Volume 8 Post/Email 1 – Clean or Unclean?
This is the title of my Easter lesson this year and my text is Matthew chapters 8 and 9. The book of Matthew is the most Jewish of the four gospels. Much of the book is about this title. In Matthew 15 there is a lengthy discourse about "Clean" versus "Unclean." However, the theme begins directly after the Sermon on the Mountainside (chs. 5-7). Several stories in the narrative of chapters 8 and 9 are about the harshly divided categories of clean and unclean (at least 4 in ch. 8 and another 4 in ch. 9 totaling 8). I will only reference 3 on elguy for painting the picture and providing some application.
In 8:1-4, Jesus allows a leper to approach him and Jesus even touches him. No doubt an orthodox Jew would have stayed away because of seeing him as being unclean.
In 8:5-13, Jesus cares for and heals a centurion's servant. Again, to an orthodox Jew, this Roman soldier would be considered unclean and unworthy of association as a Gentile. The most shocking statement is when Jesus claims that he has not found such great faith in all of Israel!
At the end of chapter 8, Jesus approaches two demon-possessed men living among the dead(!) as unclean men and drives out the evil spirits. The irony is that Jesus winds up trading positions and treated as one unclean because the entire town pleads with him to leave their region. One would think they would request Jesus to help heal uncles, cousins, and such from their demons. It seems they value possessions over people since so many swine rushed down the steep bank and died in the water.
So, what do we do with this? How do these stories challenge our orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right behavior)?
The traditional church mindset is to have someone agree with what we believe and do and then we accept them into our fellowship. Basically, acceptance can only happen when repentance happens first.
However, Jesus operated in a completely different scope. Acceptance came first. Repentance might follow, but not every person who came into contact with Jesus changed their life. Nevertheless, that didn't seem to change His acceptance of them.
Who are we seeing and treating as unclean? Who are we cold and exclusive toward?
After we identify these, are we willing to stop doing so and instead be Jesus to them?
Are we willing to evangelize to the stigmatized and marginalized?
Here's the kicker: we are ALL unclean! What did Jesus do? He became unclean on the cross so that we might be declared clean!
In each of the 8 stories in these 2 chapters, the faith of the individual(s) is highlighted. Each is "clean" and accepted in God's kingdom and family because of their faith!
Acts 15:8-9 reads, "God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us (Hebrews) and them (Gentiles), for he purified their hearts by faith." We are not cleansed by our works, but by faith in Christ!
And finally, Acts 10:28 records Peter's statement about his vision and revelation - "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."
-Brian
