Abstract
‘You must also be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect’ (Lk 18:40).
Many people find delight, and indeed comfort, as well as a spiritual and intellectual discipline, in reading appropriate biblical texts in books with such titles as a Daily Bible Study, but it is suggested that few appreciate the work necessary to produce a Lectionary from which such books are written. What is fascinating in reading and using such texts is to realise how inter-related are the sub-texts of the chosen passages: for instance, today we note that references to ‘sacrifices’ in Isaiah and the Psalms dovetail appropriately with the notions of the priesthood, which we find in the Book of Hebrews; where we are also reminded of God’s steadfast love to mankind together with the perpetual requirement to be ready for Christ’s coming in glory. Therefore, in our intercessions we should give thanks for the work of those scholars, whose insights enhance our appreciation and understanding of the texts and the quality of our worship.
Our epistle readings, for the last four of the Sundays in July, have been from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians; now, in August, they are all from the Letter to the Hebrews. The first letter is a masterly attempt to bring discipline to the growing church. It has the well-known analogy of Jesus as, ‘…the head of the body, the church;’ and continues, ‘…he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.’ Paul advises the new Christians that they should ‘…Set their minds on things that are above … For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God’, and continues with his practical and philosophical teaching, which is very relevant to twenty-first century people in that: ‘…Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.’
Whilst the Letter to the people of Colossae was to fortify them in their new faith, the Letter to the Hebrews had a different purpose. It was to support those Jewish Christians, living in Rome, who felt nostalgic for the traditions and practices of the communities within which they had been brought up. The author endeavours to show the relevance of Jesus to Jewish events, and thereby portrays him as ‘a great high priest’ by writing, ‘…Thou art a priest for ever, “after the order of Melchizedek.”’ The Author gives sustenance to his readers by introducing them to the great discourse about faith, which is duly supported by reference to the traditions regarding the patriarchs, [which we shall discuss next week]: ‘…Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen … By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.’
Therefore, the skills of the lectionary writers are apparent. They direct us to learn about the discipline and behaviours expected within the Christian life by studying Paul’s letter to the people of Colossae in July; and then in August, we receive the discourse on the spiritual nature of our faith and the pre-eminence of the priesthood of Jesus. Although we know that Paul wrote the former letter, the authorship of Hebrews remains a mystery. For convenience, it is sometimes attributed to Paul, but the conventional wisdom is that it would have been written before Nero torched Rome circa 64
We join our fellow Christians across the years in the belief that we await the second coming of Jesus. Theologians call this the parousia, where Jesus comes as the judge for the last judgement; and this leads us to consider the affairs concerned with the end of the world, called by the esoteric term: eschatology. Although we now enter the realm of the intensely personal, and devotional, aspects of our lives, it is St Luke who understands our quandaries, and directs our attention to the need to be ready for Christ’s coming. Indeed, as recorded in his detailed analysis of the Synoptic Gospels, J. M. Thompson reminds us we must remain ‘Watchful’ and ‘Ready for Christ’s Coming.’
St. Luke recalls that Jesus returned to one of His themes about the responsibilities concerned with the use of wealth, and the injunction to store up ‘Treasure in Heaven’ by selling that which you have, and giving to the poor, so that ‘…where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ He also reports the parable, or story, told by Jesus of servants waiting for their master to return home from a marriage feast, and where Jesus praises those servants who remain awake and alert for master’s homecoming, and provides the instruction: ‘…You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. This passage is developed further by St. Luke recording Peter asking Jesus whether the story was just for the benefit of the disciples, or for the benefit of all men. Of course, Jesus takes the latter view, observing that: ‘…Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required.’
But St Luke again alerts us to the notion of Watchfulness: that is when we must be prepared to meet our maker, and to give an account of ourselves. This is something we have to do, regardless of our knowledge of theology or scripture: it matters not whether we are aware of the finer points of the doctrines surrounding the parousia or eschatology, but rather more on the quality of lives which we are living. With approaching age, I would suggest that the altruistic among us would like our Lord to find us with our earthly work completed, although I suspect that for many—the writer, scientist and researcher—this would be an impossibility, as so many projects we develop, generate a life of their own, which does not cease with the originator’s demise. If that were not the case, and our work was completed, then surely that would be a betrayal of our life, and the purpose of living to serve each other. Rather, I suspect that the Lord would prefer us to have our relationships with each in order, so that we can be at peace with each other, and therefore with him.
A further dimension of the ‘Watchfulness’ theme, which requires our attention, is that which concerns the events which occurred at Gethsemane, or as St Luke calls it, the mount of Olives. Jesus asked his disciples for their support by saying, ‘…Pray that you may not enter into temptation’. He found them sleeping for sorrow, and then said again, ‘Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ Therefore, whilst we should endeavour to live our lives for the Glory of God, we must be ever mindful of the finiteness of our existence and be ever ready to meet our maker, when so required.