Bible Speaks by Rev. L Althouse 

 

Jan. 18, 2015

Background Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Devotional Reading: Psalms 107:1-15

 I believe most Christians understand what a parable is: A story which is symbolic of something quite different. For example, the parable of “the Laborers in the Vineyard” (Mt. 201-16) is not intended to tell employers how to handle their employees, but to explain the concept of grace: the love of God as not something of which we are worthy, but a gift.

The Bible in general and Jesus in particular, however, also use metaphors, which are words or concepts to represent something quite different – for example: “A Mighty Fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” God is not a literal fortress, but He protects us in a similar manner. Jesus as “The Good Shepherd” is not about how Jesus tends sheep, but how he protects us.

In our scripture passage for this week the writer of Hebrews uses the name of a Canaanite king of Salem (shalem), Melchizedek, before it became the Jewish stronghold and capital of Jerusalem (Gen. 14:128-20 and Ps. 110:4). Although Melchizedek was a Canaanite, not a Hebrew, his role as both king and priest became a role model for the Hebrew kings.

And, ultimately, the writer of Hebrews saw him as a metaphor for Jesus as king and high priest.

Metaphoric image

This identification of the role of Melchizedek and that of Jesus Christ may have been shared by other Christians as well as the writer of Hebrews, but I have not been able to find it mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament.

Jesus never identifies himself with the role of Melchizedek. I am emphasizing that the identification of Melchizedek and Jesus by the writer of Hebrews is a metaphoric image to help us understand more fully the essence of Jesus as the Son of God.

The peoples of both the Old and New testaments used and understood metaphors, so we must be careful to distinguish between literal representations and parables and metaphors. Jesus said, “I am the door” (Jn. 10:9), but that is a metaphorical reality, not a literal one.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of something some of us never heard of and others of us have forgotten: We are not alone in our praying because our prayers are augmented by the intercession of Jesus. Sometimes, although we have experienced a good prayer life, we find ourselves in a circumstance that confounds us and it seems we do not know how to pray.

It is in times such as these that we can or need to confess that we don’t know how to pray in these circumstances. And in these situations we need to remember: “Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested, yet without sin.

“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, also that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4:14-16). Jesus Christ can properly and fully represent us to God the Father because, unlike any other spiritual being, Jesus is both the “man of flesh” and the “God of spirit.”

Whoa! How does that work? Jesus is fully human and at the same time he is fully divine? The answer is we do not know how that is possible because it exists in a realm of being which we can encounter, but not really comprehend.

If we could fully understand it, then it would not be of God. But our faith is that as Jesus was both fully human and fully divine, he can understand and close that gap. We can say it, we can believe it, but we cannot explain it.

Human and divine

Over the years I have found while lots of people can visualize Jesus as truly divine, they do not see him as truly human. They think of him as God disguised as a human being.

Unfortunately, in erasing his humanity, they make him irrelevant. The resistance and rejection he experienced would be just a kind of playacting. But, in order for Jesus to have these experiences, he would have to be human.

If Jesus was not human, then the temptations he faced were not real. If he were only divine, then the cross would be nothing but an illusion, his suffering and dying there and the resurrection would have no reality for his human followers.

One of our failings as Christians, I believe, is spending so much of our time and effort trying to understand and explain him, instead of following him in faithful trust as his disciples did. Creeds, doctrines and theology have their place in Christianity, but they pale in the presence of true discipleship. Understanding Jesus is, of course, fine, but following him is vital.

The first name given to the followers of Jesus was follower of “The Way” and the term “Christian,” is mentioned in only three New Testament passages: Acts 11:26, 16:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. Acts 11:26 tells us “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’” and the name was hardly meant to be complimentary. It appears most Christians did not call themselves by that name until somewhere in the middle of the second century A.D.

Hebrews tells us: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (5:7).

We live in the power of his ongoing intercession on our behalf. Jesus intercedes for us with his Father, and he is our high priest because, in a sense, he’s been there and done that. He’s the one to represent us.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Those with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.