Waiting for the Second Coming -Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 24B (Hebrews 9:24-28)
Hebrews 9:24-28 New Revised Standard Version
24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
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Like
much of the New Testament, the Book of Hebrews has a strong apocalyptic
element. We see that apocalyptic dimension present here in this passage.
Because of how apocalyptic messages have been used over the centuries and
especially over the past several decades, there is general discomfort with the
apocalyptic dimension of the New Testament. It’s understandable. However, it’s
there for all to see. We can’t ignore it. Besides the apocalyptic elements of
the New Testament provide a certain intensity and alertness to the texts. It
brings to the fore a certain anticipation that something is about to happen.
Granted, we live two millennia later and, as of yet, Jesus hasn’t returned.
That is why theologians such as Origen and Augustine allegorized texts like
this. In fact, one scholar spoke of Origen demythologizing the apocalyptic
elements. There is reason to do so. At the same time, it’s important that we
not ignore the message even if we must reinterpret it.
First-century
Christians expected Jesus to return at any moment. At times Paul encouraged
such thinking and at other times he had to calm the folks down, reminding them
that in the meantime they needed to attend to business. That is, go to work so
you can eat. That being said, the author of Hebrews, whose identity remains
unknown, offers us a meditation on the apocalyptic dimension of Jesus’
ministry.
As
noted in a previous reflection, Hebrews represents a Platonized vision of the
ministry of Jesus. He contrasts the earthly ministry of the Levitical
priesthood with Jesus’ heavenly priesthood. Whereas the Levitical priests had
to annually offer sacrifices on behalf of not only the general populace but
themselves as well. In our reading, which continues the messaging we’ve been
hearing, Jesus enters the heavenly Temple ready to offer a sacrifice for sin.
The sacrifice he offers is himself. Nothing is said here of the cross upon
which Jesus died but is rather an offering of himself to God as a replacement
for the annual sacrifices. That is, the author of Hebrews focuses on the
sacrifices offered on the Day of Atonement and not Passover. While we know from
Scripture (Leviticus 16) what this involves, the nature of the sacrifice on
Jesus’ part is not revealed. In other words, the cross is not specifically
mentioned.
The
apocalyptic element is clear in the statement that Jesus has appeared “at the end
of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” The way it is phrased
here, Jesus has already done this, suggesting that the “end of the age” has
already occurred, and that it occurred when Jesus offered himself in the
heavenly Temple in the presence of God on our behalf. In doing this, Jesus
acted to remove sin from us. As noted elsewhere in Hebrews, Jesus does this
only once and not annually as was true of the Levitical priests. As we’ve seen
earlier, Jesus takes his priesthood from the mysterious line of the priest-king
Melchizedek (Heb. 7).
The
reading suggests that the end of the age began when Jesus offered himself up as
the atoning sacrifice in the heavenly temple. In other words, what happened on
earth with the crucifixion also happened in heaven as Jesus entered the
heavenly Temple and offered himself up to God as an atoning sacrifice. This is
the word Hebrews offers concerning the first advent, but there is a second as
well. Some use the analogy of D-Day for understanding the cross. While the war
would continue for almost a year in Europe, once the allies landed in Normandy
the war was won. There would be no turning back. With that analogy as a
reference to the cross, Jesus gained a beachhead that would never be turned
back. There would be many more battles to come. Evil hasn’t given up its
resistance, but it will not win. Even for those of us who believe that the
future is open and unwritten, could we not say that Good Friday and Easter
turned the tide?
Hebrews
acknowledges that we all die once, and then comes the day of judgment. What
this means is not clear, though Jürgen Moltmann cautions those of us who
lean toward universal salvation,
If salvation is tied to faith, then
all the universal statements in the New Testament must be related to God's good
salvific intention, but not to the outcome of history. What is meant is the
possibility of redemption, not its inevitable actuality. It is true that the
word aionios does not mean the absolute eternity of God, but it does
mean the irrevocability of the decision for faith or unbelief. Faith's
experience that in the presence of the call to decision one is standing before
God has as its corollary the finality of human decision. Consequently `the
double outcome' is the last word of the Last Judgment. [Moltmann. The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology (Kindle Locations 3506-3509). Kindle Edition].
That is good to remember—the outcome is not inevitable. We
have choices and redemption can’t be coerced if God is truly love.
When it
comes to the timing of this day of judgment, it does sound here as if it immediately
follows death. Other passages of Scripture suggest a different timeframe, so
unless we embrace a God who stands outside time (timeless) then we have some
interpretive moves to make here. Whatever the time frame, the story is not yet
complete. There is also a second coming. But unlike the first advent, in which
Christ dealt with sin (apparently through his death on the cross) this second
advent is designed to save the faithful who are eagerly awaiting Jesus’ return.
Hebrews
doesn’t reveal exactly what is meant by the word “save,” but it would seem that
the expectation is that Jesus will return to gather up the faithful bringing
this age to a close. Judgment has already occurred, so the expectation is not
one of fear but hope. Thus, salvation in this context is not related to
deliverance from sin, but a gathering up of those whom Jesus has already saved.
Tom Long puts it this way concerning the anticipated day of judgment:
In this part of the passage, the
writer of Hebrews indicates that the offering of Christ makes this obsession
with judgment moot. In Christ, sin has already been extinguished, and lasting
forgiveness has been granted. So Christians do not have to dread the future,
watching fearfully for God the judge. God’s future is one of salvation and
redemption. Christ is “coming again,” not with a sword of judgment, but “to
save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” [Long, Feasting on the Word, p.
283].
So, instead of putting up signs that call for people to get
right with God, in Christ, we are already made right with God. So, we can focus
on other things. Judgment day is not a
day to be feared but celebrated. So keep alert, the day of the Lord is near at
hand!! Maranatha! Lord Come Quickly!
Image attribution: Icon of the Second Coming, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56666 [retrieved October 31, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_second_coming.jpg. |
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