When the Law of sacrifices was given the Lord was very clear
about what was an acceptable sacrifice.
Sacrifices had to be without blemish, they had to be the best of the
best animals. Sacrifice was costly. If the sacrifice was for sin, the price of
the animal, whether purchased or culled from one's own flocks and herds, reminded
the sinner of the seriousness of sin as violation against God's covenant and
His holiness. If the sacrifice was for
thanksgiving it revealed the thankfulness of the worshipper. When Cain brought the first sacrifice it was
some of the fruit of the ground but when Abel brought his, it was "the firstborn
of his flock and of their fat portions."
Our worship reveals what we believe about God and when we offer less
than the best we have to offer we fail to ascribe the worth and honor due to
Him. In our case, we diminish the value
of His sacrifice of His Son. The priests
in the Old Testament stood in the shoes of God in examining the sacrifice, they
taught the people what was acceptable to God by their approval of the
offering. They failed to honor Him and
to uphold His Law, and ultimately that taught not only Israel wrongly about the
Lord, but also outsiders. Worship is a
serious matter because God is a serious matter.
That is why we have the Collect for Purity right at the front of the
liturgy.
In that first lesson God asks a question that says there is
a disconnect between the titles given to Him by the people and their actions in
worship towards Him. They call Him
Father and Master but they treat Him as inconsequential. Here, the lepers come to Jesus by calling Him
master and ask for mercy. His response
is to tell them to present themselves to the priests. The only reason to do so is if they were
healed, so that the priests could certify they were indeed healed and whole,
suitable for worship and also the fellowship of the nation. Their going at His command indicates that they
have faith. As they went, they were
healed, their errand was not a fool's errand.
One, a Samaritan, returns to praise God who healed him. The rest, apparently, continued on their
way. The Samaritan likely wondered why
he was headed to the temple, he would be rejected not because of his leprosy
but because he was a Samaritan. The rest
esteemed the priesthood and the temple above the one who healed them.
James enumerates the ways in which we bear false witness to
the Lord in the same way Malachi did concerning the sacrifices. When we allow jealousy and ambition to rule
us we reveal that we don't believe He loves us as individuals and that He is
not our greatest good. When our desires
are for things of earth, we covet and spend our lives working for their
acquisition. When we speak evil of one
another we reveal to the world that we are the people of a God who speaks evil
of us rather than a God who died for sinners.
We are to be a different people because of the cross, the resurrection,
the Ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit but we allow ourselves to be
ruled by, mastered by, our passions. Who
is your master and how would anyone know?
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