Human bodies are flesh and blood held together by skin. When things attacked skin or life leaked out of holes in our skin Leviticus marked a person as unclean as a reminder of life under the curse of death. Jesus makes people whole so that we can be made holy as his Spirit dwells in us.

God's priestly Old Testament people are called to separate clean from the unclean; to eat food that isn't tainted by the ground or 'serpentlike' in its connection to death. God's priestly New Testament people are invited to see holiness as a matter of the heart and separate clean from unclean desires.

For the God of Heaven to dwell with his earthlings)on earth there needs to be atonement, and for atonement to happen there needs to be a priestly heavenling operating in holy space.

Leviticus sets up a system to solve a problem where Moses and Israel can't draw near to God in order to be his holy people living in his presence.

Jesus' last words in Matthew are a promise that makes the hard words from the Gospel possible.

Does God forsake Jesus at the cross? And what does it mean for us when we feel abandoned?

Jesus says whatever we do for the least in the kingdom, we do for him — and our future depends on it.

The kingdom of heaven turns our priorities upside down. Jesus invites us to let go of treasures on earth, empty our hands and grab hold of him to receive treasures in heaven.

Jesus calls us to be captured by the vision of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus says his kingdom is built on forgiveness.