most Holy Place was to be carried out. This was, after all, to be a picture of what God would do for the people of Israel and the world through Jesus. It is also a reminder that if we try to find atonement any other way it will end in our death, maybe not our physical death but absolutely our spiritual death. 

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