Hebrews 13:8-16
The
date was 15 Nisan A.D. 30; it was early morning. The site of the execution was
Jesus’
public execution was intended to send a warning to others who might get it in
their minds to claim to be a messiah. The message was clear: the state will not
tolerate allegiances to another king.
In
that world, this form of execution was the most torturous of all possible
punishments and was designed to heap the most shame on the criminal: stripped
naked, beaten into physical weakness and left to hang in the hot sun for hours;
sometimes days until death relieved the suffering.
On
this particular day, the Passover meal was behind everyone and with sundown
marking the Sabbath ahead of them, it gave a bit of time for those taking in
the drama to linger and watch. Some came along who knew the reputation of this
criminal. Their role was to intensify his shame with their insults:
§
“You
tried saving others; now try saving yourself!”
§
“If
you really are the Son of God come down from the cross; then we’ll believe!”
For
Jesus these comments were nothing new; he’d heard them before. During his
temptation in the wilderness Satan encouraged Jesus to exercise self-salvation
before he began his public ministry.[2]
Luke tells us that at the end of that series of temptations, “the devil left
him until an opportune time.”[3]
That time had finally come.
What
would he do? He could ask his Father to send twelve thousand legions of angels
to rescue him.[4]
His Father loved him. He did ask his Father to take this “cup” away. But
something more valuable than his personal comfort was at stake namely, his
Father’s satisfaction so that his grace might be magnified and released into a
world of rebellious sinners.
From
about noon until three p.m. the sky over the city turned dark; thunder began to
rumble moving toward this new center of the universe where the Son of God was
dying. For a pious Jewish person, this would be taken as a sign of judgment on
the land and its people. Christians have always understood it as our great
deliverance: a sign of judgment on Jesus.[5]
Out
of this darkness came the worst moment of Jesus’ life or death: as the reality
of his abandonment crept into his soul; entering the depths of the experience
of God’s wrath crushing him he cried: “My God, my God; why have you forsaken
me?”[6]
I can’t help but imagine that this is something like the cry coming deep from
within a child’s soul who finds herself separated from father and mother, lost
and alone on a big city street. Only this cry brought cosmic anguish.
As
one commentator said about the meaning of that scene on that day: all “the
horror of the world’s sin and the cost of our salvation are revealed” there.[7]
Had anyone pondered the events of that day,
they might have noticed some significant sign posts revealing the story behind
the story. For example, according to John’s gospel about the time that Jesus
was crucified, the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal in the
temple area; or they might have pondered that the death of Jesus was carried on
outside the sacred precincts of the city; they might have wondered at the
meaning of all the blood flowing that day inside and outside the temple and
mingled with the bleating of the dying sheep, the sounds of mourning for a
dying Son.[8]
If
they put their minds to it and perhaps tried to “connect the dots”, they might
have realized that these events pictured the merger of two of
In
one sense, the events that unfolded that day were the realities behind those
two important religious days; they were the shadows; this was the reality of 15
Nisan A.D. 30.
For almost a year our church has been working
our way through this letter to the Hebrews; week by week, chapter by chapter.
Last week we looked at vv. 5-7. Next Sunday will be the final message.
This
week’s text brings us to the death of Jesus and the proper response to it. I
think it’s interesting that this text fell on Easter Sunday and I think God
arranged this for us.
The
central event of Christianity is the resurrection of Christ. That is what v. 8
points to: Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. When Jesus rose from
the grave, he secured for us all that he purchased by his life and death.
Without that purchase of redemption permanently secured for sinners, we are
told by Scripture that our misery in this life would be our only reality.
Those
who want to dismiss the need for the atonement as “cosmic child abuse”;
something repellant to the contemporary mind and those who want to deny the
miracle of the resurrection put their souls and all who trust in what they say
in eternal peril.
The
atonement and the resurrection mean life and hope and joy and glory for the
believer! Take that away and you have nothing; nothing but
meaninglessness!
The writer here says that our hearts should be
“strengthened by grace.” The inner person, the soul – it needs something that
food can’t touch; can’t fill; can’t strengthen.
In
the day of this writer, pious people thought foods would make you spiritual;
and sometimes the lack of food made you more spiritual. Even the Jews had meals
connected to religious feasts; prescribed by God.
Today,
we think of foods in many different ways. For example, people think of foods
related to heart health. We are told which foods are “heart healthy.” Eat your
oatmeal daily; stay away from saturated fats, they’ll increase your risk for
heart disease.
But
concerns go beyond healthy eating habits. Some decide which foods to eat and
from which foods to abstain on moral grounds. Some regulate their diets as a
means for spirituality.
Then
there is the best kind of food. We have some foods in our house that we call
“comfort foods.” How about this ad from the Food
Network website:
Had
a rough day? [Soothe your soul with[9]].
. . some of our favorite recipes for classic comfort foods such as meatloaf,
mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, pot pies, casseroles and chocolaty, creamy
desserts.[10]
I think this shows implicit recognition that
we think there is more to food than meeting our needs for protein and boosting
our metabolism!
We
have also become aware that foods can become an obsession for some people. They
will abuse themselves with overeating or they will abuse themselves by not
eating.
In
this text we find that “strange and diverse” teachings about foods were making
inroads into the life of the church. The author makes clear that we are to stay
away from strange teachings that divert us from truth to diets. Foods are not
the issue because it is grace that strengthens the heart.
The
author is emphatic when he says, “be strengthened by grace . . . occupy
yourself with grace” not with strange diets which do nothing for the
heart.
So,
I’ll put it this way: What is the grace that strengthens the heart? What is the
grace that we should feast on every day? This is the good food for the heart.
This is the food we want.
Do
you want the food God has given in Christ? Will you eat it? It will strengthen
your heart. The question is how; how does this food, that is this grace, become
our nourishment and strength?
The
author tells us there are three things to consider when it comes to feasting on
grace. Keeping the analogy going between food and grace, the first thing to
consider are those who qualify for a seat at the table of grace. Second, many
good meals have more than one course; so does grace. And finally, what will be
the consequence of eating this food?
First,
who is qualified for a place at the table of grace?
Notice that there are people excluded from the
table of grace. The author makes it clear that “we have an altar” and “those”
who serve another altar in the tabernacle “have no right to eat.”
The
language could not be plainer in identifying two groups: “we” and “they.” Who
are these people? The “we” are Christians. The altar is Christ crucified. Those
who come humbly to the cross receive mercy and find God’s favor; we are
accepted.
The
“they” are those who though they see the cross choose instead to “eat” from a
different altar. Those who feast at a different altar than the cross have no
right nor claim on Christ.
The implications of this cross are huge; they
can be a cause of eternal rejoicing or a cause for eternal mourning.
Jesus
tells a story about a feast where many people were invited. It was one of his
many parables. This one gave insight into how a person finds God’s favor. In
this case, God’s favor was being given the gift of grace that forgives a
person’s sins and gives eternal life.
Jesus
said that God’s gift was like a man who gave a wedding party for his son.
Invitations went out but the invited were not willing to come. So, the man sent
out the invitations again explaining it was going to be a great time. He
already prepared to have a great dinner catered with the best cuts of meat, the
finest foods and a smashing band!
Word
came back one after the other: one guy said his work was going to keep him busy
over the weekend; another had a vacation scheduled; the third was planning his
honeymoon and so on.
Finally,
the man simply invited folks off the street! He went to the local Rescue
Mission and invited people who had no place else to go. He was determined to
fill up the banquet hall with guests!
The
most unique and surprising thing about this party was the wardrobe. You see,
the people who were invited were those down on their luck; they were homeless
after all. They were not the sort of folks who had wedding party type wardrobes
or closets in which to put them, much less houses for closets.
So,
when they came to the banquet hall the man arranged that each person would be
given a nice new set of clothes, just right for the occasion. And they’d get to
keep them!
The
great day of the son’s wedding arrived and there was a hall full of excited,
happy and ready to be well-fed people. The generous and proudly beaming father
walked through the hall thanking everyone for coming, learning their names,
laughing with them and pointing out how great he thought his son looked with
his new bride.
As
he walked to the front of the room so that he could make his welcome speech, he
stumbled onto a man who wasn’t wearing a new set of clothes; he was still in
his shabby old homeless outfit. He said to the man, “My friend, how did you get
in here without a new set of clothes?” The man was speechless.
Quickly
one of the employees came over and whispered to the father, “Sir, he refused to
take the new clothes. He just walked in!”
Here
is how Jesus ended his story: “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him
hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”[11]
It may sound a harsh punishment for having the
wrong clothes on at a wedding party. But that is not the message of the
parable. Jesus’ point is that the
Jesus
points out that the man failed to receive the gift of eternal life because he
did not properly prepare for the feast. Proper preparation for receiving the
gift of eternal life is to come to the cross of Christ as the only effective
altar for salvation.
Many have “turned up” their noses at the cross
as they would some odious smell emanating from a sewer. Some think f a religion
based in a cross is barbaric and unsophisticated. Some think of the cross of
Christ as unnecessary or irrelevant. Some want to remake the cross. They look
at the cross of Christ and tell us that it represents our great value to God;
or shows Christ’s empathetic suffering with us; or an example to imitate of
godliness; or a way to persuade us to turn over a new moral leaf and live
better lives.
All
these responses show that many do not understand that the cross is the power of
God’s saving grace. It is true that the cross is a symbol of death but all who
come to it find a new life because they know they live under a death sentence
from God for their sin. A.W. Tozer wrote,
God offers life, but
not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands
always on the far side of the cross. Whoever would possess [this life] must
pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God’s just sentence
against him.[13]
The
cross of Christ speaks about the human dilemma. We are the voluntary victims of
sin and Satan. For all God’s goodness to us, we still stand under God’s
judgment. We are happily bound to evil; and unless God’s rejection is turned
into acceptance we will be lost forever.
I
said the cross was effective. Its first effect was on God when Christ accepted
his Father’s wrath and turned it away from us. Who better to turn away God’s
rather than God? The second effect of Christ’s death was to overcome the powers
of darkness that held us captive. The third effect of Christ’s death revealed
the seeking and saving grace of the Father; like the sun rising through the
darkness of night.
J.I.
Packer said it best: “by undergoing the cross Jesus [forgave] our sins,
[satisfied] our Maker, turned God’s ‘no’ to us into a ‘yes,’ and so saved us.”[14]
What we do with this cross shows how we plan
to prepare for meeting our Maker.[15]
If you are an unbeliever this morning, my friend let me urge you to consider
the importance of the cross of Christ. Don’t let another Easter Sunday go by
without giving serious thought to why we Christians worship our risen Savior.
The
miracle of Christ’s resurrection stands firm forever as God’s unchanging
vindication and unshakable acceptance of his Son’s perfect life and sacrificial
death on behalf of sinners. It is the only place to find God’s favor. There is
no other altar worthy of your trust.
How
will you respond to the message of this cross? The cross places the heart under
the weight of its guilt and demands a response. The response of faith will turn
from its love for sin, its treasures in the world and its ambitions humble
themselves before Christ. Will you? If not now when?
Our
second consideration is the “courses” of grace.
The instruction here seems odd: “let us go to
him (i.e., Christ) outside the camp bearing his disgrace” (v. 13). This is
where grace sustains the heart.
The
background of these verses point us back to the OT Day of Atonement. You can
read about the events of that Day in Lev 16. Many events happened during that
day, but the author focuses on just one of those events fulfilled in Christ’s
death.
The Day of Atonement was a long day of
sacrifices for the sins of the people. One of the goats and a bull were
sacrificed with the blood sprinkled on the altar. On every other holy day with
sacrifices the priests were allowed to have the meat for their own families;
but not on the Day of Atonement. They were commanded to take the carcasses of
the animals outside the city and burn them.
These
sacrifices pointed to the work of Christ who acted as priest offering the
sacrifice; Christ as the sacrifice himself being utterly destroyed in his flesh
and his blood being the sanctifying agent for the sins of his people. Just as
the animal sacrifices were destroyed outside the city, all this happened on the
cross outside the city of
As
the prophet Isaiah said, “Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he
carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.”[16]
When we are instructed in v. 13 to “go out to
him and bear his reproach” the author tells us that treasuring this suffering
Christ -- the one everyone rejects -- is our source for sustaining grace. We
will need it because he will lead us to follow him from the safe confines of
our comforts and risk living with his disgrace and rejection, ridicule and
suffering.
We
are going to be strengthened in this disgrace of Christ’s grace by remembering
that there is nothing permanent in this world worth saving. One writer said
that the man who has God and everything else is no better off than the man who
has God alone.
Brothers and sisters, as Christians we are to
make our way through this world as if all we have, and all we cherish, and all
we desire is Christ alone. It’s our work as his disciples to do everything we
can to prove that Christ is more attractive than the newest electronic gadget
or sensual pleasure.
Grace
for this life will only be found where Jesus is – he’s outside most people’s
worldview and concern. But where he is, is where we will be sustained by
feasting on his steadfast love; a love that saves and sustains.
We
are called to live a cross-centered life. For this we need grace; we are unable
to do this ourselves. His grace continues to turn us away from falling into the
trap and bondage of lies so that we know and live the truth.[17]
His grace fortifies our determination to grow in holiness.[18]
His grace trains us bit-by-redemptive-bit to turn our backs on the world’s
lifestyle of self-appointed advantage so that we find our hope in Christ’s
purity and kingdom.[19]
Finally,
his grace produces a life well-pleasing life in those who feast on it.
By feasting on Christ’s grace we become in
Paul’s words “living sacrifices”[20];
which is only natural if the saying “you are what you eat” is true.
A
living sacrifice produces two prominent and identifiable habits. The first is
the sacrifice of praise; the second the sacrifice of love.
Christians no longer offer animal sacrifices.
Because we are in Christ and grateful for his salvation, we offer the sacrifice
of praise which is as near as our lips – anytime of day.
It
may seem odd to you if you are not a Christian that God would want praise from
his people all day long. You might wonder if he is insecure in himself that he
needs constant ego-stroking. Or you might compare him to a megalomaniac who
demands that his fantasies of power and admiration come true.
You
wouldn’t be alone if you did; some Christians wonder the same thing. One of
them, the British author C.S. Lewis was very upset by all the demands that God
should be praised[21].
But he learned some valuable lessons that might strengthen our praises.
First,
in the process of being worshiped, God makes his presence know to us. God
hardly needs to have our worship the way a vain man wants a compliment. God
says, “If I needed food why would I tell you?”[22]
God who owns everything needs nothing. Lewis says that it’s absurd that an
infinite God would crave anything from a finite creature. It would be like me
wanting a bark of approval from my dog for a well-written sermon!
Second,
praise completes the enjoyment of a thing. How frustrating is it when you drive
through the mountains alone, stumble onto a breathtaking scene and there is no
one there to share it with? Lovers share compliments with each other because
they are valuable to each other. Lewis said, “Praise almost seems to be inner
health made audible.”[23]
Finally,
in commanding us to praise him God is inviting us to enjoy him. Our sacrifices
of praise are like the tuning up of an orchestra before the real performance.
It’s true that our praise is perhaps most of the time duty and a little bit of
the time a delight. “But the duty exists for the delight. When we carry out our
‘religious duties’ we are like people digging channels in a waterless land, in
order that when at last the water comes, it may find them ready.”[24]
So,
I encourage you to make a resolution today; that you will, through all things,
continually praise God for his character, his works, his greatness.
The credibility of our love for God will be
seen in our love for others. Without practical deeds of love, our sacrifices of
praise are meaningless.[25]
But
deeds of love should come as spontaneously and as generously as praise. It’s
like saying it this way: “I am so satisfied in Christ that nothing else is
worth pursuing if it doesn’t involve a greater understanding of him and spill
over into a way of serving you so that you get a greater understanding of him.
God has done so much good to me that I intend to do you good, too.”
I
wonder what this means for stingy people? I said it last week bit it fits this
week: a meager love for Christ shows up in a meager Christianity and stingy
love.
Brothers
and sisters, as this author says in 13:1, let the love of Christ for one
another continue. It is the only proof we have to tell a world hungry for some
good news that Christ is raised from the dead, is Lord over all and the source
of saving and sustaining grace.
©
Robert R. Buchanan, 2008
[1]Matt 27:39.
[2]Matt 4:1-11.
[3]Luk 4:13.
[4]Mat 26:53, 24: "Or do you think that I cannot
appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at
My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? "How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?"
[5]See Matt 20:28; 26:26-29; Gal 3:13.
[6]See Ps 22.
[7]D.A. Carson, Matthew, in vol. 8 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 579.
[8]See Amos 8:10; Matt 2:15.
[9]Statement from the Google entry of the Home and Garden Network website available on line at http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_recipes/article/0,,HGTV_3166_2176724,00.html.
[10]Available on line at the Food Network.com http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/rc_comfort_food/0,3151,FOOD_29016,00.html. There was a tab for “Healthy Eating” but let’s not go there.
[11]This story is my combination of the parable of the wedding feast found in Matt 22:1-13 and Luke 14:15-24.
[12](Mat 3:2)
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat
4:17) From that time Jesus
began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand." (Mat 11:20)
Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were
done, because they did not repent. (Mar 1:15)
and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the
[13]A.W. Tozer, “The Old Cross and the New”; available on line at www.1dolphin.org/oldcross; accessed 30 December 2004.
[14]J.I. Packer, “The Logic of Penal Substitution”; available on line at www.the-highway.com/cross_Packer. Accessed 22 October 2007.
[15]Amos 4:12.
[16]Isa 53:4.
[17]Acts 26:18.
[18]Acts 20:32.
[19]Titus 2:11-14.
[20]Rom 12:1-2
[21]C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Harvest/HBJ Book, 1958), 90-91.
[22]Ps 50:12.
[23]Lewis, Reflections, 94.
[24] Lewis, Reflections, 97.
[25]See 1 Cor 13:1-8.