Friday 04 January 2008

Background

To understand the letter to the Hebrews it helps to knowsomething about the sacrificial system in the Old Testament andparticularly the role of the High Priest. Each and every year onthe Day of Atonement he, and only he, could enter the holy place inthe Temple and offer sacrifices for the sins of the children ofIsrael. Thus he was:

• a pioneer (as in medicine or architecture) who opened the wayto enable others to discover the benefits.
• a fellow traveller who didn't stand aloof from the sins ofothers but suffered on their behalf.
• a bearer of forgiveness - for on the Day of Atonement the HighPriest selected two goats. One he killed, but the other he sentinto the wilderness as a sign that the sins of the Jewish peoplehad been removed.

And in a similar way - although with one huge difference -Jesus is also a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service ofGod:

• As a pioneer he has opened the wayto come into God's presence and invited us to follow.
• As a fellow traveller he hasn't'helped angels' but in coming alongside us - the descendents ofAbraham - knows in himself what suffering is and is therefore ableto stand with others in theirs.
• As a bearer of forgiveness he isboth priest and victim. It is by his stripes we are healed and byhis death on the cross we are forgiven and can make a newbeginning.

And the difference? Simply that unlike the High Priest ofold, Jesus has done all this once and for all - and forall!

To Ponder

Think about a place of suffering in the world,your world, that you have seen on the news or newspaper in the lastfew days. What words or phrases in this reading connect for you ifany?

Jesus spoke of 'brothers and sisters' in thisreading. Do you find it helpful to think of Jesus as your brother?Why?