In a series of encounters with Gentiles, a Jew converses with an Egyptian in the ancient world. They talk of their sacrificial systems. The Egyptian says:
"We are most scrupulous for cleanliness," he was saying. "We believe that purity is necessary if we are to please the gods. We drink from cups of bronze and rinse them out every day. We wear garments of linen that are always newly washed." He gestured elegantly at his robe, which was indeed dazzling white. "We priests - we are called wab because we are purified - we shave ourselves all over our bodies every other day, so that no lice or any foul thing comes on us. We wear only linen, and sandals of papyrus. We wear no wool in the presence of the gods. We wash ourselves in cold water twice a day and twice in a night, in the sacred lake near the temple. Before we enter the temple, we have to chew natron to cleanse our breath and we have to fumigate ourselves with incense. We must keep ourselves from women during the days before we are to serve the god. We have countless services to perform for our gods, so they will be favorable to us." (Leithart, Delivered, 44)
The same Jewish traveler in Greece makes observations about a statue of Athena:
"In one hand she held a spear and in the other a shield depicting the Athenian slaughter of the Amazons. Another battle, between gods and giants, was depicted on the inside of her shield, and her sandals were decorated with scenes of the war between the Lapiths and the centaurs. The rest of the building was decorated with other scenes of the tale of Athena - her birth from the head of her father Zeus on the east pediment. Their temples are temples to gods of battle, but I wonder if the Athenians are not more worshipers of their own strength than the strength of the gods. I wonder if they do not boast more in their own flesh than in their gods." (Delivered, 58)
We sense here in the Jewish traveler the dubious sensibility that this is all a charade, which caused Jews and Christians to nearly do away with sacrifice entirely:
"Christianity entered the world, after all, announcing the end of sacrifice. The letter to the Hebrews contrasts the multiple, yet impotent, offerings of the Levitical system with the once-for-all offering on the cross, which has power to save forever. Deviating from both Judaism and paganism, most Christians gave up animal sacrifice entirely and introduced a nearly unthinkable religion without temples and altars, without blood, fire, and vapor of smoke." (Leithart, quoted from First Things magazine)
This traveler is mindful that the sacrificial systems of the ancient world operated in sham purity and cleanliness rituals. Established to hold death at bay, they keep entire societies in thrall to death. Christianity puts an end to all sacrifice. Nearly. It nearly does this, but not entirely. Because sacrifice is still important, not because we need many rules and policies to govern purity and cleanliness. Christ has taken care of that. We need sacrifice because death needs to be put to death. And for that to happen, "flesh" needs to die, and the old "elementary forces" need to end.
Paul describes the way Christ has dealt with flesh in Colossians 2:8-23:
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." (Col. 2:9-12)
Flesh as it is expressed here, is not referring to our bodies of flesh and bones. That flesh is good. Flesh, as Leithart writes, is a "master metaphor to describe the condition of humanity following the fall." (Delivered, 78)
Another key phrase from Colossians 2 is what Paul describes as the "elements:"
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." (Col. 2:8)
"Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" (Col. 2:20-21)
Our Jewish traveler encountered people living under the elements according to flesh. No one will ever pass into Eden this way. Paul is telling us in these passages that Christ's death allows people to cross over death, to pass into Eden, without actually dying. As they participate in Christ's death through baptism, they are not literally put to death, but are able to pass into the "Christian era", so to speak, where they are able to live by a different physics that is not according to flesh and the elemental spiritual forces of the world. Flesh is killed. So are the elemental spiritual forces.
A "taste not, touch not" ethic like we've encountered here leaves its participants as children and slaves. Christ's sacrifice, in putting flesh to death, allows for growth and maturity, so that we don't do away with sacrifice, but enter more fully into Christ's sacrifice.
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