How It's Done
Commentary
Our faith is a living faith. We are living temples. This is something visible to the world, whether or not you’re a believer. The way we conduct ourselves, what we do, defines who we are, and also how Christ appears through us to the larger world.
Leviticus 19 is a far more central passage than most congregations and pastors allow. It is the ethical center of the Torah. Christians will recognize at least one verse (“you shall love your neighbor as yourself” v. 18), but it’s all here -- the ten commandments (most of them anyway), and injunctions against mistreating the poor, the worker, the alien, and the disabled. The motivation is central: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (v. 2). This word “holy” does not suggest achieving some level of piety divorced from the real world -- it means acting differently in God’s world.
We achieve this holiness together, according to the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23. It may make no sense to the larger world, but this wisdom comes from God, and is strengthened when we reconstruct ourselves as one body in Jesus.
So be holy, or as Jesus puts it, be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. This means, in accordance with the first two passages, acting according to God’s wisdom and not worldly wisdom, going beyond the bare minimum.
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
Robert Fulghum is famous for his book Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Though most Christians would be surprised to hear it, we might also say: “Everything I ever needed to know I learned from the Torah.” The Torah, also known as the Law, consists of what we know as the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. We’re used to pulling a Bible off the shelf containing a whole array of books. It seems as if they belong so well together that they must have always existed together. But in Jesus’ time the only consensus among God’s people about what constituted Holy Scriptures was the Torah. There was a good deal of disagreement about whether what are known now as the Prophets and the Writings had the same biblical standing as the Law. And though Jesus quotes from many biblical writings, some of the most substantive quotations come from the Law. Indeed, when asked what is the greatest law Jesus picks two -- one (“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength”) comes from Deuteronomy 6:4, and the other (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) comes from this passage!
The 19th chapter of Leviticus contains one verse (“You shall love the alien as yourself” v. 34) that Torah scholar Jacob Nusbaum called “the ethical summit of the Bible.” As for the whole chapter, you might call it the “Other Sermon on the Mount.” I’d like to think the Sermon on the Mount is the other Leviticus 19.
Notice how comprehensive this passage is. It begins by stating that all of us are responsible for acting in an ethical fashion because God does. Being holy is less about being pious than acting ethically.
In this selection from the chapter, some of the ten commandments are reiterated -- don’t steal, don’t swear falsely, don’t take the name of the Lord in vain -- but then, like the Sermon on the Mount, the chapter goes deeper into the Spirit of the Law. Leviticus 19:9-10 tells us that charity is not something we do because we feel like it. The poor and the alien (shades of the book of Ruth) have a right to the fruits of the harvest. Not only are we not to swear falsely, but we’re also not to lie. We’re to pay people on time, we’re not to abuse or make fun of the handicapped, we’re to treat everyone equal under the law, and then -- pay attention -- we’re to love our neighbor as ourselves because vengeance belongs to God.
There’s enough here for two or three sermons. At the very least you might surprise your congregation and tell them ahead of time you’re preaching on Leviticus, and then surprise them even further when they discover that it feels like Jesus was here first!
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
In the ancient world rulers might be termed “great” if they were great conquerors and/or great builders. Those who left behind great structures that astounded travelers built great reputations. The Herod of Jesus’ childhood was not called “the Great” because of great wickedness. He was known for the several great buildings he saw to completion, including the Great Temple.
Not that Herod did any heavy lifting himself. That’s what slaves were for. Jesus is great because he did the heavy lifting. Jesus, the foundation of our living temples, performed one great act in particular. He died on our behalf. This makes us God’s temples, with Jesus as the foundation.
Paul also suggests that builders must work with care to create a lasting structure. In some parts of the world that are earthquake-prone, builders are required to follow strict codes in order to ensure that their building will survive even a great trembler. In other places such laws may be in place, but they are routinely ignored. If we are Living Temples, the question must be asked -- how well are we taking care of this temple we are charged with? One speaks of how we take care of ourselves physically, of course. We have many advertisements that remind us that no matter how hard we work, we’re still not where we ought to be. That’s probably true. But more importantly, how well are we taking care of our living temple spiritually? Are we reading and discussing scripture? Are we active disciples of Jesus Christ? Do we share this gospel not only with strangers but also with those who share our lives, making God a regular part of our lives together?
Are we prepared, or are we prey for spiritual earthquakes, hurricanes, floods?
Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus seems to refer to God’s command repeated several times in Leviticus 19: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” As the Lord states in this section from the Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48).
So who is called to be perfect? Over the centuries some have suggested that just the disciples, and by extension only a small minority of the extra faithful, are supposed to love enemies and turn the other cheek. However, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus clearly means for everyone to seek this perfection. The word “perfection” itself might better be translated as “fulfillment” or “completion.” This is what makes us finally and fully human.
In the first instance, Jesus insists we go beyond what is written in God’s law. The admonition “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” appears in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, and was meant not so much to encourage violent revenge as to put a limit on it. Jesus calls us to go further -- to surprise evildoers with our generosity.
The well-recognized phrase “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy” does not come from scripture, but possibly was a popular proverb. It’s the default setting for many people. Yet Jesus challenges us to transcend conventional wisdom for heavenly wisdom, if for no other reason than the fact that God is already letting the sun shine and the rain fall on all, not just the good. It is in doing more than expected that we are finally perfected.
But these are not easy -- having stuff stolen, being forced by an occupying military to carry the pack for a perfectly healthy soldier, and lending on demand without any hope for return goes against the grain. But living like Jesus may be what perfects us.
Leviticus 19 is a far more central passage than most congregations and pastors allow. It is the ethical center of the Torah. Christians will recognize at least one verse (“you shall love your neighbor as yourself” v. 18), but it’s all here -- the ten commandments (most of them anyway), and injunctions against mistreating the poor, the worker, the alien, and the disabled. The motivation is central: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (v. 2). This word “holy” does not suggest achieving some level of piety divorced from the real world -- it means acting differently in God’s world.
We achieve this holiness together, according to the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23. It may make no sense to the larger world, but this wisdom comes from God, and is strengthened when we reconstruct ourselves as one body in Jesus.
So be holy, or as Jesus puts it, be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. This means, in accordance with the first two passages, acting according to God’s wisdom and not worldly wisdom, going beyond the bare minimum.
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
Robert Fulghum is famous for his book Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Though most Christians would be surprised to hear it, we might also say: “Everything I ever needed to know I learned from the Torah.” The Torah, also known as the Law, consists of what we know as the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. We’re used to pulling a Bible off the shelf containing a whole array of books. It seems as if they belong so well together that they must have always existed together. But in Jesus’ time the only consensus among God’s people about what constituted Holy Scriptures was the Torah. There was a good deal of disagreement about whether what are known now as the Prophets and the Writings had the same biblical standing as the Law. And though Jesus quotes from many biblical writings, some of the most substantive quotations come from the Law. Indeed, when asked what is the greatest law Jesus picks two -- one (“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength”) comes from Deuteronomy 6:4, and the other (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) comes from this passage!
The 19th chapter of Leviticus contains one verse (“You shall love the alien as yourself” v. 34) that Torah scholar Jacob Nusbaum called “the ethical summit of the Bible.” As for the whole chapter, you might call it the “Other Sermon on the Mount.” I’d like to think the Sermon on the Mount is the other Leviticus 19.
Notice how comprehensive this passage is. It begins by stating that all of us are responsible for acting in an ethical fashion because God does. Being holy is less about being pious than acting ethically.
In this selection from the chapter, some of the ten commandments are reiterated -- don’t steal, don’t swear falsely, don’t take the name of the Lord in vain -- but then, like the Sermon on the Mount, the chapter goes deeper into the Spirit of the Law. Leviticus 19:9-10 tells us that charity is not something we do because we feel like it. The poor and the alien (shades of the book of Ruth) have a right to the fruits of the harvest. Not only are we not to swear falsely, but we’re also not to lie. We’re to pay people on time, we’re not to abuse or make fun of the handicapped, we’re to treat everyone equal under the law, and then -- pay attention -- we’re to love our neighbor as ourselves because vengeance belongs to God.
There’s enough here for two or three sermons. At the very least you might surprise your congregation and tell them ahead of time you’re preaching on Leviticus, and then surprise them even further when they discover that it feels like Jesus was here first!
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
In the ancient world rulers might be termed “great” if they were great conquerors and/or great builders. Those who left behind great structures that astounded travelers built great reputations. The Herod of Jesus’ childhood was not called “the Great” because of great wickedness. He was known for the several great buildings he saw to completion, including the Great Temple.
Not that Herod did any heavy lifting himself. That’s what slaves were for. Jesus is great because he did the heavy lifting. Jesus, the foundation of our living temples, performed one great act in particular. He died on our behalf. This makes us God’s temples, with Jesus as the foundation.
Paul also suggests that builders must work with care to create a lasting structure. In some parts of the world that are earthquake-prone, builders are required to follow strict codes in order to ensure that their building will survive even a great trembler. In other places such laws may be in place, but they are routinely ignored. If we are Living Temples, the question must be asked -- how well are we taking care of this temple we are charged with? One speaks of how we take care of ourselves physically, of course. We have many advertisements that remind us that no matter how hard we work, we’re still not where we ought to be. That’s probably true. But more importantly, how well are we taking care of our living temple spiritually? Are we reading and discussing scripture? Are we active disciples of Jesus Christ? Do we share this gospel not only with strangers but also with those who share our lives, making God a regular part of our lives together?
Are we prepared, or are we prey for spiritual earthquakes, hurricanes, floods?
Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus seems to refer to God’s command repeated several times in Leviticus 19: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” As the Lord states in this section from the Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48).
So who is called to be perfect? Over the centuries some have suggested that just the disciples, and by extension only a small minority of the extra faithful, are supposed to love enemies and turn the other cheek. However, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus clearly means for everyone to seek this perfection. The word “perfection” itself might better be translated as “fulfillment” or “completion.” This is what makes us finally and fully human.
In the first instance, Jesus insists we go beyond what is written in God’s law. The admonition “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” appears in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, and was meant not so much to encourage violent revenge as to put a limit on it. Jesus calls us to go further -- to surprise evildoers with our generosity.
The well-recognized phrase “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy” does not come from scripture, but possibly was a popular proverb. It’s the default setting for many people. Yet Jesus challenges us to transcend conventional wisdom for heavenly wisdom, if for no other reason than the fact that God is already letting the sun shine and the rain fall on all, not just the good. It is in doing more than expected that we are finally perfected.
But these are not easy -- having stuff stolen, being forced by an occupying military to carry the pack for a perfectly healthy soldier, and lending on demand without any hope for return goes against the grain. But living like Jesus may be what perfects us.
