The
reading
Hebrews
9:1-14
1 Now even the first
covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent was
constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the
bread of the Presence; this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second
curtain was a tent called the Holy of Holies. 4 In it stood the golden altar of
incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which
there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the
tablets of the covenant; 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing
the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot speak now in detail. 6 Such
preparations having been made, the priests go continually into the first tent
to carry out their ritual duties; 7 but only the high priest goes into the
second, and he but once a year, and not without taking the blood that he offers
for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people. 8 By this
the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been
disclosed as long as the first tent is still standing. 9 This is a symbol of
the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot
perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and
various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set
things right. 11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that
have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that
is, not of this creation), 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not
with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining
eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling
of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their
flesh is purified, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience
from dead works to worship the living God!
The message
For most of human history, teachers, leaders, prophets,
priests and others have all realized that people remember, connect with and
learn from images and stories better than simply facts or words. Jesus did most of his teaching about the
kingdom of God, about what God was doing in the world, who God is, through the
use of parables, teaching stories meant to share deep truths we might otherwise
miss. Instead of saying your neighbor is anyone, Jesus shares the story of the
good Samaritan, where an unclean outsider risks his own life to save someone,
Instead of Jesus saying “God is patient and forgives” Jesus shares the story of
the prodigal son, who returns home to a great welcome after betrayal, waste and
poor decisions.
The Letter to the Hebrews was written to try and restore,
light a new fire in a once excited, Christ centered community that had grown
dull and lazy Today, we hear the author of Hebrews try to do that through images
and story, telling the church, Jesus sacrifice, his death and resurrection
brings the forgiveness of sins, once and for all through using the image of the
temple, something that was well known to the first audience.
The temple was very carefully constructed, down to every
detail, there are about 6 chapters in the Old Testament describing the
materials and dimensions of the ark of the covenant, the interior and exterior
spaces and the overall layout. These blueprints
were a sign of obedience and a constant reminder that this is God’s temple. The
temple was also a hierarchical building, there were areas where only some can
pass, spaces only some could enter.
There was the holiest of holies, reserved for the high priest and even
then only once a year. This barrier so many could not pass was one of the most well
known, protected and respected barriers in the Jewish world. There were questions of if the disabled or
sick could even enter the first part of the temple, (Jesus often heals people
outside the temple wall and then sends them in to see the authorities), those
who were ritually unclean (having eaten something banned, came in contact with
an unclean person) had to be purified first.
The rituals and work of the priests serving at the temple
were a central part of religious life. The most important of these rituals was the
annual Yom Kippur sacrifice by the high priest in the holy center of the temple.
If someone was asked, how do you know your sins are forgiven, he or she could
point to this sacrifice and God’s promise attached to it. Controversially and shockingly, the author of
Hebrews describes this most sacred and ancient of work as incomplete, this sacrifice
being unable to perfect the conscious of the worshipper, it would have to be
done again and again, every year. What
if you sinned the day after the sacrifice, you would carry that sin all year
till the next time the high priest did his work. What if you died in sin, after
all, the covenant was still conditional what if what you did wasn’t included
for some reason?
This image of Jesus as the high priest takes us back to last
week, Hebrews 8, where the author declares that Jesus is a priest in the same
way and authority of Melchizek,. This is
a reference to a king that Abram encounters, right after a war is won and long
before the temple, covenant or law exists. Melchizedek is identified as a high
priest, blesses Abram and is given a tithe, 10 percent of the soils of war. Abram’s actions, accepting the blessing and
offering the tithe, establishes that Melchizedek, an outsider, not connected to
any family, education or tradition, outside any normal or traditional process,
is a high priest of God.
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have
come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is,
not of this creation), he entered once
for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with
his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
The image of the temple shows just how drastic the changes
that take place when Jesus is born, dies and rises again really are. There is
no longer a need for the sacrifice in the holiest of holies (an act that will
soon become impossible once the temple is destroyed by the Romans around 10
years after this letter is written). We
can look at Jesus words in the days before his death and resurrection, that I
will destroy the temple and rebuild it in 3 days, not one stone will be left on
stone, The collapse of barriers: the tearing down of walls, Faith will now live outside the walls of the
temple, Forgiveness of sins will not
come through a high Priest doing an annual ritual, it will come because Christ
died and rose again. This might sound
familiar, The reformation, the political and religious revolt that started our
church, stemmed from the Roman Catholic church’s attempt to add obstacles to
this news,, to put up necessary steps, indulgences, confession, penance, to
make their priests the high priest activating and controlling the forgiveness
of sins. This could not perfect people’s conscious, we are saved by faith alone,
Christ alone can perfect consciousness.
Perhaps as church, we need to always think of other
barriers, I have been calling this church, a place for everyone, which is more
ambitious that reality. if someone cannot sing, if they cannot read, if they
cannot climb, if robes creep people out, have a bad history, abused by priests,
exploited by bad pastors, The occasional phone call “is the building
accessible” and the answer is no. Is the
kingdom of God. Yes, that’s what we need to say
We had a special service here and a woman came up to the
front steps in a motorized scooter. I saw her as I walked down the block and
immediately knew I would have to tell her, I’m sorry, you cannot get inside the
sanctuary. I walked slower and slower, I didn’t want to be the one who told her
she could not enter the church, (but I also knew it was my responsibility and
there was nothing that could be done about it).
Can I go to the service, no, is she in the kingdom of God, yes.
Several emails from a woman with a Transgendered child who
was not welcome at her church, asking if the child would be welcomed by our
community. (you say you are a place for
everyone, are you? Will people stare, will people make comments, this took me
by complete surprise and I had to say “I don’t think there will be any issues
but this has never come up before and im not sure” she ended up working it out
with her priest and remaining at her church.
A young severely disabled girl I meet at a hospital who
could not be Baptized because the pastor at her church didn’t think she could
make or express an informed enough decision to accept Jesus. Are you fully
welcome in that community, no, are you in the kingdom of God, yes (a message we
could show through having a baptism then and there)
Sometimes, we may have to say, no you cannot enter here,
join us, attend, but we must also make sure we always say you are in the
kingdom of God.
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