Questions about Leviticus

So, I was reading Leviticus this morning. I have some questions for more conservative interpreters of the Bible…

Here’s the thing. I’m a gay rights (and GLTB)  advocate on a heart level. I have friends that fit under the GLTB umbrella. These are friends that I know are good and decent people. Several are Christians who walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Others are Agnostic or ‘other’ in religious terms. Most are not in relationships at this time. However, the ones that are, are in committed ones, and to my knowledge would marry if they legally could. But, in our country in 2012, that is a dicy issue, primarily because religious folks in this country, of which I would guess most of whom are Christian, have a ‘thing’ against Gay marriage, due to some verses in the Bible.

So, I was reading through Leviticus to attempt to understand the abomination of homosexuality that some of my Christian counterparts see. I’m a practicing Christian who puts my emphasis on following the Word of God—the Word who became Flesh, that is.  Jesus, his example, his teachings, his whisper to my heart—these to me are my measure of what is right and wrong. But I understand some Christians put their measure in the (small w) ‘word’ of God, the literal words of the Bible. So, those that do, help me understand.

Well, here in Leviticus is one law against homosexuality:

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Leviticus 18:22 (we presume speaking to men of the time) ²² “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

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An explanation is given at the end of the chapter here:
Leviticus Chapter 18: ²⁴ “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. ²⁵ Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. ²⁶ But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

²⁹ “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.’”
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But if you go further in reading through Leviticus, there are these others verses that would give one pause, if you were a literal interpreter:
Leviticus, Chapter 19:
19 “‘Keep my decrees.
“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.
“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
(NOTE: So, why isn’t the Christian world up in arms against polyester/cotton blends? Stretch jeans would be an absolute no-no. I would be out of clothes. Why is this verse left out of current cultural interpretation and focus? Um, and what about modern farming practices, like strip farming. Is this against moral code? And, God forbid, what about the Labradoodle and the Mule? We wouldn’t have settled the West without the help of some good mules. Are we all going to Hell for that or what?.)
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27 “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
(NOTE: Dude, could we PLEASE have a law against bad facial hair? Seriously, why is this not a major concern?)
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33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
(NOTE: So, as a person who has compassion for the foreigner, I totally wish this were a focus… but it’s not. Where are Mitt and Sarah and Michelle and Newt on this page?)

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So, for those that would accuse me and my more liberal counterparts of ‘picking and choosing’ what we want to read, what about these verses? Aren’t conservative interpreteors doing the same.

Oh, and I forgot, there is the NEXT chapter.

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Leviticus, Chapter 20

Punishments for Sin

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. ³ I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. ⁴ If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, ⁵ I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

⁶ “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

⁷ “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. ⁸ Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

⁹ “‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.

¹⁰ “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

¹¹ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹² “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹³ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁴ “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.

¹⁵ “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

¹⁶ “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁷ “‘If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.

¹⁸ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.

¹⁹ “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

²⁰ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.

²¹ “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.

²² “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. ²³ You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. ²⁴ But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations.

²⁵ “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. ²⁶ You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

²⁷ “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”
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If we’re following Leviticus 20, there would be a whole lot of death-penalty going on. And what about all those food laws? Why aren’t Christians, the conservative ones, Kosher? Who is doing the picking and choosing here?

Now there are my non-religious friends that would call me and all of my religious friends crazy or delusional for believing in a supernatural God, and why do we still believe in such things anyway. Well, I do—and I don’t have a great explanation other than this: I experience a God who is good and loving, daily. I feel Christ’s call on my heart. I feel His hand in my life. It’s a heart thing. That’s how I live. And it doesn’t make sense to some Conservative Christians, as it doesn’t make sense to some of my Athiest friends.

I write all this because I am genuinely frustrated.  I think there would be more common ground if we lead with our hearts, if we could agree on common values, in valuing PEOPLE, not laws. If we knew people and were out to protect the interests of the everyday person… not CORPORATIONS, not LAWS, but PEOPLE—good, honest, loving, hard working, people that we see, live with, and work with every day. And in my mind, as a practicing Christian, I think Christians of all stripes could agree if we followed God’s ultimate law that Christ spoke:

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Luke 10:25-28
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[a]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b]"

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

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So, as this political season starts to wind up. I guarantee I will be frustrated. And I may vent. But, genuinely, I’m looking for some conversation and common ground. I truly don’t understand why that is so difficult to find. But, in this political environment of shouting matches, appealing to the extremes on both sides, there is little common ground to be spoken of. I’m looking to start it here.

**all Bible verses taken from Biblegateway.com, NIV version

Matthew 20--the kingdom and about rewards

Matthew 20

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

 1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
   3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

   “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

   7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

   “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

   8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

   9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

   13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

   16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
A Mother’s Request

 20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
   21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

   She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

   22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

   “We can,” they answered.

 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

 24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

 29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Footnotes:
Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.

Feed my Lambs; John 21:15-18

John 21:15-18
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

Luke 10:25-28 Love one another

Luke 10:25-28
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[a]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b]"

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

Love one another; John 13:34-35

John 13:34-35... Jesus said
34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

... it doesn't say, be suspicious of one another, judge one another, measure one another... it says LOVE one another. Just sayin'

Gallations 5:16-25 Fruit of the Spirit

Gallations 5:16-25
Life by the Spirit
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
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My reflections:

IMHO (In My Humble Opinion): I would say that our being saved or not is in our relationship with Christ--ongoing and dynamic. It's not a moment or an event, it's a relationship through eternity. It's not ours to call others saved or not saved. It's Christ's alone. He knows us through our relationship with him. So our responsiblity is to show love to all--to feed his lambs. With that, relationship to others that extends from our relationship with Christ allows His grace to pass though us to others--blessing the world through His people. I believe all will have a chance to know His grace. Eternity, infinity, alpha and omega are incomprehensible. Now, then, here, now are singular in Christ Jesus. With that, blessings to all!!

Beattitudes in Matthew 5:1-11

Matthew 5:1-11
The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.