Theological Commentary: Click Here
As I read
over this chapter, I was drawn to the fact that there are certain elements that
we are not to duplicate. In other words,
there are certain things that are a part of worship that belong in the context
of worship. We are not to cheapen them
by removing them and using them elsewhere.
In the chapter, we see the examples of the incense and perfume. Whoever duplicates these will be cut off from
the people.
At first, I
found these assertions as though they made sense. After all, doesn’t it make sense that there
are certain things that are sacred when we come into the presence of the
Lord? Shouldn’t there be some things that
we reserve for the worship of God?
On the other
hand, there is a part of me that is always quick to assert that Jesus has made
all things new. He has made all things
acceptable. We hear this much when Jesus
comes to Peter atop Cornelius’ house.
There doesn’t
need to be tension between these ideas.
When we say that Jesus has made all things clean, it doesn’t mean that
He is saying that He has made all things mundane. He has made all things clean. We are not to be concerned about our ritual
purity because Jesus has consecrated us in a way that the sacrifices of oxen
and sheep could not.
In this I
actually find challenge. The challenge
is to live in the world in a way that continues to honor the sacred. How do I remember that I am a priest as I go
about my daily life? How do I remember
that I am supposed to be living with a sacred purpose yet living and serving
among the people of the world? This is
the challenge of God. We have been
redeemed. We have been purified. All things can be ours. But we don’t need to make everything mundane
in doing so. We are to be sacred, and
help make the world around us sacred, too.
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