A Whole New Thing
The Letter to the Hebrews is really more of a sermon than a letter. And in today’s passage, we find ourselves in the midst of a sprawling section in which the preacher is explaining how Jesus’ death on the cross, the shedding of his blood, puts an end to the Temple sacrificial system as the primary means of repentance and redemption for God’s people. For those of us who are a long way removed—in time, space, and culture—from animal sacrifice as an act of contrition and worship, it may feel very strange, and the amount of time the preacher spends on this can seem a bit much.
Perhaps what is most important for us, as we sift through a word to a church 2000 years ago for a word to the church today, is the preacher’s tireless insistence that what happened in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, fundamentally changed humanity’s relationship to God. There is now nothing that can stop us from “approaching the throne of mercy boldly,” there is nothing separating us from full participation in the redeeming life and love of God (Hebrews 4:16). We don’t have to do anything, accomplish anything, fix anything—there is nothing that can keep us from receiving the grace that we need, to live in the freedom and wholeness that we’re made for. Jesus has crossed heaven and earth to be with us, he has given everything for us, and by his grace we are free for all that God is doing in the world, and all that God will do in and through us.
I wonder if the reason the preacher spends so much time on this imagery is that they know that their congregation(s) needs a new imagination for what it means to live in the freedom of Christ, and it is so easy to default to what is familiar. The Temple sacrificial system was a straightforward way to know that they were reconciled with God. It’s what they knew. The sacrifice of Jesus, his giving everything to love this world, the once-for-all outpouring of God’s grace: that’s a whole new thing.
So, maybe the question behind all this Temple talk is, “What are you clinging to—in your heart or in your life—that keeps you from receiving the fullness of God’s grace? Is there anything you still imagine that you must do in order for God to love you completely?”
Jesus, show us anything that we are clinging to that keeps us from receiving the fullness of your love and grace. And give us courage to offer that up, so that we can live in the freedom for which you made and saved us. Amen
Aaron Miller