Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Today is Day 45 of our one-year Bible reading plan. On Saturday, we read about Jesus’ arrest and his trial before the religious Supreme Court. Every time I read about Judas’ betrayal of Jesus it brings tears to my eyes. The actions of Judas are, of course, heartbreaking, but it is the response of Jesus to Judas that overwhelms me with emotion. Put yourself in Jesus’ shoes. If one of your closest friends for whom you were a personal mentor betrayed you and it ended up with you being wrongfully imprisoned and sentenced to execution, how would you response to that person? With disgust? With vitriol? With hatred? I would probably have chosen one of those options… but that’s not what Jesus did.

In his moment of betrayal, Jesus calls Judas “friend” and then simply says, “Do what you have come here to do.” I can almost hear sadness in his voice, but, more than anything else, I can still hear love. In John 13:1, it describes Jesus’ relationship to his disciples and says, “Jesus loved them to the end.” That includes Judas. Jesus continued to love Judas - his betrayer - to the very end. This gives me hope that, for all the ways I reject or deny or forsake or neglect Jesus in my own life, that Jesus will still love me, too. It also convicts my heart, because if Jesus loves me this way, then I should love those who deny or neglect or betray me that same way too. Only Christ is able to help us do this and, thankfully, offers us the strength we need to carry it out.  

On a different topic, this week we finish reading the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Exodus, and on Thursday and Friday we begin reading the Gospel of Mark and the Book of Leviticus, respectively. As I’ve been doing, allow me to provide some background and context for these new books as we prepare to read them.  

Gospel of Mark

In the Gospel of Mark, we are going to encounter many of the same stories and lessons that we just read in the Gospel of Matthew. Mark is much shorter than Matthew, yet Mark also includes some details of the life of Jesus that Matthew never tells us about (such as the healing of a deaf person in Mark 7:33-35 and a blind person in Mark 8:22-26). I’ve told you that the focus of the Gospel of Matthew wants us to see how the story of Jesus is really a continuation of the story of God’s faithfulness to Israel in the Old Testament. The focus of the Gospel of Mark, on the other hand, is different. Mark wants us to see how Jesus is really to be considered greater than all worldly powers. You’ll notice that Mark uses the word “immediately” frequently in chapters 1 through 10. Then, in chapters 11 through 16, his use of this word nearly ceases! That’s because chapters 11 through 16 take place in Jerusalem during Holy Week. It’s like Mark is giving us a tour of Jesus’ life at 65 MPH until we reach Holy Week, when he slows down to 35 MPH so we can see the significance of the passion of Christ. As you read through Mark, ask yourselves: How is this story about Jesus showing me that he is Lord over all, including my own life?  

Leviticus

The Book of Exodus flows very naturally into the Book of Leviticus. Exodus ends with Moses assembling the Tabernacle, after all of the various elements of the Tabernacle had been planned and constructed. It is very logical, then, that the book of Leviticus begins with a series of laws pertaining to what should happen inside the Tabernacle. Throughout Leviticus, we will be reading about different types of sacrifices and offerings, about priesthood, about ritual purity, about religious celebrations, and more. Before you conclude that the content of Leviticus is irrelevant to Christians today, just wait! Consider the fact that Jesus is actually quoting from Leviticus 19:18 when he says that the second greatest commandment is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The whole point of all the sacrificial laws and purity laws in Leviticus is to convey to us that God cares about social and moral order and considers sin to be disruptive to that order. As you read through Leviticus, ask yourselves: How might these laws have provided order to the original recipients of the laws? Even though our context is very different, what does this say to us about God’s desire for social and moral order today? 

Happy reading this week! 

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron