Dead bodies (can't touch this!)

"(The high priest) shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother."

(Leviticus 21:11)

Let's be honest... the book of Leviticus is generally pretty boring stuff. Oh sure, chapter 20 gets into who you can't have sex with (which is mostly any relative or animals)... but for the most part, Leviticus is the kind of writing you just goos over quickly as you move on to something more relevant.

In chapter 21, the topic moves to priests and dead bodies. In short - they can't touch them. Why? They'll be defiled and rendered "unclean" for 7 days, thus not being alto to enter the sanctuary and fulfill their priestly duties. At the start of the chapter, a priest can only "defile himself" (or touch a dead body) of his immediate family members (parents, children, spouse, etc.). A few verse later, however, the regulations for the High Priest say that they can't even defile themselves for their own family members! wow.

Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan takes on added depth with this understanding. it's no wonder the priest in Jesus' story from Luke 10 didn't even stop to help the beat up man on the side of the road. If he was dead, it was prohibited by law!

The laws in Leviticus are set with the bigger picture in mind. They're laws that impact the community at large, and seek to keep one's relationship with God (and others) in good standing... through worship, sacrifice, and forgiveness. The priests had to think about the greater good - being able to carry out their duties for the larger community (vs. their own preferences and self-interests).

And yet, knowing that, Jesus till told a story about a priest who kept the law, but his actions weren't the ones Jesus called us to emulate. Jesus was frequently one who lifted up the spirit of the law over against the letter of the law. That's something I have to keep in the forefront of my heart - especially as an ordained minister. May I always be about grace, mercy, compassion, love, and restoration. AMEN.