You are a Priest (Monday, Week 1, Year 1)

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It may be good to reconsider the broad context of the Letter to the Hebrews in order to have a better understanding of its contents. According to Richard Donovan, a biblical scholar, the content of the Letter to the Hebrews including the frequent references to the Jewish Scriptures makes it clear that the author was writing to some Jewish Christians who were sorely tempted to leave the Christian church and revert to Jewish worship. That is why the author spends the first ten and a half chapters out of the thirteen chapters of the letter trying to emphasize the superiority of Christ to Moses, the superiority of the New Covenant to the old covenant; the superiority of Christ’s priesthood to Aaron’s priesthood. 


Today’s portion of the Letter to the Hebrews (cf. 5:1-10) continues with the discussion on the priesthood of Christ. It says that a high priest is one chosen among people and appointed to act on behalf of people in relation to God. He offers gifts and sacrifices for sins. From all of the above description, one thing is clear: a high priest acts as a go-between or a link between God and humanity. What the Letter to the Hebrews wants to establish then is that Jesus is a Perfect HIGH PRIEST ; His is not like the high priesthood of Aaron.


Aaron and other high priests of the Old Covenant offered uncountable animal sacrifices in order to reach out to God; but Jesus has offered only one sacrifice of Himself and through Him we can now have access to God our Father.


In the Old Dispensation before the coming of Jesus, people sacrificed animals; people fasted more frequently; people did rigorous penance in order to have access to God. With the coming of Jesus, it is no longer mandatory that we must sacrifice animals or fast always or wear sackcloth or put ashes on our head as it was done in the Old Testament in order to reach out to God.


In the gospel (cf. Mk. 2:18-22), some people went to Jesus and asked Him, “Why is it that John’s disciples and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “As long as the wedding guests have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast”. This analogy must have made some sense to those Jesus was addressing. Among the Jews, after a wedding, the couple does not immediately go away for honeymoon. They stay at home for a week or so for continual feasting and rejoicing. According to a Jewish rule, during that time of feasting, the wedding guests are exempt from all fasting.


In response to those who came to him with a question about fasting, Jesus likened Himself to the bridegroom. And strongly declares that inasmuch as He is present, no need for the wedding guests to fast. He is our perfect high priest, no need for animal sacrifices and rigorous fasting just for us to reach out to God. Fasting is good. Penance is good. And there are many genuine reasons why people fast and so on. But to belief that without fasting we CAN'T have access to God is inconsistent with the belief in the priesthood of Jesus Christ through whom, we can now have immediate access to God our Father. 


Among other things, the most important point for our consideration is that through Jesus, in Jesus and with Jesus, we have become priests (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9). And by the virtue of that status, we ought to be intercessors, intermediaries and go-betweens for others. A priest is supposed to connect people to God. Do we do that? How often do we pray for others? How often do we show others the face of God by the way we love and talk and behave?


Prayer:

May we continue live, talk and behave ever conscious of who we have become in Christ, Amen!


Have a blessed day and week!



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