Have people close to you ever thought you were crazy? Have they accused you of being a fanatic or turning away from your family traditions? Or have you ever had to choose between honoring Christ and honoring those traditions?

And what about outside the family, maybe in the workplace or at school? Have you ever been subjected to belittlement or persecution because you took a stand for Christ?

Why does God allow His children to experience rejection and persecution, anyway? Could there be a purpose to it?

And from our Old Testament reading about the sacrifices required for a leper, what do sacrificed birds, blood, water, and other rituals have to do with our relationship with God? Why was it important enough for God to record it in His Word?

Read about these and other subjects in today’s post.

Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post. And … this year you’ll find the daily “Bible in a Year” posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up. (If you already receive them, no need to sign up again.)

Today’s Readings:

Leviticus 14
Psalm 26.1-5
Proverbs 10.6-7
Mark 3.20-35

When Faith & Family Traditions Collide

Mark 3.20-35:

Family Traditions

Has your family ever called you a fanatic because you have a genuine relationship with God or have begun to take your walk with Him seriously? Have they gotten upset because you left behind family traditions to attend a different church?

If someone close to you thinks you’re crazy, you’re in good company! Look at verse 21, speaking of Jesus:

But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind’ (v. 21).

This passage ends with a truth we need to remember when people close to us criticize us for honoring Christ.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.’ But He answered them, saying, ‘Who is My mother, or My brothers?’ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother’ (vv. 31-35).

It wasn’t that Jesus no longer cared about His family. In fact, as He hung on the cross, He made provision for His mother’s care (Jn. 19.26-27). But He understood that God’s call on His life was a higher calling than family traditions or even family ties.

Strained Relationships

Through the years, I’ve seen the strain it can put on family relationships when someone gets serious about his or her walk with God.

Believers have been accused of taking their religion too seriously, told they are so heavenly-minded they are of no earthly good, called goody-two-shoes, and been accused of being in cults.

In some cultures, believers are disowned by their families. Some have even been murdered by their own relatives. We need to be thankful that few of us in the West have encountered that kind of persecution.

For most of us, while it can be personally hurtful, what we experience has been more about sarcastic remarks and criticism.

Fanatical for Jesus

But isn’t it interesting that it’s acceptable to be a fanatic for a sports team, a college, a political candidate, or a cause? You might even get your fifteen minutes of fame on some jumbo-tron, be interviewed on TV (Is anyone else amazed at what people will say on camera?), or receive some other kind of positive attention. But if we’re “fanatical for Jesus,” we’re thought to be weird and often told by friends and family that we should tone it down!

While it’s OK to have a favorite team and support candidates who stand for what is morally right, our walk with God is what should impact every area of our lives. And while we may love our family and struggle to leave behind some traditions, we need to remember what Jesus said to the religious people of His time:

Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the traditions of men (Mk. 7.8).

Of course, we should do all we can to love our families and many family traditions are God-honoring and help us and our children have a sense of personal history. But when those traditions keep us from growing in Christ, we must choose to put Him first.

Persecution Tests the Genuineness of Our Faith

But persecution is real and it hurts, especially when it comes from those closest to you. May we remember Peter’s words to the persecuted church in his day:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1.3-7).

Let’s live with these truths in mind. When we do, we can love those who are acting unlovable, pray for them, and entrust ourselves to Him.

Today’s Other Readings:

Leviticus 14:

Types & Shadows

Well, like yesterday, there’s more in today’s reading about leprosy. What on earth does all this mean to you and me today?

When we read the Old Testament we need to remember that the events, God’s dealings with His people, and the ceremonial laws were often types and shadows of things to come. Many of these were fulfilled during Christ’s life here on earth, as well as, His death, burial, and resurrection. Other things are yet to be fulfilled.

Ceremonial Cleansing

Verses 4-9 talk about the ceremonial cleansing of a leper after he had been healed. Bear with me as you read this. You’ll be tempted like me to just scan it because it seems so far removed from our New Testament understanding.

4 then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.

8 He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. 9 But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows—all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.

A Picture of Christ’s Work on the Cross

Matthew Henry in his Commentary on the Whole Bible said the mixture of blood and water had its fulfillment in Christ’s death when blood and water came out of his pierced side. The slain bird represented Christ dying for our sins, and the living bird His resurrection. Dipping the living bird in the blood of the slain bird illustrates the fact that without His death He could not have risen for our justification for sin.

The living bird was set free just as the leper was no longer restricted from contact with people. He was free to go where he pleased.

We have not only been forgiven of our sins but have been freed from the power of sin in our lives. We’re free to live a life that’s pleasing to God.

The former leper shaved off his hair, his beard, and his eyebrows. He was to do all that he could to thoroughly clean himself from any remaining defilement from the disease. As believers, no longer under judgment, we are to do all that we can to live a life free from sin and pleasing to God.

True Discipleship

Cleansing from sin, represented here by leprosy, required a lot of effort. It cost a lot in time and trouble and sacrifice. And it cost Christ a great deal when He became that sacrifice for our leprous sins!

True discipleship has a cost, too. There are times when we’ll be persecuted for righteousness (Jn. 15.20) as we talked about above, times when we need to withdraw from relationships that pull us back into old lifestyles (1 Cor. 15.33), and times when we need to obey God in spite of our feelings to the contrary. It means fleeing temptation (2 Tim. 2.2), loving our enemies (Matt. 5.43-44), and overcoming evil with good (Rom. 12.21).

Come to think of it, maybe these hard-to-understand passages have a lot to say to us today.

Psalm 26.1-5:

Vindicate Me, O Lord

More types and shadows, this psalm and many of the prophetic psalms written by David speak both of his own life and serve as a picture of Christ. In David’s case, he couldn’t claim to be without sin, but he trusted God to not only examine him and reveal his sin, but also, to cleanse him when he repented. He understood the grace and forgiveness of God.

We, too, when we have a genuine desire to walk in integrity and when we are quick to repent and accept God’s forgiveness, can say with David …

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip (v. 1).

Proverbs 10.6-7:

The Memory of the Righteous

This passage speaks of God’s judgment on good and evil in this life and the kind of legacy we leave when we are gone. Let’s pray that we leave a godly legacy to our children and grandchildren.

Even if you came to the Lord late in your life and your children are grown, you can still be a godly influence on them no matter how old they are. Be transparent about your mistakes (that doesn’t mean every detail!) and share with them God’s love and forgiveness.

Many people are hesitant to share their testimonies with others, especially their own children, sometimes out of shame and other times out of fear. While we need to be careful not to memorialize our sin, instead, to point to Christ and His grace, each of us has a unique testimony. And we should “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3.15).

Closing Thoughts:

Have you had to leave behind some family traditions? How have you handled it?

Have you ever shared your testimony? If not, sit down and write it out or think it through so that you’ll be “ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” If you’re not sure how to begin, it should have three parts: your life before Christ, how you came to know Him, and what your life is like now.

And finally … what is God saying to you through today’s readings? What do you need to do or change? And what is your plan to do so? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about friendship, the condition of our hearts, and the secret things of the Lord. We’ll also look at these questions, “Why does the Bible talk so much about blood?” and “Can demons be religious?”

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them. 

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.