(Based on Hebrews 7:18-28)
The author of Hebrews uses the language of high priests, sacrifices, offerings, and authority. For the modern American reader, this language sounds outdated and irrelevant. But, for the audience at the time the language made sense. In America, we don't live in a theocracy. Our lifestyles are not governed by Jewish law or Greek paganism. Although many American citizens claim that this country is based on the principles set forth in scripture by God, I don't hold to this claim. It may have been an early attempt, but it has not worked out very well for those who spend any serious time in the scriptures and keep an eye on current events. For the audience at the time, the language made sense.
In order for it to make sense to us, we have to imagine that our laws are actually built around religion. When we break the law, it is called sin. In order to fix the problem, we have to obtain whatever prescription is made for the particular trespass. The prescription may be a dove, a lamb, or a bull. Sometimes, the prescription may include offerings of wheat, barley, or other types of grains. Other times, the prescription may include incense. The one who determines what kind of prescription fits what type of law break is the high priest. One would have to visit the high priest, confess what sin was committed, then be told what needed to be done to make up for it. The sinner would then go grab whatever was needed to fix the wrongdoing, and take it back to the high priest.
The priest would then receive the stuff, take it into the most inner part of temple, and carry out a ritualistic offering. The priest would follow strict guidelines, and these guidelines would depend on what kind of sin was committed and what kind of prescriptions were given. The priest may slit the throat of a lamb, letting its blood flow over the altar. The priest may burn a pile of wheat, or light the incense, depending on the situation. In either case, the priest acted as the mediator between the one who sinned and the God who wanted nothing to do with sin.
The person sinning would give something in order to receive something back: forgiveness. This process would be repeated over and over for a lifetime in the hopes that one could die forgiven, with no stones left unturned.
In our day, it would be like this: I've stolen cash from work. I know I've done wrong because something inside of me says it's wrong. So, in order to make it right, I need to go to the local pastor to find out what I need to do to make it right. The pastor would give me specific instructions on how to make it right. I would not only have to give the cash back and apologize to my boss, but I would have to follow strict religious guidelines on how to make it right with God. So, the pastor tells me to go purchase a live chicken and bring it back to him. I go outside the city, where the chickens are, and get one. Then, I drive back to the pastor and hand over the unfortunate chicken. The pastor tells me to wait, and goes behind closed doors in a back room and does some sort of ritualistic sacrifice. The chicken is "offered" up to God for my wrongdoing. It isn't until after the process is finished that I am forgiven and made right again.
The author of Hebrews says this way of doing things never panned out the way it was supposed to. For one, there would not be enough chickens to go around for everyone's wrongdoings. Second, everyone would be full of fear and anxiety because they would constantly live in a state of forgiveness in one moment, and guilt in the next. Their status according to God would revolve around their actions, or lack of action. The other problem was, the high priests were sinners as well. Before the high priest could perform any of the atonements for the people, he or she would have to take care of their own atonements each morning.
The idea of high priests and atonement sounds very weird and outdated, but the idea of transaction is very real to us. Every day, we go to the store or the bank. We give money in return for something. We sacrifice money for food, or water, or electricity. When we go to church, we sacrifice money to see good happen in the world. When we see a homeless person, we sacrifice money or time to be a part of making their lives a bit better. We live in a world that revolves around financial transaction and sacrifice. But the author makes it clear that there are no more transactions required when it comes to us and God.
Priests are no longer mediators between us and God. The most spiritual people in the world are not set apart as the mouthpieces between man and God. The author claims that Jesus became the high priest once and for all, and that because of him, we have direct access to God at all times. We no longer have to subscribe to the specific rituals to make ourselves right, or to be forgiven and atoned for. It's been taken care of once and for all.
What this means is that although financial transactions and sacrifices are very much a common thread in our existence, this common thread should not carry over into our conceptions of God. As hard as it is to swallow, we are free to live in the once and for all forgiveness that's been taken care of to the tee. The author is saying that when we pray or go to God in whatever ways we like, we are actually being mediated for without having a human being oversee it. We are being advocated for, mediated for, and fought for. No matter what we're doing, what we've done, or what we're going to do, we have a high priest who is pulling us forward and who's on our side. This high priest demands nothing because he sees us as perfectly forgiven and spotless, and loves through that lens.
Today's Action: Think about our motives today. As we continue to search for truth and connect with this power that is very hard to understand, what are our motives? Are we trying to earn something that's already been given?
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