Day 46: Laws and The Faithful Few

Exodus 21, 22 & Matthew 27:51-66

These passages continues to offer up laws for the building of the community. We also are told of the events that happened alongside the death of Christ.

Exodus 21:

This section of Exodus gives us laws for daily living. It is important to note that these laws were the beginning of the system of justice, of living with one another without another government having control for the first time in 400 years.

The Bible speaks here of the practice of slavery. Slavery was part of the cultural context of the day, and these passages are ways of addressing that painful reality. The Bible does not promote or encourage slavery, though it does not call specifically for it to be abolished. This is disheartening for me. I so wish there was a blanket policy laid out saying “No slavery, no one owns anyone else!”

The rules for female slaves are different than those for male slaves. This, in its own odd way, was seen as a way to protect women. Women could not own property, they had to be cared for and these laws kept them from being set aside when their husbands or masters grew tired of them or wanted to trade-in for a newer model.

I also find it interesting to note, the eye for an eye passage actually has to do with injury to a pregnant woman when two men are fighting. Another level of protection for women.

Exodus 22

Personal Injury laws shift now to property dispute laws. This part of the text reminds me a bit of the controversial “Stand your Ground law” in Florida and other States. Here, however, you could not kill a thief in the daylight without being found guilty of murder. This kept you from holding a thief overnight and torturing him until morning. It also made it clear that if you could identify the thief then that is the avenue to pursue rather than killing him.

Matthew 27:51-66

This passage tells us that Jesus’ death could not have gone unnoticed. There was darkness at mid-day, there was an earthquake, the curtain of the Holy of Holies was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and oh, yeah, dead people came out of their graves and walked around!!!

The women are present throughout Jesus’ death and watch to see where Joseph, the secret disciple, takes Jesus. They are the faithful Few who do not leave Jesus’ side. Perhaps that was because they really had nothing left to lose.

The religious leaders were more concerned about the resurrection rumors than the disciples because they had the tomb sealed and a guard set in place for three days. They knew that Jesus was more than an itinerant preacher.

Day 45: Covenant and Death

Exodus 19, 20 and Matthew 27:27-50

These chapters in Exodus and Matthew cover the giving on the renewing of the covenant with Israel and the death of Jesus. Both speak to the work God is doing in the world, in very different ways.

Exodus 19

God offers the covenantal agreement to the people. This is not going to be a one sided relationship. God seeks the participation of the people in the covenant. The people answer in verse 8 “We will do everything the Lord has said.” They are committing themselves to the covenant with and therefore relationship to God.

God gives instructions for the people to not set foot on the Holy Mountain of the Lord. God did this to show a difference between God, the one God of Israel and the many gods of Egypt and the surrounding areas. Those gods/idols could be touched, seen, handled, or manipulated. God wanted to be certain that God’s status as other, Holy was accepted.

In the Christian faith we hold dear, we are not only allowed to approach God, but invited through Jesus to draw close. This contrast is made through God entering our world as Jesus and coming close to us as the Emmanuel.

Exodus 20

God spoke the 10 commandments to all of Israel. They all heard God speaking and were so terrified of the thunderous noise that they begged God to speak through Moses alone. I wonder how often I’ve missed the opportunity to hear God speak because I’ve been afraid to listen.

The 10 Commandments are rules for living out faith in community with God and others. We humans, left to our own devices will always look out for ourselves. These rules give a way to live in community setting the wellbeing of the whole above the desires of the individual.

Matthew 27:27-50

Jesus is turned over to a legion of soldiers and they proceed to mock and abuse him. I have never noticed the detail that he was struck repeatedly on the head with a staff. I am greatly disturbed by these images.

Jesus is offered gall and wine to dull the pain of crucifixion, but once he tastes it he refused to drink. All of the pain was felt that day. Jesus was not dulled in any way when he faced the cruelty of the cross.

As a youth I was told that part of Jewish education would have included the memorization of Psalms. The 22^nd Psalm in particular was one that mother’s taught their sons. I am not sure of the accurateness of this thought, but I often think of Mary, watching Jesus die and hearing him call out the first lines of that Psalm. How it must have broken and blessed her heart.