希伯来书

Meditative Reflection
The Word of God is Powerful

“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubled-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)

As a preacher, it is always a joyful experience to sense the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as I preach, and at the same time, it is always a humbling experience to feel no power as I preach. However, it is not unusual that, even though I feel I have not delivered a perfect sermon, the Holy Spirit reminds me that what really matters is that I have divided the Word of God rightly (2 Timothy 2:15) and that I have been faithful in my preparation.

In fact, more than once, the Holy Spirit allows me to subsequently know that someone was greatly affected by the Word that I preached during those less-than-powerful moments. A few months ago, after the service in which I felt I had not done my best in my delivery, a young lady came up to me and said, “Pastor Paul, thank you for today’s sermon. From now on, I will definitely…”

This reminds me once again that it is not our eloquence that matters, but the very Word of God that “proceeds” out of His mouth that really matters (Matthew 4:4), because, we are only a “mouth-piece” of God; His Word remains the most powerful “double-edged” sword!

Meditative Reflection
The Son Who Suffers

“Although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.” (Heb. 5:8-9)

Although the above passage raises many questions concerning the divinity of Jesus, we have to bear in mind what the author’s purpose is, and that is to remind us of the struggle of Jesus in His final hours on earth.

I agree with Guthrie in that the

“'loud cries and tears' seem to be an undeniable allusion to the agony of Jesus in garden of Gethsemane, where His prayer was accompanied by a sweat of blood, revealing the inner intensity of the struggle through which He passed” (TNTC, 129).

This particular grueling experience fully demonstrates the full humanness of Jesus which the author has already clarified earlier that although Jesus “has been tempted in every way just as we are—yet, was without sin” (4:15).

The experience at Gethsemane was obviously the pinnacle of Jesus’ temptation as He struggled in the face of death—death that represents the bearing of the curse of judgment by God on behalf of mankind, and the forsaking by and separation from Father God, however brief the moment might be. However, the importance of this quotation of Jesus’ struggle lies in the facts that:

- Although He is the Son of God who is equal and one with the Father (Phil. 2:6; Jn. 10:30), He has chosen to share humanity with sinners “in every way” (Heb. 2:17)—to the fullest, though He always is without sin;

- And the sharing of humanity is the pre-requisite of being the High Priest (5:2), so that He is able to “sympathize” with them (4:15) and to deal with them gently (5:2);

- More importantly, through this experience, He has demonstrated that He has “learned” obedience—not that He has to “learn”—He is always obedient to the Father, but that through this experience, He reveals who He already is (or in our human term—what He is made of!);

- Once He was “made perfect”—again, His perfection has never been in doubt, but the process of submission through which He has gone, has manifested His perfection—His sinlessness, He has become the source of eternal salvation. In other words, His sinless perfection has made His death effective as the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of sin for the world and

- Therefore, He now is able to serve in heaven as our High Priest “in the order of Melchizedek” in that He assumes the role of High Priest “to offer sacrifices for sins” (5:1) not as a sinful human being, but as the Holy God “without beginning of days or end of life” (7:3).

There were those who might be tempted to go back to Judaism because of doubts concerning the divinity of Christ, likely because of His “weaknesses” shown especially at the garden of Gethsemane and the notion that God could not or need not become one of us. However, this passage powerfully shows them (and us) that we do not have to doubt what we have professed, but can rather seize the privilege of having such a High Priest in Christ Jesus that we can come with confidence to His throne of Grace, especially in times of our need (4:16).

Meditative Reflection
Crucifying Christ All Over Again

“(To their loss) they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” (Heb. 6:6b)

The author of Hebrews is obviously frustrated with his readers for having to explain to them very basic truths of the gospel, namely the divinity of Christ, and the need for the “Word to become flesh” (chapters 1-5). This is part of the “elementary teachings” which they have been taught and have believed in when they first came to faith. The fact that this truth, together with “the repentance from acts that lead to death (likely referring to their former faith in the law and work-based righteousness) and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (6:1-2) has to be explained over and over again signifies that they are still infants in Christ. Worse, this also signifies that they are in danger of falling back into Judaism which advocates the attainment of righteousness through work, and not by faith in Jesus Christ. It was the insistence of such a belief that had caused the Jews to reject Christ and crucified Him on the cross in the first place. That is why, if they choose to return to Judaism, they are in fact rejecting Christ and having Him crucified all over again! (6:7).

The five-fold emphasis in 6:4 clearly points to the fact that these readers, so warned by the author of Hebrews, have indeed believed in Jesus Christ. As a result, it naturally leads to the question of whether a believer can really fall away from faith!

For one, the author of Hebrews is confident that his readers have not done so (6:9). However, if such is an impossibility, he would not have wasted his time to warn them of both the dire consequence (6:8) and the heinous nature of apostasy (6:7).

Personally, I do believe that a believer can fall away from faith for a time (as clearly explained by the author of Hebrews in this passage), but I also believe that as much as it is “impossible” for them to be brought back to repentance, “all things are possible with God” (Mk. 10:27); after all, He has promised that “no one can snatch them (believers) out of my hand.” (Jn. 10:28)

Meditative Reflection
The Solid Promise of God

God did this "so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie…” (Heb. 6:18).

The author of Hebrews uses the Abrahamic Promise by God to assure that God’s promise of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus is just as certain, and it is most appropriate in that:

- The Abrahamic Promise ultimately points to its fulfillment in the “seed” of Abraham, who is none other than Christ Jesus (see Acts 3:25; 13:23) and

- God’s promise is made certain by “swearing by Himself”, a promise made doubly certain based on “two unchangeable things” (Heb. 6:18), namely God Himself and His Word. While the Abrahamic Promise was made certain by God (the Unchangeable One) and the word He spoke (and it is impossible for God to lie), the promise of eternal salvation is made even more certain since God is the author of this salvation and it is accomplished through His Son, the Word Himself (Jn. 1:1).

As a result, the message to those in danger of backsliding into Judaism is clear: You trusted in the Abrahamic Promise which has been fulfilled in Isaac as Abraham waited patiently (v. 15), and you should also trust in the promise of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ because it is the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Promise. It has happened right before your eyes, with the tearing apart of the curtain that separates men from the presence of God (Matt. 27:51), as Jesus the High Priest has Himself “entered on our behalf” (v. 20).

As a pastor, I have come to see the reality of this hope time and again as I have had the privilege of visiting believers in their death-beds, and I will never forget the angelic smile of one young lady who confessed her faith just a few hours before her death. The peace that exuded from her face bore witness to the fact that her hope in Christ was “an anchor of the soul, firm and secure” (v. 19).

Meditative Reflection
Melchizedek and Christ

“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” (Heb. 7:3)

While some commentators see the author of Hebrews “extrapolate” from the account of Genesis 14:18-20, the event of Abraham giving Melchizedek a tenth of his plunder, based on the “silence of the Scriptures”, I think we need to be reminded that Hebrews is part of the inspired Scriptures and thus its true author is still the Holy Spirit. Thus, Hebrews gives us insights into who Melchizedek is even though the rest of the Scriptures are silent in this respect.

As a result, we have to take these words literally and not as allegories that Melchizedek is “Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Heb. 7:3). However, as much as this is a fact revealed by the Holy Spirit, we know that Melchizedek is not Christ Jesus, because it is made plain that he only “resembles” the Son of God, or more accurately translated in the passive, “made to resemble” the Son of God. Therefore, he is not Christ Jesus, but a type of Christ Jesus.

Why would the author of Hebrews choose to use this rather obscure passage to liken Melchizedek to Christ? Again, it is aimed to dissuade the Jewish Christians from returning to Judaism by powerfully using Melchizedek as a type of Christ to point out that

- Christ is far superior than Abraham, their father, since even Abraham had to give his tithe to Melchizedek who is without doubt greater than Abraham (v. 7) and

- The Levitical rites have little value compared to Christ, as they had to pay their tenth through Abraham to Melchizedek (v. 9).

Therefore, it is simply foolish for them to give up their trust in Christ, the eternal High Priest who is far greater than Abraham and the Levitical rites.

Meditative Reflection
A High Priest Unlike Any Others

“Such a high priest truly meets our need — one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Heb. 7:26)

As much as the arguments by the author of Hebrews are aimed mainly at the Jewish Christians who are in danger of apostasy, they have served to highlight how wonderful a Savior we have in Jesus Christ who “always lives to intercede” for us (7:25). So let us pause for a moment to give thanks to our High Priest, Jesus Christ because

- We no longer have to go through human priests or even any angelic beings or saints to approach His throne; we can have direct access to Him anytime, anywhere and for any reason (4:16).

- Even when we have sinned and sinned horribly, we can still access His throne because He sacrificed for the sins "once for all when He offered Himself” (v. 27) and thus we still receive complete forgiveness when we confess ours sins to Him (1 Jn. 1:9).

- We do have a High Priest who sympathizes with all our weaknesses, because He’s been there—but we have "One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin” (4:15)

Meditative Reflection
Heavenly Mysteries

“This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’” (Heb. 8:5)

As we read of all the instructions given to Moses in the building of the tabernacle and its contents in Exodus, we cannot help but be puzzled by the many details given to Moses. They include exact sizes in length, breadth and height of the furniture and the building itself, the use of particular materials, and the symbols to be engraved or embroidered (see Exod. 25ff). Sure, some of the instruction’s spiritual meanings are more apparent, like the curtain to be erected between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, which signified the necessary separation of God from sinful man who could not approach the presence of the Holy God except through the sprinkling of blood by the High Priest once a year. Yet, many instructions remain an enigma to us and Moses was warned more than once to “‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’” (Exod. 25:9, 40; Num. 8:4).

In asserting that “the true tabernacle” is the heavenly one “set up by the Lord, not by man” (Heb. 8:2), the author of Hebrews gives us the reason for God’s warning to Moses: The earthly tabernacle is only “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven” (Heb. 8:5).

This is true even today. As much as Jesus has come and accomplished the work of eternal salvation and now is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven as the heavenly High Priest, there are still many spiritual truths that are beyond our grasp because God still remains the “Majesty in heaven” and we are still finite, sinful beings, though saved by grace.

Furthermore, it is not necessarily that God does not want to reveal to us more truths, but we are limited by our vocabulary to understand the heavenly. Thus the Apostle Paul is right in saying, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

Therefore, apart from basic gospel truths that allow us to “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31), there are so many other spiritual truths that do not pertain to the basic gospel truths that are hidden from us. We would do well to not resort to unhelpful speculations and so-called biblical criticism, but simply admit our ignorance and wait for the return of our Lord’s coming. Then, we shall know fully even as we are fully known!