Depth of Sin; Pervasiveness of Corruption
- jacarroll71
- Feb 11, 2015
- 2 min read
Today’s reading: Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:55-75
54 This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for an itch, 55 for leprous disease in a garment or in a house, 56 and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot, 57 to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease. Leviticus 14:54-57
74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:74-75
Sin, disease, and death permeate everything in the world from human beings to houses and clothing.
One of the saddest stories in the entire Bible is the story of Peter’s denial. Over confident Peter had declared his allegiance to Jesus Christ only a few hours earlier, but here we find him in the courtyard of the high priest calling down curses on himself, swearing to his own destruction that he does not even know Him. How deep is sin in the human heart! This is a deplorable action but one which I could also be guilty of.
In the reading in Leviticus, we learn that disease can infest a building, such as a home, endangering the inhabitants. The priest had detailed instructions about how to diagnose the severity of the problem. In some happy cases, cleansing was successful, and an offering was made, and the property could be re-inhabited. This was not always the case; sometimes nothing short of demolition of the property would suffice. Again, we see that the effects of the fall which brought disease and death are pervasive.
There is no self-help book to fix the human condition. There are no easy steps to perfection of character. There is the cross of Christ, the place where our sins were paid for at the cost of the only sinless Man’s life. Peter needed that cross. So do we.
Jesus proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom of heaven, where sin is eradicated and all suffering and disease is banished forever. Lord, may your kingdom come soon in all its fullness.
I am ready for it. Are you?
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