Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25: 11 Day after day every
priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the
same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had
offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of God, 13 and since
that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has
made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 19 Therefore, brothers and
sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the
blood of Jesus, 20 by
a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his
body, 21 and since we
have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with
the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us
from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to
the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day
approaching
Having
taken a bit of an 'excursus' into Hebrews for last week's sermon, I couldn't
resist going there again this week. As a brief aside, though, I wanted to point
out that as the church year races toward the finish line, more and more the
appointed readings begin 'tipping their hand' and making allusions about the
way human history will finish out. This week's first reading from Daniel speaks
of the 'end times,' when people will arise, "some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting
contempt." The Gospel reading for the day is from Mark 13 where Jesus
prophesies the destruction of the Temple and says: Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of
wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
And in the passage from Hebrews, the author encourages his readers not to
give up meeting together (and encouraging each other), especially as they see the day approaching. "The
day," in this context, is Judgment Day. ALL of these readings taken
together present a united front of thought as we come to the end of the church
year with its emphasis on Christ as Eternal King on his throne (Nov 22nd), and
Christ who will come again (a second
Advent) on Nov 29th. As believers, we await this day with eager
anticipation.
But
in the meantime, life needs to be lived. What is there that distinguishes the
life of the believer over and against a life of unbelief? Verses 19-25a tell
us. WORSHIP. Hebrews 10:25 says: not
giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The
two English words meeting together
are actually just one word in Greek: episynagōgē. You can almost see the word
"synagogue" in there.
Most people think of the Jewish house
of prayer when they hear the word synagogue, and that's not a bad place
to start. One of the fascinating things about Bible study is the GAP that
occurs between the testaments. When you're reading the Old Testament, you read
about kings, and prophets etc., but when you jump to the New Testament there
are groups you've never encountered before like Pharisees and Sadducees, and
there's this thing called the synagogue.
Scholars aren't quite sure exactly
when the synagogue came on the scene. Like most things it was probably a work
in progress over time. Most, however, point to the period of exile as a likely
beginning. In 586 BCE, under Nebuchadnezzar’s command, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem,
destroyed Solomon's temple, and carried off everything and everyone worth
having. The only ones left behind were the lame, aged, and destitute. And it
was very likely in the midst of this exile--when God's old covenant people
found themselves in a strange land with no Temple and without the peace and
comfort of their normal surroundings--that the synagogue was born. The
synagogue helped them maintain their identity as a particular people. True,
some amalgamated into Babylonian society through intermarriage etc., but most
wanted to remain in a covenant relationship with God. The synagogue helped
maintain this identity. The synagogue was also a place of mutual support and
encouragement. Those who needed help could find help; it was the community's social
services agency. Last, but certainly not least, the synagogue was the place
to encounter God through Scripture reading and exposition; prayer and liturgy.
The bottom line is, being the people of God--even in exile--was a 'team sport,'
and the synagogue was the glue that held them all together.
And so I find it just a bit
fascinating that when the writer of Hebrews is lamenting the fact that some
people aren't attending worship anymore, and with the whole Greek language at
his disposal to try to express his concern, the word he's inspired to choose is
a form of the word SYNAGOGUE. To use
something of a 'pidgin' English translation of the verse, he's saying let's not give up synagogue-ing together! Because
when we synagogue together, we're expressing our identity... we're supporting
and encouraging each other... and we're encountering God!
Cheers,
T.M.
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