Hebrews 5:7-14
Today's passage is from an early writing to second generation Christians likely with Jewish roots. Its authorship may or may not have been Paul, but it certainly is written to give encouragement to a congregation that is in danger of reverting back to Judaism.The author in this passage clarifies the high priestly dimension of Jesus' person. The function of a priest included empathy for those who came to him in times of suffering, such that the priest took this suffering into himself and offered it to God the Father. Some may see a reference here to Jesus' time of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, followed by exaltation and glory, but stepping back, we can see that much of Jesus' way of life reflected this approach, not only his time in Gethsemane, reaching out to those around him, encouraging them to cope and transcend any difficulties before them. The Way of the Cross incorporates a certain wisdom that basically holds that wholeness is achieved not by trying to reject a difficult situation, but by enduring it, and in the process, God will give the bearer the strength to endure and transcend, to a better place. The writer says that Jesus' way was, in a sense, an obedience to this spiritual truth that sets Christian spirituality apart from other religious ways.
The second part of today's passage, v11-14, is the writer wondering whether his readers had yet a certain maturity to appreciate and follow Christ's way. For the writer, a full grown Christian, one who is "baptized" in Jesus' approach, is one who has appropriated the essence of Jesus' priestly approach to life and tries to lives life by it.
The challenge is for each of us to discern how we as Christ's followers approach life and live it... in all that we encounter. Dare we lift up all we experience, offer it to God, and then, be open to God's transformation?
Archdeacon Ken Cardwell
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