Run, Run, Run!

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:5-8

Today, I felt a need to divert from Moses for a week.  I promise to continue next week.  I just feel God wanted me to simply focus on you.  Not the usual devotional sharing.  Just a moment to pause and reflect in this moment.  I prayed a lot on this devotion because He did not want me to forget where people are today.  Let me start by saying no one would ever consider Mike Tyson a great philosopher, but he said one of the greatest truths about dealing with adversity saying, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”  Many of us can truly relate to that right now.  Maybe you are a bit uncertain about things.  Perhaps there is something going on in your household.  Your spouse is one of the people who is now furloughed or unemployed, or your children might be driving you a bit crazy.  Or maybe you are adjusting to them in your life 24/7 now.  Perhaps you know someone or even a loved one who has recently passed away.  Some may be due to the Coronavirus, and others not.  You might even know someone who must be in the hospital.  Alone.  No matter the cause, you and your family may be faced with some tough choices, pain, and heartache.  Others not even in a hospital are equally suffering from feeling isolated and alone in their own homes.  And yes, some of you might very well be questioning if God really does exist right now.  On the other hand, maybe you are fully grounded and filled with God’s spirit where your faith today is unshakable.  You are not afraid nor worried because you know God is with you.  You know He is with us.  But there is that neighbor, family member, or friend who is struggling.  You can’t find the right words to say or don’t even know the right way to even start the conversation.

I too have fears and uncertainty.  Some at home.  Some outside of it.  All of this is hard because so many are hurting.  “I can’t do this anymore,” has become a whisper in their mind right now.  Perhaps in your mind?  I hear it from many.  I feel it from those who don’t speak.  My heart breaks knowing this might be a part of your being right now in this place, and I can’t fully imagine what you are going through.

But God knows.  He loves you oh so much and feels every ounce of your pain right here and right now.  You may think you are alone in your struggle and pain and that no one can truly understand.  He does.  You may think the walls are starting to crumble and your level of sanity is about to be lost.  Maybe for a moment.  Maybe longer.  God says, “No.  Nothing is going to happen to you.  Not on my watch.”  We know this as Paul said, “For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a)  Yes, it is ok to acknowledge that there is fear.  But courage is nothing but fear faced head on, and we know great men and women of God are filled with courage and strength.  I think of Joshua going to the Promised Land without Moses, and God speaking to him saying, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)  I think of Paul speaking to the Phillipians saying, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (4:13)  So while we face tough times ahead and we may feel week, God makes us strong!

Through all you are going through, God is with you!  These are indeed challenging and uncertain times, but it serves as an opportunity.  A chance to reconnect with love ones.  A chance to pause, reflect, and commit to some new things and recommit to some old ones.  And finally, a chance to look to the heavens, lay your troubles, fears, and worries down at cross, and surrender it all to Jesus.  The reason for today’s verse is not to share an elaborate story on what it means.  It is a reminder.  When Paul was near the end of his journey, he was not concerned about his death.  He only cared about the race he was running and finishing it to the very end.  Today is about capturing the spirit of Paul and not focusing on what happened before today.  It is about finishing the race where “the prize awaits me-the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.”  So run!  Let these months be the moment we decided to pour it all out onto others and remind them as Jesus said to His disciples, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)  There are no questions for you to ask yourself or answer.  Just trust God is with you every step of the way, and my prayer is we simply, run, run, run!!!  Amen!

3 Is The Magic Number

First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.

“Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest.

“Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.  At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.  Exodus 23:15-17

For those of you who were children of the seventies, I absolutely loved Schoolhouse Rock!  For those of you unfamiliar with this, it was basically a three to five-minute infomercial about … get this … stuff you learned in school as a kid!  I know it sounds boring but there were really cool jingles that you could recite over and over again.  For example, one was about using conjunctions called, “Conjunction Junction.  What’s your function?”  As you might have figured, it was a train conductor trying to teach you how to use conjunctions in a sentence.  There was another one that talked about the process of making a bill into a law and the difference between the two.  “Oh how I hope and I pray that I will, but today, I am still just a bill.”  There are some of you thinking has Kent lost it, but give me some credit.  I did get ‘hope’ and ‘pray’ in there!  😊  So, there is one of my favorites if not my favorite.  The jingle goes, “A man and a woman had a little baby.  Yes, they did.  There were three in the family.  That’s the magic number!” 

Now I can speak of many things in my life that always had something to do with threes.  A saying like ‘the third time’s the charm’ or ‘once an issue, twice a trend, third time’s a problem.’  However, it has had a significant impact in my walk of faith.  Anytime God has wanted me to pay attention to something, it crosses my path three times.  One could say it is coincidence, but it has never failed to have a significant impact when I listened to that third time.  Most of our greatest significance to the number 3 would be the Holy Trinity of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  However, is there more to it than that?

God is always giving clear signals as to things we should pay attention to.  Today’s verses focus on the three festivals the Israelites were to have in honor of God according to His law.  It made me ponder beyond my own circumstances and life lessons to the things pointing toward that number 3 biblically.  For instance, Peter denies Jesus three times after Jesus prophesied such.  The significance is not the denial.  The focus should rightfully be on Jesus’s ability to predict, which further underlined His divinity as The Son of God.   Jesus rebuking Satan in the Wilderness three times was not just about Jesus denying him.  It was also to show the tenacity of the devil coming at our weakest moments to tempt us.  Furthermore, it underlined Jesus’s perfection staying to true to His Heavenly Father.  What I’m getting at here is that we should always pay attention to signs of what God is saying.  Ideally, we should answer God whenever He calls, but are we wise to not jump the first time if we are unsure?  If we are hearing His call twice and certainly a third time, we must act and ideally with a high sense of urgency.

God always looks to connect with us.  When we look at the story of Samuel, we noted He answered God the fourth time and not the third.  However, if you read the story it was not that Samuel did not answer God that third time:

 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.  1 Samuel 3:8

The calling was not just for Samuel.  It was for his father to tell him for the first time who God was.  Rev, Penny Ellwood, a UMC pastor, wrote, “In our church, we believe (the mystery of the Trinity) happens in another threefold – the use of our head, heart and hands.”   Isn’t that the beauty of how God works in us?  Will you be keen to God’s calling the first, second, or third time?  How can you be comforted by the knowledge of and faith in the Holy Trinity?  My prayer is we pay attention to God’s prompting for I truly believe ‘3 is the magic number.’  Amen.

Step Through, Together

How many scenes in Hollywood films have portrayed a group of kids, holding hands, and stepping through a "portal" together? There's a shimmering blue flat wall or membrane, and they need to be on the other side. It's scary, so they hold hands, and step through the...what is it? Could it be a "veil" concealing another world?

Before Hollywood, the writer of Hebrews posited this same scene (sort of) to describe our approach to the Father. We approach through the "veil" to the Throne of God.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22 NASB)

What's on the other side of the "membrane" is the Throne Room of heaven. It's like the High Priest passing through the temple or tabernacle "holy place", the outer chamber, into the Holy of Holies. Only now it's us and we stumble into Heaven itself, right before the throne of our Creator and Savior. It's another world. This was the experience of Isaiah when he enters the temple only to stumble into the very presence of God (Isaiah 6), and it's supposed to be ours. 

We think of prayer as communing with God, but do you think of it as entering through the temple courts, past the altar, through the golden walls of the Holy Place with the lamp and table, past the incense altar, through a heavy drape. But it's not a "heavy drape", it's lighter, and light streams through from the other side.

Our Savior, Jesus, has made a way, a path for us to follow Him, into the presence of the Father. And there He intercedes for us, there we have the ear of the Creator of the universe, and He gives us His attention. It is a terrifying place with creatures who's voices shake the earth as they praise their King, and yet we are invited, we are called, we are compelled to go! But not alone...

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NASB) 

We go together! There is power in being together. We are bolder together, stronger, often smarter. We can encourage each other as we pass through the temple into the throne room, together. Is your worship like this? Shouldn't it be? Why can't our experience be the very presence of our Creator, the Son, our Savior, the four creatures and the unnumbered throng worshiping the One having saved us from death? Shouldn't that be the very definition of worship? I suppose if it were, there would be fewer of those who were in the habit of not assembling together.

It may be more difficult now, assembling together, perhaps it's online, Zoom, or Facebook. However your congregation meets, meet! Sing the songs, read along with the Scripture, take notes on the sermon, participate in every opportunity. Worship our King together, because even apart we are joined together through the One Spirit, and we enter into the same room before the same throne, and bow before the same King.

Are You Longing?

"Of that day and hour no one knows, not even

the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the

Father. Take heed, watch, and pray; for you do

not know when the time is."

     Mark 13:32-33 (NKJV)

"Blessed are those servants whom the master,

when he comes, will find watching."

     Luke 12:37 (NKJV)

"[Look] for the blessed hope and glorious appearing

of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."

     Titus 2:13 (NKJV)

This is a strange Easter, with most of us under quarantine. But thankfully, God never changes and Jesus is still risen!  These are amazing truths that we can celebrate on this Resurrection Sunday regardless of whether we're at home or in church.

We rejoice in the risen Christ and in His return from the grave. We also are to eagerly anticipate His imminent return.  For Scripture teaches that we should be looking for the "glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." He is our "blessed hope" that keeps us calm and anchored in the midst of this ordeal. While we continue to do our work as unto the Lord, we are to "take heed, watch, and pray" because we don't know when He will come again. 

We long for this social distancing and pandemic to end and that is understandable. But are you longing even more for Christ's return? Paul says we should love, yearn for His appearing. In these days since life has slowed down and I'm alone most of the time, I'm blessed by such sweet fellowship with my Lord and I yearn even more to be with Him. Yet there are many who are dear to me that I want to see saved before the end comes, so I also want Him to tarry.  It's a good thing we can trust that His timing is perfect.

So let us rejoice in our risen and living Savior!  And let us also we keep watching and waiting for our great God. My hope and prayer is that the posture of our hearts is a longing every day for His return, for who knows---it could be today!

Thursday Devotional - Driveway Encouragement

A couple week’s ago my sister, Mary, in CT wrote “Jesus loves you!” on her driveway for hundreds of neighbors to see as they walked, biked or jogged by her house. It inspired my son, James, to do something similar on our driveway. He decided to reference his memory verse from Bible study, I Corinthians 15:20, and summarized it with “He has risen!” Then, Sarah decided to write what she could spell – “LOVE GOD.” (see the pictures of both) Since then, we’ve all done different messages after the rain washed them away, including Palm Sunday!

My sister was trying to be a witness and offer encouragement to others by writing the messages. God gave her encouragement in return, though, by having someone leave 2 boxes of chalk on her rock wall out front! She doesn’t know who they were from! It was like God said, “keep doing what you’re doing!”

At times like this, people are more open to hear the truths about:

God (Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of all)

Sin (separates us from God and results in destruction and death)

Jesus Christ (God’s Son, who paid for our sin and offers eternal life)

And the need to surrender our lives to Him because He’s in control anyway!

I Corinthians 15:20-26  ²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Will you join me in praying about how else God wants to use us right now to encourage others and point them to Him?

Alice 

Yes and No

Are there contradictions in the Bible? Well, it was inspired by a Creator who put contradictions into His creation. We call them paradoxes, but in essence they are still contradictions. They exist all around us, and we are in the habit of creating and using them ourselves.

In Hebrews 9, the writer makes a case that blood was used under the law of Moses on everything, in order to sanctify it (make it holy). And he makes this statement:

And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:21-22 NASB

The assertion is that forgiveness comes through the shedding of blood, and the assertion is attributed to the law which God gave to Moses. So, it is God saying that forgiveness requires the shedding of blood. But there's a problem, or seems to be:

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:1-4 NASB

Let's start with the first verse of chapter 10, because it, alone, holds several...conundrums. First off, the goal of the process of the law seems to be perfection of those who worship. I don't know that I would have drawn that conclusion from within the process, as one of the worshipers. It's true in the sense that holiness (purity) is necessary to approach our Holy Creator. But, as he points out, this ritual purity was not "durable".

So the problem is that the process didn't stop the worshiper from sinning, and, therefore, becoming profane again. And that necessitated the repetition of the process regularly, daily in one sense, annually in another. The lack of durability, and that as the stated goal of the process is probably our first paradox: The solution provided by our Savior through Moses didn't do the trick, but it alluded to the solution to come.

But, my question is, does "Jesus stop me from sinning? Am I 'perfect' now that Jesus is my Savior?" Paul doesn't seem to think so (Romans 7), and neither does John (1 John 1). But they both claim there is a "freedom" from sin (Romans 8, 1 John 2), said in different ways at different places within their writings.

Perhaps a reminder of the problem being fixed is in order: access to our Creator. Nothing "unholy" or "profane" can approach our Creator. We, in our natural state, are unholy profane creatures, and it's our own fault. The process of worship prescribed in the Law of Moses brought access through an intermediary (sort of, lots of "exceptions"). Jesus provides perfect access without dependence upon our holiness. Or, said another way, the holiness He provides is durable.

The writer of Hebrews has made a case for this durable holiness using the Law of Moses in contrast to the work of Jesus, on the cross and in heaven. And, within the argument He comes upon this paradox: There is no forgiveness without blood (Heb. 9:22), but the blood of bulls and goats is insufficient (Heb. 10:4).

Keep in mind that part of his argument relies on the various exceptions, David, Abraham, Jacob, even Moses. The following quotes from Psalms in the remainder of chapter 10 are allusions to the "Role Call of Faith" to come in the next chapter. These exceptions clue us in to the holiness enjoyed by us through Jesus. It's not our own holiness, it's His. His holiness is as durable as He is!

So, yes, we are forgiven through the shedding of blood, not our own, and not the blood of bulls or goats. We are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus, shed by Him on our behalf. That forgiveness and sanctification is durable, having been done once and for all time, backwards and forwards from the point in time when it was shed. 

So, this paradox having been resolved, leaves the question, what will you do? Will you, by faith, rely on the durable holiness of our Creator? Or will you seek another route, perhaps to bypass the requirement of life-blood altogether? That is the nature of rebellion, attempting to bypass the design of our Creator. I don't recommend it. It creates its own set of deadly paradoxes (Matt. 6:25-34, 16:24-26, Mark 8:34-37, Luke 9:23-25, James 4:4).

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation

Boldness

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication

in the Spirit. . .for me, that utterance may be

given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly

to make known the mystery of the gospel,

for which I am an ambassador in chains; that

in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

     Ephesians 6:18-19 (NKJV)

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the

things which happened to me have actually

turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

. . .and most of the brethren in the Lord, having

become more confident by my chains, are much

more bold to speak the word without fear.”

     Philippians 1:12, 14 (NKJV)

God really seems to be shaking things up! (Not that God created this pandemic, but He has allowed it and is using it for His purposes.) The world has shut down in many ways, our routines are disrupted and we now live in very restricted circumstances. Yet despite those restrictions, this crisis is a unique opportunity for believers. "Stay at home" does not mean we should just hunker down and wait it out. Instead, we should be bold to make the most of these unusual days. Paul asked for prayer to continue speaking the gospel boldly.  Paul also noted the importance of being a strong witness for Christ in difficult circumstances and said that by doing so, the brethren will be more bold to speak God’s truth without fear.  That applies to us today too.  

Boldness to speak.  Social distancing does not mean that conversations are cancelled or that relationships are on hold; instead, they have taken on new importance.  Paul says he "ought to" speak with boldness and so should we. With the blurring of lines in this limbo state we're in, I feel a new freedom to speak of God and my faith to people and in venues that did not seem open before.  I’m out of my comfort zone, yet I feel God’s strong presence with me. There are many different ways we can bring words of hope and encouragement to those within our sphere of influence. And that sphere may be enlarging during this window of crisis.  

Boldness to give. These are desperate times for many, and many in the world are stepping up to meet physical needs with kindness and generosity. As Christ followers, we should be helping to meet such needs as well, giving with compassionate and cheerful hearts. There are many ways we can give of our time, talent and treasure, to minister to others. But ultimately, people's greatest need is spiritual and in that respect, we have something to give that the world cannot offer: salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  

Boldness in prayer.  These days there seem to be more opportunities to pray for people and more people to pray for. My intercessory prayer list seems to grow longer each day, but it is a blessing to have additional fellowship with God during my prayer times. This crisis should motivate us to spend more time on our knees before the throne of God fervently praying for the lost, the needy, our leaders, etc., praying that the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts and lives. For our words and actions can only do so much; it is He who does the real work.

Pray for boldness; pray for opportunities.  Then step out as the Lord leads you, without fear, trusting in His guidance.

Thursday Devotional - Confidence in Uncertainty

How have the last few week’s been for you? Has your life flipped upside down?

I doubt any of us dreamed we would be living life like we are now. Life doesn’t always

go as expected, but God is still in control, and Sovereign over all!

Paul’s life didn’t go the way he thought, either. I’ve been studying Paul in the book of

Acts in Bible study (which has been moved totally online the last few weeks). All the

uncertainties Paul faced has really helped me put my challenges in perspective. My

challenges are very tiny compared to his challenges. Yet, he wasn’t frozen in fear.

In fact, at the end of Paul’s third missionary journey he was told by the Holy Spirit and

Prophets that hardships and prison awaited him in Jerusalem.

Acts 20:22-24           ²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Wow, Paul was focused on his task of testifying about the good news of God’s grace. He wasn’t shocked, disheartened, or discouraged by what he faced. He continued to boldly speak for God, confident in God’s plan for his life.

How confident are you and I in God’s plan for our lives? He’s in control. He has a plan. We don’t need to worry, but just do what He’s called us to do, take up our cross, trust Him and follow Him!  

Alice

Godly Accountable

If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable.  But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death.  Exodus 21:28-29

I was watching a movie about being a father in tough circumstances.  The father had been involved with gangs most of his life, and rehabilitated himself with the help of an older mentor.  In the final scene, there is a confrontation between the father and the gang leader over who ultimately would determine the boy’s future.  As the gang leader threatens to kill the father, the father tries to teach his son, who was in the middle, a lesson by offering his own life to help him see the wrongfulness of gang life.  The father says:

Jimmie... son... if you hit a man in his face, in time, his wounds will heal. And later on, you can apologize to that man. If you steal his goods, later on, you can return those goods, or you can repay him equal value. But if you kill... there is no later on. There's no way to repair it with that man. There's no way to make it right with him or his family. His life is gone forever. You never come back from that.

I was never a member of a gang or desired to be part of one.  But the story hit me hard because I was a young father of two children, and it helped me realize how much they needed me. In a place where single moms had often carried the load far too often, I had an opportunity to be the father to them many other children did not have.  I had to be accountable.  To them.  To their mother who became my wife.  And ultimately, to God.

Accountability to God extends beyond us.  After the Ten Commandments, Moses was provided additional instructions to give to God’s people.  They focused on the treatment and injustices of others.  In today’s verses, it covered situations where an ox kills another.  There was forgiveness for the initial accident, but if that happened again, it now became an issue where the owner of the ox was negligent because there was a history.  As such, the owner would be held accountable.  There are numerous situations where we are held accountable for our actions.  What is noteworthy here is the expectation that we are also to be accountable for those who we are responsible for.  Whether it be an ox who gores, a dog who bites, or a child who damages, God holds us to a higher level of accountability than we might ourselves hold to.  As such, accountability requires us to both prepare ourselves to do right and teach righteousness to those we are responsible for.

We are to be generous to others for God is a giving God.  He gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and has given so much that we may at times take it for granted.  He is a provider and lover of us as His children.  For His provisions, we are not only grateful but also accountable to uphold His word including His laws and teachings.  Jesus in His famous Sermon on the Mount said:

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.  Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”  Matthew 5:38-42

Accountability to God is sacrificing even when we think we shouldn’t.  So when necessary, let us all be willing to go one step above serving others to profess the love we have for Him.  How accountable are you to God?  Who have you possibly wronged that today you can go above and beyond to make right?  My prayer is that we look to God and in all we do find ourselves 100% accountable.  Amen.

A Bible Pun

The book of Hebrews in the Christian Scriptures is probably more challenging and controversial than even Revelation, or it was when it was first written. There are a lot of "only in Hebrews" sorts of assertions and arguments. For instance, Jesus is called our High Priest only in Hebrews. Yet, we think of the three roles of Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King. King makes sense as He is the descendant of David. Prophet was what everyone figured He was, and He spoke for the Father, so he was the Prophet. But priests were descendant from Aaron, they were from the tribe of Levi, not Judah. So, that role is only defined in Hebrews. And that is only one of many elements we know of Jesus only found in Hebrews.

One of the unique perspectives in Hebrews can be found in chapter 9. In English, it's very strange, and probably causes more questions than it answers. It's found in the three verses below:

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. (Hebrews 9:15-17 ESV)

You may have missed the author's switch between "covenant" and "will" (as in "last will and testament"). Read that again. Now, who died? The obvious answer is Jesus. But look at the first sentence, especially the final phrase. Now, in the first covenant, who died? Do you sort of feel peculiar, even asking the question? That's not my point, to make you feel peculiar. It may help to notice in your own version that most of the time, this change from "covenant" to "will" has a footnote, where the translators explain something. Those are good things to read.

In this instance, the Greek word behind "covenant" in verse 15, and "will" in verses 16 and 17 are the same. The writer has used some "elasticity" in the meaning of the Greek word to highlight something, or rather Someone. All along through this book, the writer has been building an argument brick by brick. It's all led to this point. Jesus is superior to everything, angels, Moses, the law, the priesthood, and because of all that, He has a superior ministry. Everything done under the law of Moses was a shadow of the real ministry in heaven, the tabernacle, the furniture, the process, all to get to the Throne of our Creator.

But now, Jesus has done something huge. In fact it is so massive, it boggles the imagination. He has offered the perfect sacrifice, so perfect that no more sacrifices need be made, and in fact, it is effective for all time, present, future and past. The thing is, He's not "Levitical". There were exceptions to the Levites conducting the sacrifices, Samuel did it, and David. David even had some of his sons function as priests, although it's not necessarily clear in what way. But the law that God gave to Moses said that only Levites were to offer the sin offering. Only the High Priest, a descendant of Aaron, was to go into the Holy of Holies once a year to sprinkle blood on the ark of the covenant, atoning for the sins of all Israel for the year. But Jesus does this amazing thing, this new covenant mentioned by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31.

At this point in his argument, the writer of Hebrews takes the Greek word used throughout the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to a covenant, and suddenly uses it like most of the common Greek-speaking world used it, to refer to a will. That was unexpected. But he does it to pull his audience into his main point. Referring to the New Covenant as a "will" highlights the amazing role that Jesus has within this New Covenant. In this will, Jesus dies to bring it into effect (verses 16 and 17), but then rises from the dead to be the executor as well (verse 15). The boomerang effect in the brains of his audience caused by using the "flexibility" in the word they were already used to hearing used both ways jolts them into the startling realization that Jesus' ministry of intercession was truly unique. And nothing can replace Jesus' role, not even adhering to the sacrifices of the temple and tabernacle. That doesn't rattle us today, but it was absolutely shocking when written.

Where Paul envisions a court room, lopsided in our favor (Romans 8), the writer of Hebrews envisions the temple/throne room of heaven with Jesus interceding on our behalf, but from the right-hand of the Father. Both roles of Jesus are intercession, one as our Defense Attorney, the other as our High Priest. Both are made possible because Jesus paid the price of our sin Himself. Both place our ability to approach our Creator entirely in our Savior. But one is an educational appropriation of common life, and the other is the reality underlying the mere shadows of this world. Yet both display the compassion and mercy of our Creator for His wayward creatures. Such compassion from a deity is shocking in the ancient world. And in our day, such mercy is still unexpected, and hopefully redemptive. What holds us back from experiencing it today? What holds us back from sharing it?