New Covenant of Love

Jeremiah 31:33-34

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

Matthew 22:34-40

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

This Sunday is the last Sunday in Lent. We have been journeying through the book of Leviticus, but we now transition to a broader context in which the law applies. Our final service on how we violate covenant is derived from the Jeremiah and Matthew passages, that of failing to love.

When I first conceived of this series, I wasn’t certain how doing a series from Leviticus would land, especially since we weren’t discussing what are typically referred to as the clobber passages often used against the LGBT community. Putting all that aside, I concentrated on the kinds of behaviors that God instituted that would maintain covenant and aid in the people’s journey to be holy. What is remarkable is that there is this transition from following the letter of the law to following the spirit of the law, but there are those who never make the leap.

By the time we get to Jeremiah, we have this moment of intervention from God. They are living in the diaspora, having been hauled away from their homeland to Babylonia. Jeremiah, a prophet of God not held in Babylon, writes to the people to tell them that God will redeem them, but not right away. His letter to the Israelites is strange to be sure. He writes:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

It is out of this notion that they need to settle in for the long haul, they need to make an effort to prosper themselves, even in a foreign land, that God then says to them regarding his promise to restore them in their homeland, that everything has changed. Your time away from the promised land has changed you – as a people you are no longer the same group that I brought out of Egypt, you are generations beyond where we started. God, in this same moment needs to assure them that while they were given certain laws to follow previously, God now sees that these laws did not make things easier, but harder. So instead of giving them more laws, God is going to write the law into their hearts. We might pause at this point in the story and ask, “What kind of law can be written on the heart.”

This is where the Matthew text folds so neatly into the narrative. Jesus is being challenged by the religious leaders of his day who are still adhering to the letter of the law. In some sense, we can say that part of Jesus’ role in society was to demonstrate the Jeremiah passage; to remind the Sadducees and Pharisee’s that the letter of the law was no longer necessary, but rather an internal change was what God required – the whole “love kindness, show mercy, walk humbly” scenario.

In this moment where Jesus is tested, he gives us the next piece of this very important puzzle. We are to love. The whole of the law was always about learning to live in community with one another. It outlined how we are to treat one another, care for the least of these, including the resident aliens that live among us. Even the passages that talk about God cutting someone off from the community, we see that there was always a remedy, it was called the Day of Atonement. As long as the people were making an effort, God continued to show up. God remained faithful, even when the people didn’t know how.

As Jesus explains what the law actually requires: To Love God, love our neighbor, and to love ourselves; the religious leaders of his day were taken aback at the simplicity of his statement. They knew he was speaking the truth, but it also angered them because they knew they were failing on all counts. This should have been their forte, as priests and caretakers of the community, but they had become so legalistic that they could no longer see the people as their greatest asset, instead they were a liability.

We can make some interesting connections to our present-day circumstances. I’ve used this quote from Phillip Gulley many times, “You know that you have created God in your own image when God hates all the same people you do.” This quote sums up beautifully what we have become; what happens when we reduce God’s law to a legalistic way of living rather than living by the law of love.

While this may seem far off base, at first, I believe these two things are intimately connected. It is nearly impossible for us to love others when we are incapable of truly loving ourselves. For those of us raised in the church, we often received mixed messages as children – God loves you, but if you aren’t a Christian or if you don’t meet certain requirements, then you are going to hell for all eternity, because God said so. This message distorts the true meaning of love. Love is not narcissistic nor is it self-deprecating.

As a people, we are not very good at loving ourselves or others. Our ability to love is often tied up with our ability to trust. Perhaps, what we can learn from the concept of atonement and our need to love is that love is a state of mind, a way of being. Whether I trust you or not, I can still love you, if for no other reason than you, too, are a child of God, created in God’s image and likeness. Loving others is a ways of seeing the world. It is a way of orienting ourselves toward a God who is loving.

The life of Jesus becomes the example of what a new covenant looks like – a community builder who peddles love. Keeping God’s covenant is all about following in Jesus’ footsteps – to love God, love neighbor, and love self. That is the greatest commandment and the best covenant of all.

Atonement - Turning or Returning to God

My apologies - this is a long post, but hopefully a deeply informative one. There is much more I could say about Atonement, but hopefully this will spark some new ideas for you.

Leviticus 23:26-32

26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall humble yourselves and present the Lord’s offering by fire, 28 and you shall do no work during that entire day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29 For those who do not humble themselves during that entire day shall be cut off from the people. 30 And anyone who does any work during that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people. 31 You shall do no work. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of complete rest, and you shall humble yourselves; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your Sabbath.”

The Day of Atonement! This is another part of God’s Covenant with the people of Israel, a day that is set aside for spiritual practice. Atonement is an interesting concept – to restore that which is broken, to cover over, to repair, to return or turn toward God - these are but a few ways of thinking about the act of atonement as practiced by the Israelite people.

In our modern-day context, Protestant Churches often talk about the atonement as the saving work of Christ through Jesus’ death on the cross. As we quickly approach Good Friday and Easter, this is a perfect time to reflect on what atonement means for us in the 21st century.

From a theological perspective, the church has inherited roughly seven Atonement Theories, each with their own spin on how it works and what they accomplish in Jesus’ death. Here they are in brief:

1. The Moral Influence Theory – this theory is one of the oldest and seeks to view Jesus’ death as the catalyst to a positive moral change in society, encouraging humanity to follow Jesus’ lived example. Central to this theory is the power of the Holy Spirit operating in the lives of people in order to facilitate this moral change. A primary focus of this theory is the crucifixion coupled with his life; recognizing that both are necessary to comprehend the completeness of God’s love.

2. Ransom Theory – this theory reflects more prominently on Jesus’ death and sees his death as a ransom paid in order to settle our debt. This theory requires that one believe in the fall of humankind through the sin of Adam which made us captive to Satan, and that in order for God to release us from captivity, a ransom must be paid. In this theory, the act of redemption is thought of as a buy back. For its detractors, this theory is unliked because it involves paying off Satan.

3. Christus Victor – this theory states that Jesus’ death on the cross acts as a decisive blow against Satan, sin, and death, thus freeing all humanity from our bondage to these powers. It is imagined that while Jesus was held in his grave for three days that he did battle with Satan, ultimately defeating his rule over humanity and setting us all free. This is often referred to as the Classical view of Atonement.

4. Satisfaction Theory – this theory was authored by Anselm in the 12th century and seeks to define Jesus’ death as the necessary satisfaction paid to God, as in Jesus pays restitution to God thus mending what was broken. This theory was developed in contrast to the Ransom Theory which paid off Satan, and instead, pays God what is just and owed for our all of our injustices.

5. The Penal Substitutionary Theory – this theory builds on Anselm’s theory of satisfaction and states that Jesus was a substitute for us, meaning we did not have to pay God back for our sin, but rather Jesus paid the debt for us. Jesus’ death satisfies the wrath of God kindled against humanity for their sins, and stands between God and humanity so that God no longer sins the sinful nature of humans. In this theory, God can only be satisfied through the death of Jesus who covers all our sins.

6. The Governmental Theory – this theory is similar to Penal Substitutionary Theory, but differs in a huge way; Jesus is unable to satisfy our debt. What Jesus’ death actually accomplishes on the cross is to demonstrate the severity of God’s displeasure with humankind’s sin, revealing the high price that must be paid, but does not actually pay it. Jesus died only for the church, not for the whole of humanity. If you are apart of the church, then you receive the benefit of Jesus’ death.

7. The Scapegoat Theory – this is a relatively new theory whereby Jesus becomes the scapegoat for the sins of humanity. Jesus isn’t a sacrifice, but rather a victim. How does this work exactly – those who would have Jesus killed believe that he is guilty of the crime for which he has been condemned (crime that is often buried in obscurity), Jesus is later determined to be the true son of God, therefor the people who elected to kill Jesus assume the guilt for Jesus’ death. This theory also aligns with the concept of the incarnation – that God came in the flesh as manifested in Jesus; that God is the one crucified on the cross; and that through this act, we are able to enter into the fullness of life.

These theories ask us to examine the death of Christ and what it means for humanity through a careful reading of scripture. Sadly, the New Testament is slim on atonement details, thus the development of seven different theories over a period of 1000 years or more. The Hebrew text talks far more explicitly of atonement, especially at the time of the Israelites wandering in the desert when the Law was supposedly given to Moses.

Leviticus 16 talks about the Day of Atonement, and it is later reiterated in Leviticus 23. In chapter 16, though, there is a curious passage about sin –

“20 “When he has finished atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task.[a] 22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region, and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.”

The live goat is used to receive the sins of the people, but the goat is set free to wander in the wilderness. The sins of the people are not washed away by the shedding of blood, but in the Priest’s laying on of hands on the goats head.

What is offered prior to the mitigation of sins is a purification offering of a bull where blood is spilled and showered all over the tent and the curtain that separates the Altar from the Holy of Holies. This offering of blood is more to purify the temple and the offeror than the people as a whole.

There is another provision, though, that the Rabbi’s latched onto that changed their entire system when the temple fell in 70CE. In Leviticus chapter 5, there are provisions made for those who cannot afford an animal sacrifice. In the place of blood, an ephah of choice flour may be used (Lev. 5:11).

What this tells us is that God made a provision for the people and set the sin offering according to what the people could afford. This means that everyone was able to participate in asking for their sins to be forgiven. No one was left out of this process. Furthermore, when the temple was no longer available to the people for animal sacrifices, there was a way to continue to atone for one’s behavior.

The Rabbinic system teaches us that perhaps it isn’t the sacrifice itself that matters, but rather, a contrite heart and a willingness to return to God. When we look at the death of Jesus via crucifixion, we cannot help but make up fantastical stories about the purpose of his death. If we have a particular understanding of sacrifice as a necessary means of mitigating sin; that blood must be shed, then it becomes easy to see Jesus’ death as the ultimate sacrifice.

Seeing Jesus’ death as necessary for the forgiveness of sins, though, has, in many ways, relieved us from the physical act of seeking atonement. We don’t learn how to forgive or be forgiven, nor do we offer grace and mercy to ourselves or others. If for no other reason, the act of seeking atonement calls us to examine our own lives to the degree that we get honest about our behavior. We must make right that which is wrong. It is imperative that we understand our patterns of behavior, otherwise we are destined to repeat those patterns. What the various Atonement Theories do, however, is shift the burden relief onto Jesus, rather than leaving it with the people; the very individuals who need to change and be transformed.

Another way of looking at Jesus’ death is to see his self-sacrifice as a model for our own. Jesus is asking us to continue the work of atonement by assessing and reassessing our own lives. As he hangs on the cross between the two thieves, the thief that grabs Jesus’ attention is the one who admits he was wrong. The courage that it takes for us to acknowledge when we violate relationships is enormous. This is what God expresses in the law and it is what Jesus teaches us as he dies on the cross.

God’s grace is always sufficient for even the most heinous of sins. But if we want to change and be transformed, it is up to us to do a little bit of work to own our part and make right, to the best of our ability, what is wrong. In this we become co-creators of our lives with God. By owning our stuff, we become malleable clay for God to mold. When we remain intractable, God cannot bend us, move us, or shape us into anything new.

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

We continue our Lenten series on the ways in which we violate God's covenant and this week are looking at how to keep the Sabbath Holy. I've included the Leviticus text where God instituted this as law, and then a text from the book of Mark which offers a different perspective on the Sabbath as a day of rest.

Leviticus 23:3

So, God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Mark 2:23-28

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grain fields, and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food, 26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions?” 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath, 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

In the first creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:3, we are told, “So, God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it, God rested from all the work that he had done in creation” From this, the people of Israel had a sense that there was a time for work and a time for rest.

While wandering in the desert after being extracted from Egypt, God give Moses a long laundry list of things that the people of Israel should do and not do; all accompanied with consequences. Leviticus 23:3 reiterates God’s proclamation that the Sabbath is Holy. It then admonishes the people to keep it holy; to set it apart from the rest of the work week as a day of rest. What isn’t in the text, however, is a proscription to worship on the Sabbath.

Originally, the seventh day of the week was calculated as Saturday, which also became the day of worship and rest for the Israelite people. The concept of 39 melachot (rules that must be observed on the Sabbath) were developed as a way to assist the Israelite people in maintaining the Sabbath observation and maximizing rest. These rules include any kind of field work, the making of curtains (cloth or leather), writing, erasing, building, demolishing, extinguishing a fire, kindling a fire, striking a final hammer blow, and carrying. In strict Jewish homes, devices have actually been created in order to aid those who want to follow these laws to the letter.

While all of this is fascinating, and maybe even necessary to be completely at rest, this does nothing to address the issue of the Sabbath being Holy. What does it mean for us to set aside a day; a whole day to devote to God? And what are the consequences of not doing so?

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a protest observer who actually devotes their whole Sabbath to rest and worship. Call me cynical, but we have constructed our lives in such a way that there is always more to do. Our work lives force us to pile our daily household chores, such as laundry and grocery shopping, to the weekend, on our day off; the day that is meant for rest. We can look at the structure of our lives as one more example of how put God last all too often.

What might bring you some relief, though, is that Jesus, in his words to the religious leaders of his day, sounds as though he is contradicting the law when he claims his actions are not in violation of God’s covenant. How are we to know, in this instant, what is right and what is wrong.

Since Jesus claims that he is the new covenant sent by God, then Jesus’ interpretation of the law should take precedent. Jesus’ statement, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath,” reminds us that the Sabbath is actually a gift. God created this day of rest to remind us that we all need to take care of ourselves. When we make rules to govern how we rest, we may actually be making more work for ourselves. Those who still follow the letter of the law and observe the 39 melachot do so understanding that this is their best way of being in the world.

As followers of Christ, we are called to the same devotion, we just observe the Sabbath differently. What would it mean, though, if we could limit our activities on the Sabbath to those that really do bring about restoration of mind, body, and spirit? When we observe our own state of being, we are in turn honoring God. Our Sabbath may be filled with things that we love to do, or even things we have to do, but in the midst of all that we can still honor God.

I have learned the hard way, though, that the consequences of not honoring the Sabbath, of not taking care of yourself mind, body, and spirit…you wake up one day unable to present to yourself and to others. What God is trying to teach us in this creation moment is that everything needs time to lay fallow. When down time is incorporated into your regular routine, there is always time to recharge, to restore one’s mind, body, and spirit.