The Scapegoat...
Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Leviticus 15:25-16:25
The Day of Atonement
1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. 2 The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.
Scapegoat:Noun (dictionary.com) 1.a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. 2. Chiefly Biblical . a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Lev. 16:8,10,26 (Painting below done by Holman Hunt)
Mark 6:1-6
A Prophet Without Honor
1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Reflections:
Our psalmist today reflects on the fact that our tongues can be used for two things. We can use our tongue to boast, deceive and plot all kinds of evil. Or, our tongues can be used to praise God for His goodness, which lasts forever. How we use our tongue is a good indicator of what we worship. Our words often reflect what is going on in our hearts. Our words are powerful and can be used to heal or to destroy. The Proverbs say, “A word aptly spoken is like golden apples in settings of silver.” Remember how you use your words today.
In Leviticus, we learn about the “scapegoat”. Two goats were brought in by the high priest on the Day of Atonement, and one was sacrificed to the Lord and the other one was sent out in the desert as a sign that it had taken the sins of the people on themselves and suffered for it, though the goat was innocent. It was a visual reminder that their sins had been taken away. When Jesus came, John the Baptist said, “Look the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.” Jesus was chosen by God to be the scapegoat for us. But this time instead of a goat, it was the innocent Son of God, who God chose.
In our gospel lesson in Mark, we see Jesus returning to his hometown. The people were amazed at his teaching, mainly because they knew where he came from and didn’t expect someone of his background to teach so well. But at the same time in their pride they took offense at him, and were not open to the ministry he could have provided. Jesus could only do a few miracles because of their lack of faith. This is where we get the saying, “A prophet is not without honor except in their hometown.”
As we experience the transformation that God wants to bring in our lives and start doing the things that Jesus did, many might be amazed that this is happening through us, especially those who are closest to us and know us best. Some people might not be able to get over who we are as humans, and be able to accept what God wants to do through us. But we shouldn’t worry because we are in good company!
All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient. Exodus 24:7
Christ says, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35
Jesus, the world will know we are your disciples by the love shown in our words and by our example to others. Let the words of our mouths, the thoughts of our hearts and our actions be to your glory. Amen.
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Leviticus 15:25-16:25
The Day of Atonement
1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. 2 The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.
Scapegoat:Noun (dictionary.com) 1.a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. 2. Chiefly Biblical . a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Lev. 16:8,10,26 (Painting below done by Holman Hunt)
Mark 6:1-6
A Prophet Without Honor
1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Reflections:
Our psalmist today reflects on the fact that our tongues can be used for two things. We can use our tongue to boast, deceive and plot all kinds of evil. Or, our tongues can be used to praise God for His goodness, which lasts forever. How we use our tongue is a good indicator of what we worship. Our words often reflect what is going on in our hearts. Our words are powerful and can be used to heal or to destroy. The Proverbs say, “A word aptly spoken is like golden apples in settings of silver.” Remember how you use your words today.
In Leviticus, we learn about the “scapegoat”. Two goats were brought in by the high priest on the Day of Atonement, and one was sacrificed to the Lord and the other one was sent out in the desert as a sign that it had taken the sins of the people on themselves and suffered for it, though the goat was innocent. It was a visual reminder that their sins had been taken away. When Jesus came, John the Baptist said, “Look the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.” Jesus was chosen by God to be the scapegoat for us. But this time instead of a goat, it was the innocent Son of God, who God chose.
In our gospel lesson in Mark, we see Jesus returning to his hometown. The people were amazed at his teaching, mainly because they knew where he came from and didn’t expect someone of his background to teach so well. But at the same time in their pride they took offense at him, and were not open to the ministry he could have provided. Jesus could only do a few miracles because of their lack of faith. This is where we get the saying, “A prophet is not without honor except in their hometown.”
As we experience the transformation that God wants to bring in our lives and start doing the things that Jesus did, many might be amazed that this is happening through us, especially those who are closest to us and know us best. Some people might not be able to get over who we are as humans, and be able to accept what God wants to do through us. But we shouldn’t worry because we are in good company!
All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient. Exodus 24:7
Christ says, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35
Jesus, the world will know we are your disciples by the love shown in our words and by our example to others. Let the words of our mouths, the thoughts of our hearts and our actions be to your glory. Amen.
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