Fifth Week of Easter

May 18 - 24

Book of Leviticus and the Gospel of Luke

A woman, hunched over and unable to stand up straight, suffering from an eighteen-year disfigurement. A man with severe and painful swelling in his body. According to God’s command in Leviticus, neither of them would have been allowed anywhere near the presence of the LORD, yet here is Jesus, the true God, approaching them, not only to speak, but to physically touch them and bring healing.

It is difficult to imagine what it must have felt like for that woman to finally stand up straight after nearly two decades of chronic pain, or to watch the swelling simply disappear from the man’s body and to see him move with ease again. As astonishing as it might be, it pales in comparison to the real point. That comes with Jesus’ rebuttal to the rulers and religious experts who object to healing being done on the Sabbath. It isn’t simply about being kind to the downtrodden; it is about Jesus’ kingdom, where death itself is conquered by his resurrection. It is a glimpse of the place he is preparing for us, where the pain and tears brought on by sin no longer exist.

In his mercy, Jesus comes to us, too: the unnoticed, the unclean, pressed down with the weight of our sin and guilt. He brings his healing touch to our souls with his body and blood in the Sacrament, so that we can actually stand before him. And then, out of these tiny, unimpressive vessels grows true faith, a magnificent and unmistakable demonstration of his love and grace.

As we enter the final weeks of the Easter season, we, the healed sinners, can continue to rise up and rejoice in anticipation of the kingdom to come.

Fourth Week of Easter

May 11 - 17

Book of Leviticus and the Gospel of Luke

The two priests had only tried to offer incense to the LORD. It would seem like something perfectly normal for consecrated priests to do. But the LORD had not commanded the offering, and Aaron’s two sons, ceremonially unclean before the LORD, paid with their lives.

The book of Leviticus, with its detailed explanations of God’s law, can be challenging for modern readers. And if the practical task of setting down ceremonial regulation was the only purpose of the book, it would indeed be tiresome to read. But that isn’t God’s only purpose with this section of Scripture. Certainly, he wants to show what he expects his people to do, but his law also demonstrates who he is - and, in turn, who his people are: chosen, set apart for God’s purpose.

Later, In the Gospel of Luke, God’s people turn the question of identity against Jesus. They look for miracles and justice, on their own terms, as evidence of his divinity. They have become so intent upon following the law that they do not recognize its fulfillment in Jesus.

We, the new Israel, do this, too. Rather than recognizing our sin before the LORD, we demand instead that he prove himself. We want healing for ourselves and thunderbolts for our enemies, while the true enemy, death, has already been overcome in Jesus’ resurrection, and the true healing of our sinsickness is there for the taking - if only we would hear and see it in his Word.

Mercifully, our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus has made us clean. The anger of the LORD will not consume us. Jesus himself dwells in our midst with his pronouncement of forgiveness to penitent hearts, and he continues to offer it fully and freely. Following him may cost us much in worldly terms, but the treasures of life and salvation surpass all of it.

For God’s people in every age, the echo of Easter rings.