24 For
Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands—the representation of the true
sanctuary—but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. 25 And he did not enter to offer
himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year
after year with blood that is not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since
the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the
consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. 27 And just as people are
appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, 28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins
of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not
to bear sin but to bring salvation.
Let us proclaim
the mystery of faith: "Christ has
died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." So goes the familiar
line in the communion liturgy of the Church. It's a succinct statement of faith
that, while profound, gets almost zero time to ponder given that we immediately
move on to the next line of the liturgy. This week, the second reading offers
us an opportunity to slow down and ponder the mystery of faith--as the writer
in this section of the epistle clearly has this in mind.
But first,
some opening thoughts on the epistle itself: The letter never identifies its
author. Down through the centuries, many possible candidates have been
suggested, with St. Paul at the top of the list. Others have also suggested
Barnabas and Apollos as possible authors. In the end, it's impossible to know.
Most modern scholars feel that the style and content of the letter make Paul a
very unlikely author. What we do know is that the author was (a) well educated
in terms of rhetorical training and Greek philosophical categories; (b) had
extensive experience in interpreting and applying the Jewish scriptures in
their Greek form (aka the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old
Testament used by Jews outside the Holy Land); (c) was a Jew, himself, and had
come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
If the
author's identity is a mystery, it follows that his intended audience is also
shrouded in mystery. He appears to be writing to fellow Jewish believers in
Jesus, but where? In the first century there were more Jews living outside of Palestine than inside; and
thanks to the missionary work of St. Paul and his associates, the gospel of
Jesus was spreading far and wide. And what was the point of the letter? In
terms of exhortation, the author
seems to be encouraging his readers to stay the course; not to revert to the
older religion of Judaism which dealt in shadows and types, but remain true to
the culmination of these things as found in Jesus. This purpose is stated from
the very beginning of the letter in a line (adapted from the RSV translation)
that has become a liturgical refrain: In
many and various ways God spoke to his people of old by the prophets; but now
in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. The implication is
clear; the old type/shadow has given way to the culmination. Hence, everything
the author has to say from this point onward reflects, in some way, this idea
that the culmination has come... all of which brings me to chapter 9 and this
week's epistle reading.
Right off
the bat it has to be stated that the "wow" effect of vss 24-28 is
mostly lost on us. The author has in mind the details of Yom Kippur (lit. "Day of Atonement") as
established in Leviticus 16 and observed from the days of the Tabernacle down
through the point of the destruction of the last temple in 70AD. These verses
culled from Leviticus 16 will give you the gist: 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother
Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place
behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will
die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. 3 “This is how Aaron is to enter
the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a
ram for a burnt offering. 11 “Aaron
shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and
his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 15 “He shall then slaughter the
goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain
and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the
atonement cover and in front of it. 29 “This
is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you
must deny yourselves and not do any work 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to
cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. 31 It is a day of sabbath rest,
and you must deny yourselves; 34 “This
is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for
all the sins of the Israelites.”
So, even though we may not have
the same intimate knowledge of this ritual as the writer and his recipients, we
can easily see the connection being drawn. The old Day of Atonement ritual was
done repeatedly (yearly); was the holiest day of the year; was done by one man
on behalf of himself and the whole people; involved the blood of a sacrifice;
and has now been completed by the atoning death of Jesus.
As I think
about the various possibilities in applying a text like this to today's
non-steeped-in-ancient-Jewish-ritual audience, I'm indebted to one commentator who
noted the three-fold use of the word "appear:"
--The Risen
Christ: and he appears now in God’s
presence for us (v24). Often church 'doctrine' is reduced to dusty non-relevance,
such as you have to believe in the
resurrection because it's in the Bible. But the point of the resurrection
isn't about memorizing a historical fact. It's proclamation of the wonderful
Gospel truth that Jesus is, even now, in heaven "for us." When we see
that "for us" part, we need to know that Jesus is specifically
showing himself to God's legal demand for justice. Humanity had offended (and
continues to offend) God's righteous law, but Jesus the one, sinless, perfect
man, presents himself to God as the satisfaction for all of the legal demands
of the law. The presence of Jesus in heaven, for us, is a constant reminder
that all debts are paid. Jesus functions here in a priestly role, ministering
for us in God's presence.
--The
Crucified Christ: he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put
away sin by his sacrifice (v26). This sentence seems to echo the words of
John the Baptist, behold the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world. The point being made here is the efficacy
of his work. The best a martyr for a cause can hope for is to inspire others to
action. While Jesus certainly taught that others should be inspired by his life
and follow his lead, his death was far more than any martyr's death. It
actually DID SOMETHING. In a once-for-all re-writing of human history, the God
of the universe humbled himself to taste death for us, for the purpose of
defeating it. Jesus functions here both as 'victim/sacrifice,' but also as
victor.
--The
Returning Christ: he will appear a
second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation (v28). This last part is such a relevant point to ponder as we
speed toward the end of the church year with its emphasis on the Kingship of
Christ (Nov 22nd) and his return to judge the living and the dead (1st Sunday
of Advent, Nov 29th). Many Christians fear the notion of being judged by
Christ--it nearly drove Luther crazy. And there's no way to avoid it--this text
itself says we all have "an appointment" with death, and then comes
judgment (v27). But those who are putting their trust in Jesus as their savior
have nothing to fear. When he comes again, the 'judgment' he brings for his
beloved followers is--according to this verse--SALVATION!
Cheers,
T.M.
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