Leviticus 22-23

“These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times” (23:4). In addition to the weekly Sabbath, the Israelites were instructed to celebrate at least five major festivals and one solemn “Day of Atonement” every year. This involved ceasing their ordinary daily work and, in the case of Passover, remembering how God rescued them from Egypt. Through many “sacred assemblies” (23:37), the Israelites renewed the covenant, remembered their history, and passed on their faith.

“So your descendants will know ... I am the Lord your God” (23:43). Belief and behavior are deeply connected, mutually reinforcing elements of identity. Through our daily, weekly, and yearly habits, we ‘remember’ and become who God calls us to be.

Leviticus 20-21

“No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord” (21:21). The instructions for priests (such as who, when, and how they could offer sacrifices) were ways of symbolizing the distance between a polluted, distorted world and a completely holy God. God made a way for the Israelites to temporarily approach him, never forgetting this gap, yet his plan was always to send the Messiah to heal them at the source.

“They must not go near the curtain or approach the altar” (21:23). Now, Jesus has torn the curtain open. By faith in him, all of us can approach our holy God, knowing our sins are forgiven and our wounds healed.

Leviticus 19

“Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (v1). God’s law defined “holiness” in terms of relationships. Israelites were to relate to God in specific ways, for example: “Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourself” (v4). In relationships with everyone, they were forbidden to lie, steal, deceive, or seek revenge (v11-18). With the poor, they were to be merciful and to leave extra in the fields (v9,10,13). With foreigners, Israelites were to love them and treat them as “native born” (v33-34).

“I am the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt” (19:36). Just as God revealed himself through rescuing his people, he calls us to demonstrate our new identity as his holy people through how we love and serve others.

Leviticus 17-18

“This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields” (17:5). God’s law instructed the Israelites to stop making sacrifices in “open fields” and instead bring them to the priests at the tabernacle, to be offered “to the Lord” (17:1-9). Individuals who sacrificed elsewhere were likely mixing worship of God with the familiar traditional religions of Egypt and Canaan, characterized by goat idols (v7), and sexual immorality, (18:24-30). Coming together to the tabernacle protected the worship of the One God.

“I am the Lord your God” (18:2). Individual religion often goes astray. God calls us together to build one another up, teaching and encouraging each other in faith and truth (I Thess 5:11).

Matthew 28:11-20

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (v18). The risen Jesus declared that his death and resurrection had won a new “authority”. It was not the worldly authority of weapons, political power, wealth, or force. The guards and others could still lie about Jesus and disregard him (v11-17). Instead, Jesus’ power conquered the source of humanity’s problems – sin and death – and enabled individuals to live differently, one by one, by faith in his name.

“Therefore go and make disciples ...” (v19). By the Spirit, we carry the authority of Christ to be and make disciples. As we follow Jesus and live as he taught us, he is with us to the very end (v20).

Matthew 28:1-10

“He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you ...” (v15). On the “first day of the week”, the two Marys went to Jesus’ tomb. Luke’s gospel tells us that they carried spices to add to his burial. But rather than this being the tragic end of the story, they were confronted by new instructions. Jesus had defeated death, was alive, and was “going ahead” of them. Both the angels and Jesus himself gave them new commands: “Go and tell ...” (v7,10).

“Do not be afraid; go ...” (v10). Because Jesus’ death was not the end, our own troubles and tragedies are not the last word of our story. The same Spirit who raised him speaks peace and new purpose to our hearts.

Psalm 19

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (v1). The skies witness daily to God’s glory and power. The psalmist tells us that the beauty of this physical creation – their wordless message about God (v3-4) – should lead us to value the words of this same awesome Creator. “The commands of the Lord are radiant ... more precious than gold” (8-10). God’s Word is “trustworthy” (7), it makes us wise, it warns us, and it teaches discernment (v11-13).

The Bible is God’s gift to us, “sweeter than honey ... refreshing the soul” (v7, 10). When we meditate on it (v14), we are drawn to Jesus, the Word made flesh for us.

Leviticus 15-16

“Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil … so that he may not die” (16:2). Even Aaron, the original high priest of Israel, was not allowed to randomly or spontaneously enter the Holy Place of God’s presence. His blazingly pure, powerful holiness was not something to be treated lightly. Aaron and later priests were instructed to enter only once a year, after making atonement through sacrifices (16:16).

“For on this day shall atonement be made for you” (v16). Temple sacrifices are over and the Holy Place is open, because Jesus gave himself “once and for all” to make us acceptable to God (Hebrews 9:12).

Leviticus 14

“This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing" (v32). Ancient people didn’t divide the world or their lives into secular and sacred categories like we do; the sacred (or supernatural) pervaded everything. Therefore, when someone with a disease got physically well, they offered a sacrifice in the temple and presented themselves to a priest to be pronounced ritually clean/whole. Everyone participated, and a poor person’s simple offering was as effective as a rich person’s.

“And he shall be clean” (14:20). No part of our lives is left outside God’s desire for wholeness: He cares about our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health.

Leviticus 12-13

“When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot …” (13:1). Without antibiotics, surgery, or hospitals, ancient people were always at risk of a disease quickly spreading through an entire community. In this case, the Israelites had regulations about different kinds of rashes, white spots, sores, etc, focusing on identifying the worst kinds (including leprosy) and isolating the person in order to prevent a group outbreak. Only a priest could pronounce someone “clean” and welcome them back into society.

Instead of withdrawing in fear, Jesus touched the unclean person and healed him. His own goodness and power are enough to bring wholeness to any situation we face.

Leviticus 11

“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (v44). Though the Israelite dietary restrictions are hard for us to understand in terms of why certain foods were forbidden, the goal was clear: God wanted the Israelites to be a community set apart as belonging completely to Him. By including daily food choices in loyalty to God’s Law, the Israelites learned that they were to honor God with their entire lives, every day and hour.

“You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (v45). God doesn’t want us to just wear a religious label; He wants to dramatically transform every single part of our lives by His love.

Matthew 27

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (v50). The shocking reality of the innocent Son of God bearing the weight of our sins, experiencing our distance from the Father (v46), and undergoing death itself caused the world to fundamentally change. The curtain of the temple – symbol of our separation from a holy God – split in two, opening the way into God’s presence forever. As a foretaste of the future, many “saints” were resurrected (v53).

“And the earth shook, and the rocks were split” (v51). All creation was shaken when the King laid down his life to rescue us.

Matthew 26

“Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (v28). Jesus’ disciples struggled to understand how the powerful Messiah could face betrayal and death. Despite Jesus’ warnings (v2) and sorrowful preparation, one of his disciples still tried to defend him with a sword (v51-52). Yet “the blood of the covenant” – Jesus’ voluntary death – was the only way to bring about forgiveness of sins and new life.

“Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (v63). Jesus didn’t use spectacular force to defeat his enemies. The Son of God defeated sin and death by a greater power: his own sacrificial love

Psalm 18

“I love you, O Lord, my strength” (v1). The psalmist’s heart-felt declaration was born out of his experience with the Lord. When he was in desperate trouble and cried out, God heard him and came to rescue him. “He sent from on high; he took me, he drew me out of many waters” (v16). Over and over, the psalmist experienced God’s faithfulness in dark times. “The LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (v28-29).

“He rescued me, because He delighted in me” (v19). When we realize our own need and call out to God, we experience His great love for us.

Leviticus 9-10

“Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering ... And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown” (9:24). Far from being an empty ritual, when the Israelites offered sacrifices by faith, according to God’s instructions, he was truly present in their midst. However, when Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu offered “unauthorized” incense to the Lord, as if they could control spiritual power, “they died before the Lord” (10:2). Humans did not control God’s holy presence.

“Before all the people I will be glorified” (10:3). God is glorified when we refuse to accept counterfeit, manipulative, or thoughtless worship, but instead recognize the privilege of being in his holy presence.

Leviticus 7-8

“As has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you” (8:34). Aaron and his sons, the priestly line among the Levites, had the special role of offering sacrifices (while the other Levites served generally in the temple). As ordinary humans, they needed to offer sacrifices for their own sins (8:14). Their unique role foreshadowed Jesus Christ, who is both our permanent high priest and our perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7:23-28).

“So you will not die” (8:35). The elaborate rituals of priests and sacrifices ensured that the Israelites could meet with the holy Creator and not die, until the day when Christ – through the sacrifice of himself – opened God’s presence to all who trust in him.

Leviticus 5-6

“If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor ...” (v2). All sin is “against the Lord”, but Leviticus acknowledges that sin often harms or dishonors a neighbor, as well. In the case of deception in business, such as a “deposit or security”, or through robbery, or oppression, or lying (v2-3), the person was required to sacrifice to the Lord (v6) and also to “restore” what had been taken by deceit, adding an additional twenty percent of its value (v5).

“Give it to him to whom it belongs” (v5). Making things right with God often includes making things right with other people, and, when we are at fault, doing or giving ‘extra’ to restore a broken relationship.

Leviticus 4

“If it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull ...” (v3). Israel’s sacrificial system recognized that God’s people were interconnected, with distinct roles, not just individuals with their private sins. The high priest, for example, was anointed to mediate between God and people, and his sins had far-reaching effects. Thus, he was required to sacrifice a bull (rather than a goat, v27) and take the blood into the sacred “tent of meeting” (v5).

“He shall be forgiven” (v26, v31, v35). Leviticus describes different roles, yet spiritual equality. The actions of the high priest and the people had unique consequences, but they were equally in need of forgiveness.

Matthew 25:31-46

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you ...” (v34). In Jesus day, as in our own, there were competing ideas about what kind of people would “inherit” God’s kingdom. Jesus startled everyone by declaring that God did not use worldly measurements of religiosity, and culture and tribe did not matter. Instead, God was looking (among “all the nations”, v32) for those who loved the Son by ministering to those made in his image – especially “the least of these” (v45).

“You did it to me” (v40). We honor the King by doing as he did. When we serve those that our world despises - the needy, the stranger, the prisoner – we serve him.

Matthew 25:1-30

“Five of them were foolish, and five were wise” (v2). In Jesus’ parable about God’s kingdom, the wise virgins were serious about the bridegroom’s arrival, as well as their own role of waiting in the meantime. Although the bridegroom was “delayed,” the wise ones were well-prepared, kept their focus, and greeted him eagerly. In the parable of the talents (money), the unworthy servant was “afraid” because he thought his Master was a “hard man”; thus, he buried the Master’s resources.

“Watch therefore ...” (v13). When we know and love the Savior who is returning, we know how to live in the meantime. His ways, his words, and his purposes direct our steps.