Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-4
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.....
Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience. No one elects himself to this honored position, he’s called to it by God.
Today is the second Sunday in Lent, and this is not the lectionary choice for today But for any of you who are reading our Lent Devotional this year this reading will sound somewhat familiar because two of our daily readings came from this same bit of scripture in one week.
That doesn’t happen very often, but there they are – one last Tuesday, written by Quinn Caldwell, and the other written by Mary Luti, for Saturday.
The fact that these two are my absolute favorites out of the many excellent writers who contribute to these devotionals may have influenced my initial interest, but it is also interesting that from such a short reading both writers found something different to write about. They are similar, but still different.
That’s probably because the Letter to the Hebrews is an interesting book. For ages it was considered to have been written by Paul, but most scholars today think it was more likely to be someone who knew all Paul’s works and agreed with them – but someone who was themselves highly educated and wrote with a different, smoother syntax than Paul. There is still a fairly large group who suggest it may have been written by Priscilla – the female half of a missionary couple who traveled with Paul.
Whoever wrote it, Hebrews was likely written to Jews who may have been beginning to doubt that Jesus truly was the long-awaited messiah since they were expecting a militant king, but this letter reminds those waverers that the messiah was also prophesied to be a priest, and this is the resurrected Jesus’ primary calling – to be our High Priest – the mediator between God and humankind.
A mediator is an intermediary or go-between. One who works between two people or factions at odds with each other and seeks to bring them together. And Jesus, as our High Priest, listens to God with love, and speaks for us with love and compassion.
This has always been the role of the priest – to stand between God and the people. Whether on a mountain-side or in a jungle, in a temple or a cathedral, the role of the priest has always been to stand before God and bring God’s words to the people and in turn, to bring the people’s prayers and needs and present them to God for help and healing.
Whether we are using mediator in a legal setting or in a religious one the very use of the mediator suggests that we have two factions who are unreconciled, unable to speak directly to one another and be heard.
Unfortunately, this is an image I think many of us have been given about our relationship with God, that we are doomed to be opposing factions. Either God is seen as only interested in rules, one who doesn’t really understand our fears and needs or we humans are just disobedient children, not interested or willing to listen to any of those rules. We’ve even been taught to accept that we are so wicked that Jesus was forced to die for us.
I don’t like this image ..... and I don’t believe it, not for a moment. How can the God who brought us into being ever look at us with anything but love and understanding? How can the Jesus who lived among us and experienced life as one of us not understand our strengths and weaknesses?
I do not believe that I cannot speak directly with God or listen for what God is telling me. But, I’m entirely willing to admit that my listening isn’t always perfect -- surprise! Many times I have benefitted from hearing what others have heard that I have missed.
I am not remotely claiming that I can do it all on my own, just “me and God”, because I believe, seriously, that God speaks to us through other people – always. And I believe in the prayers I know others have prayed with and for me. I’ve always liked it when I’ve known my friend Cheryl is praying for me because I think God hears her prayers better than mine ‘cause she’s a nicer person.
I’m not sure God needs help understanding us, but I am sure we usually need all the help we can get in understanding God.
And if we do need an advocate, a mediator between God and us, I’m so very grateful the one we have is Jesus – one who loves the lost and hurting, the grieving and the hungry – the one who loves us unconditionally.
The person who spoke the Beatitudes is always the one I want on my side. With a God who loves us and a mediator who loves us and stands for us, we are truly in good hands.
I hope I can always try my best to stand for others as Jesus stands for us.
That doesn’t happen very often, but there they are – one last Tuesday, written by Quinn Caldwell, and the other written by Mary Luti, for Saturday.
The fact that these two are my absolute favorites out of the many excellent writers who contribute to these devotionals may have influenced my initial interest, but it is also interesting that from such a short reading both writers found something different to write about. They are similar, but still different.
That’s probably because the Letter to the Hebrews is an interesting book. For ages it was considered to have been written by Paul, but most scholars today think it was more likely to be someone who knew all Paul’s works and agreed with them – but someone who was themselves highly educated and wrote with a different, smoother syntax than Paul. There is still a fairly large group who suggest it may have been written by Priscilla – the female half of a missionary couple who traveled with Paul.
Whoever wrote it, Hebrews was likely written to Jews who may have been beginning to doubt that Jesus truly was the long-awaited messiah since they were expecting a militant king, but this letter reminds those waverers that the messiah was also prophesied to be a priest, and this is the resurrected Jesus’ primary calling – to be our High Priest – the mediator between God and humankind.
A mediator is an intermediary or go-between. One who works between two people or factions at odds with each other and seeks to bring them together. And Jesus, as our High Priest, listens to God with love, and speaks for us with love and compassion.
This has always been the role of the priest – to stand between God and the people. Whether on a mountain-side or in a jungle, in a temple or a cathedral, the role of the priest has always been to stand before God and bring God’s words to the people and in turn, to bring the people’s prayers and needs and present them to God for help and healing.
Whether we are using mediator in a legal setting or in a religious one the very use of the mediator suggests that we have two factions who are unreconciled, unable to speak directly to one another and be heard.
Unfortunately, this is an image I think many of us have been given about our relationship with God, that we are doomed to be opposing factions. Either God is seen as only interested in rules, one who doesn’t really understand our fears and needs or we humans are just disobedient children, not interested or willing to listen to any of those rules. We’ve even been taught to accept that we are so wicked that Jesus was forced to die for us.
I don’t like this image ..... and I don’t believe it, not for a moment. How can the God who brought us into being ever look at us with anything but love and understanding? How can the Jesus who lived among us and experienced life as one of us not understand our strengths and weaknesses?
I do not believe that I cannot speak directly with God or listen for what God is telling me. But, I’m entirely willing to admit that my listening isn’t always perfect -- surprise! Many times I have benefitted from hearing what others have heard that I have missed.
I am not remotely claiming that I can do it all on my own, just “me and God”, because I believe, seriously, that God speaks to us through other people – always. And I believe in the prayers I know others have prayed with and for me. I’ve always liked it when I’ve known my friend Cheryl is praying for me because I think God hears her prayers better than mine ‘cause she’s a nicer person.
I’m not sure God needs help understanding us, but I am sure we usually need all the help we can get in understanding God.
And if we do need an advocate, a mediator between God and us, I’m so very grateful the one we have is Jesus – one who loves the lost and hurting, the grieving and the hungry – the one who loves us unconditionally.
The person who spoke the Beatitudes is always the one I want on my side. With a God who loves us and a mediator who loves us and stands for us, we are truly in good hands.
I hope I can always try my best to stand for others as Jesus stands for us.
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