Bible Study with Jairus- Leviticus 19
There are a lot of details stipulated in the law in Leviticus 19. For example, in verse 19 (NIV), it says, “Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.” How can we understand what this means? Each time we read a portion of scripture, we have a person lead the discussion by sharing some thoughts about the chapter and asking questions that they may have. Then we all engage in discussion.
The question raised by the woman who was leading our Bible Study, was that she often talks to her atheist friends and they argued with her saying that: "The accounts in the Old Testament are really behind the times, you see, the hybrid wheat has saved a lot of people’s lives. But the Bible wrote that you cannot cross two different seeds. It’s really outdated."
How can we come to an understanding in this situation? Imagine if the Lord Jesus was here today and faced with this question. How would He answer? Another woman asked the question, “should we use genetic modification?” We may not know exactly how the Lord would answer but we do know that when the Pharisees, teachers of the law, elders and chief priests challenged Jesus’ behavior in eating with tax collectors and prostitutes that the same principles can apply.
Based on the principle described in Leviticus 19, let’s take a look. Jesus is a Jew. The Jews should not have dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus is also a man, and a man should not talk with a Samaritan woman, but He had done this. When He did this, not only did his disciples express surprise, but even the Samaritan woman was shocked. She said, “Are you not a Jew? Why did you ask a Samaritan woman for a drink?” This clearly reveals that the Jews didn’t speak with the Samaritans at that time. In addition, the analogy in the parable of the Good Samaritan told by Jesus is also a great breakthrough in the Jewish idea. Perhaps, the person who was attacked by robbers is unclean, and if the Levite and the priest touch Him, they may become unclean, affecting their observance of Sabbath rules and rituals.
Why did the Jews think so? This is the application of the principle. The Jews are God's chosen people, and God does not allow them to intermarry with Gentiles, or mix with the sinners, thereby, tarnishing them. So when Jesus and the tax collectors who are dining together, or the sinful woman kissing His feet there, the teachers of the law, the priests, the elders, and the Pharisees felt that Jesus violated this commandment. But we know that Jesus has His own reason for doing this.
Why did the teachers of the law, the priests, the elders, and the Pharisees think that Jesus had violated the rules? Who is in wrong here? The teachers of the law are doing what they are doing in accordance with the rules of Jehovah in the Old Testament. So in the literal sense, there is nothing wrong with it. Of course, the Lord Jesus is God, and He certainly can't be wrong. But how do we discern the difference between the two?
A theological teacher at the United Theological Seminary in the United States tells a new version of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and may help us understand this difference more deeply.
