Hebrews 9:11-14, October 30-November 5, Year B:

Straight AheadThis passage could probably be considered the climax of this section of Hebrews, as the author speaks of the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies, purging our sins by His own blood. This sets Christ apart from the Old Testament high priests as nothing else could. This is certainly a wonderful passage for Holy Week use as well. The Old Testament tabernacle, the Levitical priesthood, and all the sacrifice rituals foreshadow the priesthood of Christ. It was especially important that the author of Hebrews point out to his readers--mostly Jewish converts to Christianity--the superiority of the priesthood of Christ. Many of them felt alienated from both Christian and Jewish life. Here, they were reminded that the priesthood of Christ was truly a more excellentway, and that eternal redemption didn't have to be renewed annually. Past and future sins were all covered by the atoning death of Christ on the cross. The contrasts between old and new are almost endless. The whole chapter presents a beautiful picture of the Holy of Holies and the more excellent ministry of Christ. In this passage, the ministry of Christ was declared, and was shown to be a more excellent ministry. To the readers of my blog, the previous essay on the lectionary epistle which dealt with Hebrews 7:23-28 did not appear on my blog because of a technical problem. I tried to email it, as I usually do, but it was not received for some reason. If my blog readers would like to read my meditation on Hebrews 7:23-28, please email me: berrys2@bellsouth.net and I will be happy to send it to you. Thanks for your patience and support.