/fairfaxs-website/image-f878f-i65ab.png "Fairfax Presbyterian Church")
The Letter to the Hebrews is the first of the General Epistles, a set of letters that were addressed to a general audience, unlike the letters of the apostle Paul. Hebrews was written to Christians who had grown up Jewish, featuring elements that were connected to the ancient sacrificial system of Israel. According to Hebrews, Jesus Christ “had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17). “He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12). “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin” (Heb 9:22). Jesus “suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood” (Heb 13:12). Sacrifice, blood, suffering, death. A sad story, one that we would call a tragedy. So why does it leave us feeling good instead of bad? Why does it make us feel grateful?
Researchers have found that watching a tragedy can actually make us thankful. Journalist Tom Jacobs reports that three of the top 10 movies in history — Gone With the Wind, Doctor Zhivago, and Titanic — fall into the tragedy category. Such stories are sad and end with loss or death. But audiences since the time of the ancient Greeks have loved them. Why is this? Jacobs reports that a team of researchers at Ohio State University have marshaled evidence “that watching tragedy inspires self-reflection, which allows us to re-focus on the people in our lives we might otherwise take for granted.” They conclude that the melancholy we feel when watching these stories ultimately provokes “pleasant feelings of gratitude.” Tragedies can wake us up, remind us of the fragility of life, and inspire us to count our blessings “with regard to close relationships.” At the end of the story, we are grateful for what we have. That’s the value of tragedy.
Richard Mouw, the president of Fuller Theological Seminary, says that “on the cross of Calvary, Jesus did something for us that we could never do for ourselves as sinners. He engaged in a transaction that has eternal consequences for our standing before a righteous God.” We are drawn to the story of Jesus on the cross because we sense that he did something extraordinary there — something that we, as sinners, could never do for ourselves. Mouw says that he “engaged in a transaction that has eternal consequences,” one that changed our relationship with God forever.
The Letter to the Hebrews is built on the foundation of an ancient sacrificial system. Moses took the blood of calves and goats and sprinkled all the people, saying “This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.” In this sacrificial system, almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there was no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:19-22). We don’t live in that world any more, sprinkling blood on people to purify them. But we certainly understand that when a person harms us, we want them to pay — maybe even with blood. When we commit a terrible sin, we want to offer whatever we can to make things right.
According to Hebrews, Jesus steps right into the middle of this bloody story and offers a new approach. His death on the cross is a single “sacrifice of himself” to remove sin (Heb 9:26), one that is “offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:28). He does not “offer himself again and again,” as Moses or an ancient high priest would do, “year after year with blood that is not his own” (Heb 9:25). Instead, he now appears “in the presence of God on our behalf” (Heb 9:24), and saves those “who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb 9:28).
The good news of this tragedy is that Jesus removes sin with a single sacrifice, meaning that we do not have to force others to pay or sacrifice our own blood to make things right. It bears the sins of all of us, and does not have to be offered again and again and again. Best of all, Jesus continues to stand in the presence of God on our behalf, like a top-notch attorney ready to argue our case. He saves all of us who turn to him in faith, eagerly waiting for his help. We need this assistance, because we cannot bleed enough of our own blood to fix all of the problems we have created.
When burdened by sin and guilt, we can be thankful for Jesus. He is our advocate, ready to appear in the presence of God on our behalf (Heb 9:24). He is our substitute, ready to remove our sin by the sacrifice of himself (Heb 9:26). He is our savior, ready to rescue those who are eagerly waiting for him (Heb 9:28). Advocate, substitute, savior — these are the three sides of Jesus in the tragedy of the cross. This passage from Hebrews is one of the Bible’s greatest hits because it tells us the story of how Jesus removed our sins by his sacrifice. We learn that he is ready to argue our case, put himself in our place, and save us from any sin that rips the fabric of our relationships with God and neighbor. As people moved by this story, we are invited to follow him in gratitude and faith.
Questions:
1. What feelings does a tragedy evoke in you?
2. When do you feel the desire for a sacrifice, from yourself or someone else?
3. Which role of Jesus makes you most thankful: Advocate, substitute or savior?
Join the conversation through a comment on Facebook.