Today I worked at Central Market from 7:15 am to 6:20 pm. It was fun. It's illegal to sell alcohol before noon on Sunday. There's signs all over the beer and wine section on Sunday morning stating this fact. But this foreign guy came up at 11:30 and wanted to buy a bunch of beer and wine. The checker explained that it was illegal to sell alcohol before noon on Sunday. The guy said, "but I'm going to be late for church." as if that would change the law, or cause the checker to want to break the law so this guy could get to church. He kept coming back every 5 minutes to see if he could buy it yet. I laughed at myself when I wondered if the guy had to get drunk before church or if he could just wait until it was over. Not funny though. But he waited and bought the stuff at 12:01 and was off to church.
In the Torah readings, we're in the beginning of Leviticus which describes a lot about the sacrifices; this article from torah.org brings to life what the temple was like.
Friday night my congregation will be having a Passover Seder. It will be "Good Friday" according to the Catholic calendar, but that's just a coincidence. Your calendar probably says that Passover is April 24. That's according to the traditional rabbinical timing of the holidays. But the Bible lays out a different way of keeping track of days and months. It has to do with barley and the moon. If you care at all, you can read this article about it.
Just as the temple was holy space, the Sabbath day and the biblical (not "Jewish") feast days are holy time. Just as in the temple, everything had to be done just as God said, so God is in control of times and seasons and everything should be done as he said. The feast days are closely linked with the appearances of Messiah. There is some overlap, but for the most part the Spring feasts point to Messiah's first coming (all of which he fulfilled to the very hour) and the Fall feasts point to His second coming (which will most likely be fulfilled just as precisely). The Jewish leaders in the first century didn't understand what God had been communicating to them. Now it seems Jewish and Christian leaders are missing what God has put in scripture about Messiah's second coming.
The Jews will celebrate the spring feasts a month late and ignore Jesus' role in them. The Christians will ignore the spring feasts and celebrate Jesus the way the pagans celebrated their fertility goddess.
The Jews will celebrate the fall feasts a month late and ignore Jesus' role in them. The Christians will ignore the fall feasts and celebrate Halloween inside a church building so that it doesn't seem as pagan.
All that seemingly superfluous stuff (Laws, etc.) that some Christians ignore and some make fun of and that Jews argue about, why is it in the Bible?
Why are there so many stories and illustrations in the Bible?
Why did Jesus speak in parables?
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I did my whole debate on how we follow social laws and traditions over what the Bible says. I pointed out Easter Egg Hunts and how they are not biblical. Carmen gets up later and says that he doesn't see it as bad to have Easter Egg Hunts and provides, as support, the fact that we do the same thing with Christmas. As if two wrongs make a right. Then Dr. Carmen wants us to come up with solutions for how we address churches following society instead of church. He brings up fear, but the truth is apathy. He doesn't care that he mixes the holy and profane. We take Easter, Christ's death for us so that he could spend eternity with us and throw in an Easter Bunny and think it celebrates God for his amazing sacrifice. Ridiculous!!!!
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