The Unshakeable Realm—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 11C/Proper 16 (Hebrews 12)

Hebrews 12:18-29 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

¹⁸ You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, ¹⁹ and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. ²⁰ (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” ²¹ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) ²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵ See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking, for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” ²⁷ This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

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                Our two prior visits to the Letter to the Hebrews during this season after Pentecost have focused on the Old Testament exemplars of faithfulness whose lives lead up to Jesus who is the pioneer of our faith and who now sits at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2). The message here in Hebrews 11 and 12 is that from the beginning of the story, starting with the death of Abel at the hands of his brother, the goal has been to reach the better city, the heavenly one, now revealed to be the heavenly Jerusalem or Mount Zion. It is as we gather on Mount Zion, that we meet Jesus who is not only the pioneer and perfecter of our faith but the mediator of a new covenant. By embracing Jesus as the mediator of this covenant we gain entry to the unshakeable kingdom/realm.

                Standing at the center of the conversation is the contrast between two mountains—the unnamed Mount Sinai, the mountain where Moses received the law, but the mountain that creates terror in the hearts and minds of the people, including Moses who trembled with fear on the mountain. That encounter with God is described in rather striking terms as a less than friendly one. This other mountain, Mount Zion, appears to be a much friendlier place. We meet the same God, who is our judge, but the encounter is described in much more positive terms. When we read passages like this, we have to be careful not to give into supersessionist readings wherein this new covenant mediated by Jesus replaces God’s original covenant with Israel. There is a theme present in Hebrews that suggests that the new covenant is superior to the old, and thus the old is obsolete. We must resist such visions because they tend to lead to anti-Jewish/anti-Semitic tropes. While the contrast between Sinai and Zion can lend itself to such readings, we need not take that road in our interpretation of Hebrews. We can embrace Jesus without denigrating Judaism.

Our reading from Hebrews 12 begins with a description of a mountain that cannot be touched because of the blazing fire, darkness, gloom, and a tempest. We needn’t stand back because of the trumpet blasts and the voice that causes those who hear to step back and wish for another word. It’s such a terrorizing vision that even Moses trembles with fear. Instead of that scene, we’re directed to another mountain, Mount Zion where we find the “city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” When we enter this heavenly city, the eschatological Jerusalem, we encounter angels, the first born of those enrolled in heaven, God the judge, and the “spirits of the righteous made perfect.” Finally, we find Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant present as well. It is something of an apocalyptic scene that is similar in many ways to what we might read in Daniel or Revelation. Everything is ready for the next chapter to begin.  Again, as we take in the contrasting images, we need to acknowledge the possibility that this passage can be read in a way that suggests that Jesus abrogates the covenant with Israel and that Christianity has replaced Judaism in the heart of God.  Instead of following that path, we can consider that the recipients of this word live on the margins of society.

In this vision, the earthly city offers little hope and solace to Christian pilgrims. Thus, the hope is to be found in the heavenly city. As David DeSilva suggests, “the ideology of Jerusalem as the city of God and the seat of God's kingdom is transferred to the eternal, lasting, heavenly counterpart. The prophetic texts and psalms concerning Zion and Jerusalem's eternal destiny provide the raw material for the depiction of God's eschatological kingdom - a kingdom truly not subject to the vicissitudes of fortune and international politics” [Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Kindle Locations 6253-6255)]. DeSilva also points out that this heavenly Jerusalem is marked by worship. Thus, “The heavenly Jerusalem is a scene of worship. No fearsome and depressing meteorological phenomena surround this mountain, but the angelic hosts gathered in a panegyric, a festal song in praise of the ruler of the unshakable kingdom” [Perseverance in Gratitude (Kindle Locations 6258-6259)].

                The reference to Abel in this passage reminds us that the listing of heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 begins with Abel, whose offering was more acceptable and who in death continues to speak due to his faithfulness (Heb. 11:4). Even as Mount Zion overshadows Mount Sinai here, Jesus’ sprinkled blood overshadows that of Abel, though he too was faithful and righteous.” This vision of the heavenly Jerusalem/Mount Zion fits with the vision of the eschatological arrival of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21. In this vision the seer sees “the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). Rather than terrifying, it is pictured as a glorious gathering place in the presence of God who is the judge of all. God’s role as a judge is subtly present in the passage, and as such, it issues a warning to those who aren’t highlighted in the passage, it’s there. Thus, the passage issues a warning to those who refuse to heed the one who warns them about the coming judgment. The warning has been issued, so don’t ignore it. God’s grace has been offered, so don’t reject it.

                While Hebrews presents a bucolic vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, there is also this word of divine judgment present. We see it expressed in the word contrasting the shaken and unshaken. The premise here is that the world will be shaken by heaven. In essence, this is an act of sorting things out. What gets shaken up is removed. That which remains unshaken is what will endure. As I ponder this image of shaken and unshaken, my mind goes to the faith journeys that so many go through in life. Most of us have had those moments when our faith is shaken. Sometimes the shaking can destroy whatever faith is present. Hopefully, for most, what is shaken loose is peripheral religious elements that have no lasting value. These days we hear much talk about deconstruction. That might be one way of envisioning what the author speaks of here. The hope is that what is laid aside in deconstruction can lead to a reconstruction of faith, one that rests on firmer ground. In this reading, what remains unshaken is understood to be part of God’s realm. Therefore, “let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28).

The final word is another reminder that God is the judge. In this final word, God is described as being a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). Another way of saying this is that in the end, God will be all in all. Interestingly, the reading begins with Mt. Sinai, which is described as a terrifying place marked by a blazing fire, and in the end, God is described as being a consuming fire. Thus, fire is a central component of the divine presence, so who can stand in the presence of God? While many of us prefer to emphasize God’s love and mercy, perhaps to the exclusion of judgment, is that the “full” gospel? Frederick Borsch notes that the message of divine judgment reminds us that God is concerned with “unrighteousness, injustice, cruelty, and evil.” Thus, “ultimately God’s justice and judgment must be included in God’s love. Therefore wrongs are still to be judged by the God of love and mercy, and the imagery of earthquake and consuming fire return” [Feasting on the Word, p. 381]. If this is true, then what remains, what survives earthquake and fire allows God to be all in all. Or As Borsch suggests, “what endures is all that has turned to love. What is unshakable is the kingdom of the God who is to be worshipped ‘with reverence and awe' (Heb. 12:28)” [Feasting on the Word, p. 381].  Thus, through Christ’s mediation, we can enter the unshakable realm, having been purified by God’s consuming/refining fire.