Whiter Than Snow...
Psalm 51:1-12
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Leviticus 14:19-57
Cleansing From Defiling Molds
33 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land, 35 the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’ 36 The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. 37 He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 38 the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. 39 On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, 40 he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. 41 He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. 42 Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.43 “If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44 the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean. 45 It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.46 “Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening. 47 Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes.
Mark 5:1-20
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Reflections: Today’s theme throughout all 3 readings is purity/cleanliness from God’s perspective. In the Psalm 51, the classic song of confession that is sung as a Liturgy in most traditional churches, David says, “Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart and restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me”
If Leviticus, we see the defiling agent is mold. It is ironic that even today with all of our modern technology to stop germs, guess what, we still have those who make a living through what…”mold remediation!” Remember too, if we think we have problems today with allergies etc., how much more mold, and diseases associated it, were debilitating in the Jewish culture. We see the holistic nature of God’s law to heal the whole person, body, soul and spirit. I.e. There is nothing particularly immoral about having mold in your house, it is just bad for you.
Finally, in Mark, we see the effect of unclean or impure spirits on a person. The man who was controlled by an impure spirit did all sorts of horrible things to themselves. I immediately thought of those who “cut themselves”! Not saying that everyone who cuts themselves has a demon, but think about it, why would someone want to do that. I know people will say that they are trying to call attention to themselves, but seriously that is a pretty desperate way to do that. But even when this man was healed of the terrible condition and his impure spirits were sent into the pigs and then into the lake, the people were mad because their economy was affected. Can you believe it? Here this man is healed of demon possession, and yet all they are concerned about is their profits. Luckily the man got it and spread the Good News of the man who healed him to all he met back in his home town.
Is there anything unclean in your life? Maybe it is your thought life, or a relationship with a person, or a relationship with something you know if bad for you. Like mold it can only grow and be destructive to you and the others around you. Maybe you can confess like David, “Cleanse me and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow!!”
One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4
The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry. Matthew 21:14-15
Gentle Physician who cures the blind and lame, we give praise and honor to you. We magnify your name by telling the world of your works. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Leviticus 14:19-57
Cleansing From Defiling Molds
33 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land, 35 the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’ 36 The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. 37 He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 38 the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. 39 On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, 40 he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. 41 He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. 42 Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.43 “If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44 the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean. 45 It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.46 “Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening. 47 Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes.
Mark 5:1-20
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Reflections: Today’s theme throughout all 3 readings is purity/cleanliness from God’s perspective. In the Psalm 51, the classic song of confession that is sung as a Liturgy in most traditional churches, David says, “Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart and restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me”
If Leviticus, we see the defiling agent is mold. It is ironic that even today with all of our modern technology to stop germs, guess what, we still have those who make a living through what…”mold remediation!” Remember too, if we think we have problems today with allergies etc., how much more mold, and diseases associated it, were debilitating in the Jewish culture. We see the holistic nature of God’s law to heal the whole person, body, soul and spirit. I.e. There is nothing particularly immoral about having mold in your house, it is just bad for you.
Finally, in Mark, we see the effect of unclean or impure spirits on a person. The man who was controlled by an impure spirit did all sorts of horrible things to themselves. I immediately thought of those who “cut themselves”! Not saying that everyone who cuts themselves has a demon, but think about it, why would someone want to do that. I know people will say that they are trying to call attention to themselves, but seriously that is a pretty desperate way to do that. But even when this man was healed of the terrible condition and his impure spirits were sent into the pigs and then into the lake, the people were mad because their economy was affected. Can you believe it? Here this man is healed of demon possession, and yet all they are concerned about is their profits. Luckily the man got it and spread the Good News of the man who healed him to all he met back in his home town.
Is there anything unclean in your life? Maybe it is your thought life, or a relationship with a person, or a relationship with something you know if bad for you. Like mold it can only grow and be destructive to you and the others around you. Maybe you can confess like David, “Cleanse me and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow!!”
One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4
The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry. Matthew 21:14-15
Gentle Physician who cures the blind and lame, we give praise and honor to you. We magnify your name by telling the world of your works. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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