The Sixth Sunday of Easter (OT)

Ezekiel 24:1-14

In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. ³ And utter a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

“Set on the pot, set it on;

pour in water also;

⁴ put in it the pieces of meat,

all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder;

fill it with choice bones.

⁵ Take the choicest one of the flock;

pile the logs under it;

boil it well;

seethe also its bones in it.

⁶ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice. ⁷ For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. ⁸ To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. ⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great. ¹⁰ Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up. ¹¹ Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. ¹² She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! ¹³ On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you. ¹⁴ I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

The Lord is going to judge his holy city. The enemy is at the gates. The Lord comes to the people with a parable. The parable is simple. The people are a pot ready to be boiled. They did not hide their bloody acts from God. They left them out in plain site to mock him. Thus, the Lord is going to judge his people.

Here again you have parable that may be very difficult to understand. What does a pot of Water have to do with Israel? What is meant by these choice pieces of meat? Why are you adding bones to your soup?  Are we supposed to enjoy eating the marrow that is boiled out of the bones?

I have not had very many boney soups. I would have to listen to other people's thoughts with regards to bones in their soup. But I know there are bones in the city. I know that the city was the choice city of God. But the city has been filled with blood. The pot has become corrosive. This pot is no longer good for cooking.

The question for every sinful human being today is: Are you a corrosive pot? Are you living in a city that has blood on its hands? Does God desire to cleanse you from your sins? Well I know that the last one is true. I am not going to talk about your corrosiveness on other people, nor about your cities bloody hands.

Jesus Christ was sent into the World to save you from your sins. He was sent to die for the sins of the World. He was sent to cleanse the world from its corruption. He died on the cross for the sins of the World. He died to cleanse the world with his blood. There is definitely blood on his hands, but that blood is for your forgiveness.