When anyone sins unintentionally… (Leviticus 4:2).
When Leviticus uses the phrase sins unintentionally,
it might be better rendered as wanders away into sin, or does
wrong. Ignorance of the law was no excuse. If anyone engaged in actions or
behaviors and only later found out those things were infractions of the law, he
was (they were) still guilty. The real difference between the sin offering
and the guilt offering was that the sin offering was for more general
sins, while the guilt offering included restitution for harming or injuring
another person.
Whether between persons, or between humanity and God, these
laws are for maintaining relationship and restoring that relationship once it
has been broken.
An interesting component of this passage is the concept of
community sin. Too often we think of sin as only the individual’s offense
rather than allowing for sin shared by an entire community. The church is not
innocent of wrongdoing. Whether it’s the crusades, the Inquisition, genocide of
native peoples in the name of manifest destiny, dehumanizing women, races,
religions and now gays and lesbians, or our misguided attempt to force an
Evangelical system of government on the rest of America [3]; the church… the
Christian community is not innocent.
There are sins for which our communities (countries,
political parties, religions, denominations, ethnic groups, congregations,
genders, etc.) need to repent.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
How will you, as a member of
the church, encourage or facilitate repentance in (or on the part of) your
Christian community this week?
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