Feasting on Freedom

Feasting on Freedom

Old Made New Pt. 8: Lev 11

Pastor Tim Brisson

Intro

announcements

Easter

Baptism week after Easter

Ever feel out of place at a fancy dinner?

Offerring

First meal goes wrong

Genesis 3:6–7 NRSV

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED - TO SHAME

they tried to cover themselves

Passover meal

Exodus 12:11–13 (NRSV)

11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.

13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

the blood is a covering

No sin is mentioned here

the covering is part of their salvation, their rescue

so they are prescribed a detailed menu, no room for error

and they eat it in a hurry

each family around a table

covered by the blood of the lamb

while God is executing judgement

we will pick up this theme at Easter

Exodus 12:14 (NRSV)

14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

remember this meal and what happened on this day

Let’s turn to tonight’s text

Clean and Unclean Foods

very little guidance on what is clean

largely a list of unclean foods

interspersed with broad categories of what is permissible

but God never exactly tells us WHY

but He seems to tell us it is about the food, but its NOT about the food

he is teaching us table manners

Main text

Leviticus 11:41–47 (NRSV)

41 All creatures that swarm upon the earth are detestable; they shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever moves on its belly, and whatever moves on all fours, or whatever has many feet, all the creatures that swarm upon the earth, you shall not eat; for they are detestable.

43 You shall not make yourselves detestable with any creature that swarms; you shall not defile yourselves with them, and so become unclean. 44 For I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth.

45 For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.

46 This is the law pertaining to land animal and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms upon the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

PASSOVER HAD A STRICT MENU AND INSTRUCTIONS

we are now charged with making the distinction between the clean and unclean

we must be holy

we must make ourselves other than, sanctified, set apart for God’s purposes

the priests are now charged with guiding the Israelites in making these distinctions

but we are priests of our holy temple

so we set our own table

PARENTS - EVER WATCH YOUR KIDS SET THE TABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME?

GOD’S THEME HERE:

WE ARE TO SANCTIFY OURSELVES

WE ARE NOT TO DEFILE OURSELVES

FOR GOD RESCUED US FROM OUR EGYPT, OUR OWN SELF-IMPOSED SLAVERY

SO WE SHOULD BE HOLY AS HE IS HOLY

AND THIS ALL POINTS TO HOLY WEEK

LUKE LOVED HIS TABLES

THE LAST SUPPER

Luke 22:12–13 NRSV

12 He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.” 13 So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

Luke 22:14–16 NRSV

14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

WHO IS AT THIS MEAL?

IN JOHN’S ACCOUNT, THIS IS THE FOOT WASHING

MANDY THURSDAY EVENTS SHOW THE COMPLETE UPSIDE DOWN NATURE

FEEDING THE 5,000

Luke 9:13–17 (NRSV)

13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”

14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 They did so and made them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

17 And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

WE ARE TO DO LIKEWISE

WHO WAS THERE?

ANY SINNERS?

HE HAS THEM ALL SIT DOWN AND SET THERE OWN LITTLE PICNIC TABLES OF 50 EACH

JESUS BLESSES WHAT THEY HAVE, AND BREAKS BREAD WITH EVERYONE

AND HANDS THE BREAD TO THE DISCIPLES TO GIVE OUT

AND WE ARE TO DO LIKEWISE

WE ARE TO BRING OTHERS TO THE TABLE

WE ARE TO BREAK BREAD WITH OTHERS

THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

Luke 24:28–31 (NRSV)

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.

IT IS AROUND THE TABLES THAT WE SEE THE LOVE OF GOD, THE GOODNESS OF GOD

BUT BREAKING BREAD MOVES US TO WITNESS

Luke 24:33–35 (NRSV)

33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

CAN YOU SEE LUKE’S NARRATIVE NOW

IT WAS MADE KNOWN TO THEM IN THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD

HE WAS MADE KNOWN TO THEM AROUND THE TABLE

The Crucifixion

THE CROSS CANNOT STOP THE TABLE

Luke 24:36–43 (NRSV)

36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.

THE MEAL GOES ON

Book of Acts

Acts 2:41–42 NRSV

41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 2:46–47 (NRSV)

46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home (from house to house) and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Peter and Cornelius

Acts 10:11–15 (NRSV)

11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air.

13 Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”

IT IS ABOUT THE FOOD, BUT NOT ABOUT THE FOOD

WHO ARE WE TO INVITE?

PETER HAD A HARD TIME GETTING THIS RIGHT

PAUL ENDS UP CORRECTING HIM LATER WHEN PETER GOES BACK TO HIS OLD WAYS

THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT DINNER

Luke 14:21–24 (NRSV)

21 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’

23 Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’ ”

THIS MINISTRY IS ABOUT GOING INTO THE STREETS AND ROADS AND LANES

AND BRINGING IN THE LOST, THE INVISIBLE TO THE TABLE

GIVING THOSE IN THE DARKNESS A SEAT AT THE TABLE

WHERE THEIR EYES CAN BE OPENED

WHERE THEY CAN BE HEARD

THE PEOPLE WITH THE ACCESS DONT APPRECIATE IT, THEY GOT EXCUSES

THEY TAKE THEIR ACCESS FOR GRANTED

BUT THE LOST

THE LEAST OF THESE

THEY ARE NOT AT THE TABLE

MAYBE THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN AT THE TABLE

THEY’RE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

IN LEVITICUS GOD CHARGES US WITH SETTING OUR OWN TABLES

DISCERNING CLEAN FROM UNCLEAN

SANCTIFYING OURSELVES

BEING HOLY BECAUSE HE IS HOLY

JESUS NOT ONLY CHARGES US WITH SETTING OUR OWN TABLE ANY WAY WE WANT

BUT HE CHARGES US WITH FILLING THE SEATS

HE GIVES US THE BREAD

NOW WE FIND THE HUNGRY

AND WE INVITE THEM TO ANOTHER TABLE

THE TABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST

Revelation 19:6–10 (NRSV)

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, “Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready;

8 to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

FROM BEING KICKED OUT OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN

TO BE AT THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB

THAT IS GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR REDEMPTION

YOU HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE

AND THERE IS STILL ROOM

JESUS COMMANDS US TO GO AND INVITE OTHERS

BUT JESUS WARNS US

DON’T FAIL TO INVITE SOMEONE BECAUSE OF PETER’S MISTAKE

DON’T MAKE PETER’S MISTAKE BY CALLING SOMETHING - OR SOMEONE- UNCLEAN THAT GOD HAS CALLED CLEAN

EVERYONE GETS A SEAT

EVEN THOSE THAT MIGHT DENY OR BETRAY YOU

IN OTHER WORDS

EVEN THOSE THOSE THAT HAVE HURT YOU GET A SEAT

THAT IS FORGIVENESS

COME BACK TO THE TABLE WE IMPLORE OTHERS

WHO IS AT YOUR TABLE?

WHO SHOULD BE AT YOUR TABLE THAT IS MISSING?

WHO CAN YOU INVITE TODAY?

COMMUNION

14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.