Did God destroy Sodom because of flagrant homosexuality?  This seems to be a common thought today amongst many followers of Yeshua.  The fact that homosexual marriage is a prominent and growing issue in many states only strengthens the perception that God judged Sodom for this sexual immorality.  While it is clear from Scripture that homosexuality is not condoned by God, was homosexuality the “reason” God proclaimed that Sodom was wicked?  The answer, at least the answer the Bible gives us, may surprise you.

In Part I we looked at most of the references in Scripture to Sodom, but left out 2 key references.  It is to these verses in Isaiah and Ezekiel we now turn.

In today’s Wall Street Journal (15 April 2011), a recent article entitled “Is Passover the New Christmas?” caught my attention.  The opinion piece described how many Americans of all religions are finding themselves embracing the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom.  This, I think, is a good thing as God’s call for freedom should be proclaimed to all.

But what caught my attention was that a lot of this “new view” in the eyes of the author had to do with Christians “turning a Jewish ritual into a Christian one.”  She continues with the assertion that “Some Christians eager to connect with their religion’s roots in the Hebrew bible also fashion a Christianized Seder to reflect the common assumption that the Laser Supper was a Passover Seder.”  In effect, she asserts that Christians have embraced the holiday falsely.  After all, she quotes Rabbi Neil Gillman: “when you start talking about Jesus, that is no longer a Seder.”

Acts 5 recalls the story of Ananias and Sapphira who are a rather infamous couple.  They have the dubious distinction of being the earliest “martyrs” of the faith of Yeshua – believers who died, but for the for the wrong reason, and in shameful fashion to boot (compare their demise with that of Stephen in Acts 6).

We know why G-d took them: Ananias and Sapphira sold a field they had owned and donated the funds to the Apostles.  However, they lied about the price.  We know it was bad for them to lie –this is a given.  But what we don’t know, or rather what Scripture does not say explicitly, is why they were judged so quickly and definitively.