Exodus 31-Leviticus 10; Mark 3-6

Exodus
So here we have the famous story of the calf. Notice how it is made and how it is presented. The calf was likely supposed to be a kind of throne that the deity would sit upon; it becomes a representation of the deity itself. "Here is Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt," Aaron says.

Notice God's reaction and how Moses persuades him to not destroy the people. What are his arguments? Instead Moses metes out his own form of justice and a plague falls on all those who become sick after drinking the water.

The covenant being broken, Moses now meets with God out away from the camp, and the questions becomes, "Will God be with Israel of not?" by chapter 33. Again we see the covenant and promise in danger. Will God rescue this relationship?

In the end God renews the covenant in chapter 35 and re-issues the commandments given earlier. The covenant is reestablished and the people bring gifts to build the tabernacle, whose prose-blueprint we read last week. Now we get a re-description of the work, showing that all was done "as the Lord commanded" (chapter 39 - 40). In the end God's glory once again comes upon the tabernacle.

Leviticus
Leviticus is a book of rules. Specifically it is a set of instructions on how to run things in the tabernacle. There are clearly several hands in the writing of the book. It is broken up into two main sections. The first is the section on running the temple and the various sacrifices that were done as signs of thanksgiving, of incorporation in to the community and for purification. The second section is what is often called the "Holiness Code." It describes the various things that might occur to a person or that they might do that would make them impure and in need of re-incorporation with the community.

Find out more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviticus

Some things to notice about the offerings:

• There is usually some economic scale regarding animals. A poor person could offer birds instead of a bull (remember Jesus' family did this, which shows their economic status)
• A person laid one hand on the animal. This was not an act to convey their sins on the animal so that it's death would then appease God, the sins having been "paid for." That is an alien concept to these sacrifices. The hand was laid upon it as an act to show that this animal belonged to that person (imagine thousands of people coming to sacrifice; you wanted to keep things as orderly as possible).
• Again we see the dashing of blood. This was seen as an a kind of spiritual detergent which purified the tabernacle. For certain sins (see chapter 4) they penetrated at different levels and thus the blood was sprinkled in different places.

These are the sacrifices:

• Burnt offering: stands out because none of it is eaten (ch. 1)
• Grain offering: likely a substitute for an animal for the very poor (ch. 2)
• Well-Being offering: Also sometimes called a Thank offering. These would have been most common and the typical offering given when eating meat. (ch. 3)
• Sin offering: Also called purification offering. Impurity polluted the tabernacle which must be cleansed. Chapter 5 gives more details about this offering (ch. 4-5)

Chapter 6-7 reprises each of the offerings, adding details, likely for the priests themselves.

Chapter 8-10 regards the consecration of the sanctuary and priests.

Mark
In Mark we have a similar movement as in Matthew. Jesus calls the twelve, then he is rejected by his family and hometown, accused of working for Satan, and begins teaching in parables.
Chapter 4 is the famous sower parable. Notice that Jesus continues his conflict with Satan even here.

They cross the sea for the first time in Mark, and Jesus casts out demons and raises a girl from the dead. This must have been quite a week for the disciples!

Jesus then commissions the twelve and we hear of John's execution. Right after this story we again have the feeding of the 5000 in the wilderness. As I mentioned before, outside of the passion, this is the miracle story that occurs in each of the Gospels. The same order is found in Matthew.

Exodus 17-30; Mark 1-2

Exodus
The Israelites continue their travels away from Egypt, often running into problems. In chapter 18 Jethro, Moses father-in-law, meets them and gives Moses some good advice on delegating.

Chapter 19 is the preparation of chapter 20. God is about to reveal Godself to the people. They need to get ready. Moses goes up and receives the commandments.

Now how many commandments there are is still debated. It is not clear if there are 10 or perhaps more, and different traditions of Christianity have counted them differently. There is a definite break in v. 18, though, which shows that the previous commandments (2-17) were of particular importance.

Chapter 21-23 are the beginning of what we call the Mosaic Law that forms the basis of the covenant God makes. Basically this is a contingent covenant as we see at the end of chapter 23..."If you do this, then I will do this."

Now some of the laws will sound strange. Anything that is too weird, make a note and we'll discuss it at our next meeting. Remember also that the focus of that society was around extended family relationships and the importance of having male children to carry on the bloodline. What would a society look like that followed this law? Is it just?

Chapter 24 tells us how the covenant is established. There is a ceremony in which blood is sprinkled on the altar (representing God) and upon the people (the Israelites). The root word for covenant is "to cut" - the meaning being "If I break this covenant, may I be cut up." Hence the blood, being the source of life (as well as death) is used to symbolize the seriousness of the covenant. It's power is also used as a kind of "detergent," sprinkled on important parts of the temple to show their holiness.

Chapter 25-28 is a description of and prescription for the making of the tabernacle (the mobile temple the Israelites used for their offerings until the time of Solomon), the ark of the covenant (if you've seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, you should know what that is) and the priests robes. Of course, it is a setting down in prose of construction instructions, which is not the easiest thing to read (imagine if someone wrote down the blueprint for even a simple building in words!). As you go I suggest you take a look here, since a picture is worth a thousand words. Remember, these are only artists impressions, but most of them follow the texts from Exodus.

Tabernacle pictures:
http://www.the-tabernacle-place.com/tabernacle_articles/what_is_the_tabernacle.aspx
http://www.bibleplaces.com/tabernacle.htm

Several pictures of the ark

High Priests robes:
http://biblia.com/jesusbible/priest-high13.jpg
http://www.domini.org/tabern/gif/highprst.gif

From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabernacle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_covenant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephod

Chapter 29 tells the story of how a priest was ordained. You will notice there are a lot of sacrifices, or offerings. This is a good time to understand and figure out what sacrifices meant to the Jewish people and how they were understood. What do you think they mean? How would you explain them? Why were sacrifices used in the worship of God?

Finally Chapter 30 describes the various parts of the tabernacle and their particular uses and prescriptions.

Mark
You'll notice right away that Mark moves quicker than Matthew. It is about half as long, there is not nativity story, the stories are much shorter than in Matthew. Many scholars believe Mark was the first Gospel written and that both Matthew and Luke used it as a major source, which is very likely.

In Mark Jesus is a man of action, we don't get the long discourses that we get in Matthew and later in John. Notice much of chapter 2 is devoted to food. There is an old Middle East proverb, "I saw them eating and I knew who they were." Who you ate with and how you ate told everyone around you what kind of person you were. Pay attention to how this gets played out as the gospel continues.

Exodus 1-17/Matt 23-26

Exodus 1-17
Exodus is the core, foundational story of the Jewish people. In fact the chapters we have read form a central core of that core story itself. Some speculate that the song of Moses and Miriam (which we will hear at our Easter Vigil) is one of the oldest parts of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). Here we see God's work moving from a particular family to a nation: from Jacob's (Israel's) sons, to their descendants.

Most of this story we are familiar with, but what stands out to you? Anything you never heard of? Leave a comment.

For more information on Exodus check here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus

Matthew 23-26
Chapter 23-26 forms Jesus next fifth and final discourse. Where the first contained blessing for the poor in spirit, the meek, etc. this one contains woes for the powerful. We then here the great eschatological section in Matthew 24, when Jesus foretells the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple that occurs in 70 AD (about 40 years later). Finally, the discourse with various parables about being ready when the time comes.

Chapter 26 begins the end game for Jesus. Most of this story we heard in church last week. If you like, it might be good to read this chapter with chapter 27 and then read chapter 28 next Sunday, which happens to be Easter. When you get there, you'll know why. Next week is Mark!

As always, leave comments below.

Ge 33-50/Matthew 20-22

Genesis 33-50
We pick up the story of Jacob here and the trickster finds reconciliation with his brother Esau. His children, however, find themselves in all kinds of trouble. Judah and his trouble with Tamar to start off and then the story of Joseph. Joseph, no doubt the favorite because he is both the son of Rachel (the favored wife) as well as the youngest, as Jacob was. We hear of his royal-like robe (the long sleeves or many colors refers to a special standing). His brothers want to get rid of him, but they are divided over what to do. They decide to trick their father (the trickster) with a garment.

Joseph's tale is one of those great rags to riches story. Because he is a dreamer and an interpreter of dreams, he has great success in a foreign land. His dreams save the Egyptian empire from famine, and his brothers, suffering from the famine, come for help. Joseph tricks them, and by deceit gets the entire family to Egypt where the family is happily reunited.

The end of Genesis is very important because it sets up the next major story for the people of God, the Exodus. The twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) become the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Having settled in the land of Goshen, which is in the northern part of Egypt, their descendants will be the brick makers that Moses liberates. You will notice that Moses' request to the Pharaoh of that time is that they can go to worship their God and bury their fore-father Jacob. The promise Joseph makes to him in 47.29-31 and 49.29-30 foreshadow their eventual departure. Jacobs final words, the poem of chapter 49, foretell great things and horrible things for the tribes. Notice that Judah is given the scepter, and not the other three older brothers. Judah will be the tribe of David, Solomon and Jesus.

Next time we will start Exodus and discover that this large family has grown into a nation, Israel, and that this God who has been guiding them has a name, Yahweh, who will deliver them from their bondage.

Matthew 20-22
We open with more parables about the kingdom. There will be many parables this week, each one speaking about the kingdom of God and often connecting to its rejection by those who should be saying yes. For the first one we may ask, how fair is the land owner. Is he tricking workers, or simply being exorbitant with others?

We then read stories about who is greatest in the kingdom, and the Son of David, the rightful heir to the throne helping the blind. Jesus enters Jerusalem, a story we will hear again in church. The blind and lame come to the temple to him. Traditionally they would not be allowed inside the inner parts of the temple because of their affliction. Here Jesus is showing that in the kingdom all are made acceptable to God by grace.

Jesus has many run-ins with the religious leaders in these chapters. Where does authority come from? Should we pay taxes to our oppressors? Is the resurrection true? Again and again Jesus shows his wisdom, but in the process gains enemies from those who are wise. His parables foretell his rejection by his own, but that those who are outcasts will be welcomed into the kingdom of God, and that the stone which was rejected will become the corner-stone (that is, will be exalted).

The Unknown God

I think something that gets lost in our readings of Genesis is the problem of who God is at this point in the story. We think we already know this. We know it because we have the stories about Jesus, the Word of God, who in his life, teachings, death and resurrection gives us the full expression of who God is.

However the patriarchs do not know God in that way. Monotheism has not taken hold. The old gods are still there, and are still powerful. God does not have a name as yet. God is referred to as El Shaddai (God Almighty (literally probably God of the Mountain). Jacob even thinks of him as El-Bethel (God of Bethel). The God who appeared to him at Bethel. Jacob also knows which one God is because God says, I am the God of Abraham and Isaac: i.e. I am the God of your father and grandfather.

Keep this in mind. Why does Abraham take Isaac up to sacrifice him? Why would he expect anything else from this new God and his promises? It is unclear at this point how God differs from the other Mesopotamian deities everyone was familiar with.

It is not really until we come to Moses, when God gives his name, and he becomes the God, not of a tribal patriarch, but of a people, that the picture we often have of God starts to get filled out.

Job 36-Genesis 32/Matthew 15-19

Job 38-42
Job 38 contains God's response. Notice it is from the "whirlwind." There is also the mention of great sea creatures, Behemoth and Leviathan. These are more likely legendary sea monsters than actual animals, creatures which terrify the gods. But for God, they are playthings, pets.

God questions Job, as Job has seemed to request in the first place. However Job is not able to make an answer. Instead Job is overwhelmed by his encounter God. Notice, Job never really seems to receive a proper answer. God instead puts the mysteries of creation before him, as if to say, if you can answer me about this, then I will answer you. Job responds with silence - I will not speak; these things are too wonderful for me (40:3-5; 42:2-6).

In the beginning Job is looking for an answer as to why this is happening to him, instead he has an encounter with God. His questions do not get answered - they simply melt away in his experience of God's presence. Job has not only heard of God, now he sees God (42.5). An appearance we call epiphany or theophany.

The "meaning" of the book of Job is debated. What exactly is Job's quest and how does God (if at all) respond. My take is that Job's questions are in a sense valid; however, when he encounters God, they simply lose their importance. Will the faithful remain faithful in suffering? Is there a direct cause for suffering? Why do the faithful suffer? All these questions are not answered. We are simply presented with a God whose very presence shows us that God is more interested in relationship than giving answers; is more interested in sharing life with us than trying to make sense out of what is essentially senseless.

Genesis 23-32
Genesis 23: The point here is that Abraham now owns that land. The rightful possession of it is important to Israel's later claim to the land (after they return with Moses). Genesis 24 gives us a view of how people found spouses back then. It wasn't in the church or class and it wasn't at the local bar or social service organization. A servant went and tracked down a good mate. Notice his criteria!

Ge 26 and 27 recount how it was that Jacob, the younger son, received an inheritance rather than the older, Essau. This is a theme in the Bible, including Cain and Abel as well as David, who was the youngest. Jacob establishes himself as a trickster, an archetypal character in ancient literature - think Odysseus, Loki, or in modern times, Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker.

It also traces how the promise given to Abraham is put at risk and then fulfilled. Will God honor the blessing Isaac gave in ignorance of his being tricked? Will he give it to Jacob, the trickster? Chapter 28 says yes. Even someone like Jacob can bear this promise. This risk taking is a continuous theme through the stories of patriarchs, until we get to Moses, when the promise is risked and then fulfilled in the nation of Israel.

Ge 29 shows the trickster Jacob tricked! He has to work not seven years but fourteen for his love. But, in a theme of the undesirable being blessed, it is Leah who bears Jacob children (the highest honor and importance in any marriage at that time).

Chapter 30 shows the unrest and competition in Jacob's household, a problem that will continue with his sons. Jealousy causes much sorrow in these stories. The story about the lambs - you should know that at that time they believed that the coloring of sheep was connected with what they saw while breeding. Hence the striped sticks produced speckled and striped sheep. Again we see the two tricksters, Jacob and Laban, locked in competition with one another.

Chapter 31 recounts Jacob's flight from Laban and Laban's pursuit. What a dysfunctional family! They finally make peace and a covenant, which is built around a tradition regarding a boundary between Arameans and Israelites, who both claimed land in that region.

Chapter 32 and 33 should really be read together. Here Jacob is renamed Israel (meaning he who strives with God and humans). 33 recounts his reunion with Essau. After his encounter with God, he is able to make up with Essau.

What do you think of Jacob and these other characters? Do you think they have integrity? Are they obvious choices for God's blessing? What role does God play in these stories and how is that significant?

Matthew 15-19
In these chapters, like each week so far, we have stories about Jesus along with one of his great discourses. Chapter 15 he has a conflict with the Pharisees (the religious bad guys) yet again. This will escalate in the weeks to come. He again feeds thousands of people, with food left over, an emblem of the abundance of the kingdom.

Peter makes his amazing confession and immediately gets into trouble and is called Satan (adversary) because he doesn't get it. We have the story of his transfiguration. We hear his wisdom on taxes. Jesus speaks again and again of his coming trial, execution and resurrection. The fourth discourse is in chapter 18 about how things will be in the kingdom; who is most important; how we can be reconciled to one another; what forgiveness looks like.

Finally in chapter 19 (When Jesus had finished saying these things) he has another great dispute with the Pharisees.

As we continue to read Matthew, what is Jesus like? What is his message? What kind of things do you think he would say if he appeared in the US today? Who would be his enemies? Who would be his followers?