† In Jesus Name †
This day, God’s gifts of mercy and peace are yours, through Jesus Christ!
The Son sat next to His Father, the day before the departure. They sat there, as if they were one, quietly contemplating the son’s departure the next day. They had worked together, side by side, for as long as they could remember. But in a few moments, that would change. The son would go out of his Father’s presence, into a hostile world.
I have to wonder how much of a hock it would be, to go from the broad expanse of heaven, to the cramped, confined quarters inside of Mary’s womb. From being all-powerful, and all onmnscient, to having to depend on the umbilical cord for survival.
To go from the throne, to the womb, to the manger,
To go from being in a place of pure glory, to being in a place of humility…
He left the Father’s side, and He came…to Bethlehem, to the World, to us…
He Came…
He Came
Eiserchomai – special usage
Holy Place, Sacrificial usage
Do you remember studying prefixes and suffixes back in your days in school? Add a few letters to the beginning of a word, and you change the word. The word Prefix itself, has a prefix. Literally it means to “set something before”. Think of words like Predestinate, which means to set destiny beforehand, or anaerobic, which means without aerobic – without wind or breath.
In verse five, the word for “came”, when Christ “came” into the world, has a prefix attached to it, in the Greek. The word in Greek is erchomai, which can mean come or go, depending on context. The prefix is the word eis, which simply means into, or onto, or against, thereby changing the word from came, to entered, or gone into.
Not much of a difference? It wouldn’t seem to be, until you look at where that specific word isused, especially in the book of Hebrews. There, it is used almost exclusively for entering the presence of God, or the place where He has promised His presence, and His forgiveness to be. In chapter 9, it is used for the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifice for sins, in chapter 6, for the great High Priest Jesus, entering into the heavenly realm to intercede for us. There is both the sense of pure holiness, and the imminent offering, that will restore God’s people, cleansing them from their sin, by the blood of the sacrifice. Eiserchomai is restricted for special purpose in the Book of Hebrews
We have talked before about the set-up of the temple, in relationship to our own church. How the Holy of Holies was restricted for use, for once a year, when the sacrifice for the sins of the nation was made. How if the priest was not sanctified already, he was a dead man. We have talked of the lack of access to the presence of God, there in the temple. It is that word, for coming into the holy of holies, that is used here in Hebrews.
Therefore, here in chapter 10, we see an incredible clarification of this word “Came”. He came, in the very same way that the High priest enters the Holy of Holies, once a year, to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat.
He came…in holiness, to offer one final sacrifice…
HE Came!
He Saw
Why didn’t the sacrifices work?
Why weren’t they what God desired?
There is an old saying, originating in Latin. He came, he saw, he conquered. It was said probably about Julius Caesar, a general who exploits on the battle field are still remarkable to this day. Though a different sort of King, Jesus Came, and what He saw, it was his duty to overcome.
But is His observation, what He saw, that concerns me. Our reading says, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,”, quoting the psalmist, and in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. This is not the only place it says such in the Bible, for throughout the Old Testament, there are references to God find Israel’s sacrifices unacceptable, and even abominable.
Yet these sacrifices were done in the very manner God instructed the people of God in, from how the priests were dressed, to the ritual way the sacrifices were prepared. They took incredible care to ensure things were done perfectly. Yet, If God had ordained the system, why does it becoming something he doesn’t desire, that doesn’t bring him pleasure but disgust? Why do these sacrifices, done as God commanded, earn His wrath and scorn?
Why do these sacrifices cause such displeasure?
The key is found inside the parenthesis of verse 8, “these are offered according to the law.” While God was looking for obedience, people had reduced the sacrificial system to a matter of transactions. For some reason, human nature wants to reduce a relationship with God to a business transaction, a simple, here is my offering, now forgive my sin, my self-centered nature. Enough coming to church, enough prayers, enough Bible Study, and I have bought my way into heaven.
We see this in the world’s understanding of heaven, as well. Barbara Walters did another of her religious specials the other night – this one on heaven. She brought on muslims and jews, the Dalai Llama, and various Christians, from Roman Catholics, to Rick Warren and Joel Osteen. I found it interesting, that as she played people off each other, most talked of heaven as a reward, a paradise given to those special people that pleased God. There really wasn’t much of a difference as to what heaven was, the difference was who was able to attain that place. A paradise for us to explore, finding each region that much more glorious than the next.
Only one, one of the Jewish Rabbi’s made mention of the fact that it was the place where God’s people would abide in His presence. But that is how scripture talks of it, and that is the final end result of our salvation – to live, as the people of God, in the presence of God. Look at the end of the Bible – that is what we see.
He Abolished
His Sacrifice & His Sanctifying
One of the great blessings of the coming of Christ, is the abolishment of the temple, and the sacrifices there. No longer do we have to be concern with that aspect of the law. Is our bull of good enough quality, was the sacrifice done correctly, is the high priest who will enter the holy of holies, cleansed enough from his own sin, that he can approach God to offer blood for all our sin. The distraction, that which God found distasteful, He did away with, accepting one perfect and pure sacrifice, the life of Jesus.
He Came
That is what the book of Hebrews is about – no more need for sacrifices, made for sin, and to celebrate peace with acceptable, whose God. That Jesus was a better high priest, for His sacrifice was perfect.
He came and the laws requirements of sacrifices was abolished.
He came, and were credited His righteous, and made Holy, by His blood.
He Came
Because of He came, we are found to be holy, just, all because of Jesus.
Because He came.
Because He came, we know that we live, now and forever,
And we live in peace, the peace of God which passes all understanding, guarding our hearts, and minds, in Christ Jesus.
AMEN?
AMEN!
