God speaks to us in many different ways at many different times. Once upon a time, The Letter to the Hebrews was thought to be one of Paul’s letters. The lack of greeting common to all his letters, the vocabulary, and a carefully sustained argument, sets it apart as utterly un-Pauline. In fact, it stands out from all other New Testament documents in three distinct ways: it is the only document that contains a sustained argument on the nature of Christ as both human and divine; its origin is unknown, its intended audience is unknown, and thus its connection to the rest of the New Testament is unclear; and it is often perceived as among the New Testament’s most anti-Jewish texts. [i] It is this third perception that has caused much mischief, especially as we witness a meteoric rise of anti-Semitism in America, and around the world, today.
Which is too bad. We can never know the unknown author’s intention in this regard. It is too bad because in many ways it is the very best example of New Testament Greek rhetoric, and presents some of the more compelling early reflections on who and what Jesus is. From the very outset in its opening statement, it tells us that God speaks to us in many different ways in different times. Long ago God spoke in one way through the prophets, then in a new way through a Son “whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his power word.” There is perhaps no more majestic depiction of just how this unknown author has experienced Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is a ‘reflection’ and an ‘imprint’ of God. He is not God, but it is easy to see how one might get that impression.
Where Hebrews gets into trouble is when it makes similar suggestions that this ‘appointed heir’ is a new kind of priest, not like the Temple priests, offering a new kind of sacrifice only one time, instead of repeatedly, and therefore it has been interpreted by some to say Christianity replaces Judaism and God’s covenant with Israel. This replacement theory is called supercessionism, and suppersessionism happens to be the foundation upon which the current White Christian Nationalist movement is based. Jesus never meant to start a religion, let alone a nationalist movement. In fact, for nearly three hundred years it was anti-nationalist, and served as an alternative to the brutality of life in the Roman Empire. Jesus called people to become a community of love – to love God and to love neighbor. All neighbors. For becoming a community of love, the earliest Christians were routinely arrested, tortured and killed by the Empire. All notions of a modern Christian Nationalism go against all that Jesus taught and lived, and against our founders intention that in America there be a separation of Church and State.
Such interpretations of this document called Hebrews stands in direct contradiction to Paul’s assertion that those of us who follow Christ have been grafted onto the vine that is Israel, and that together we are all God’s people. I have no doubt that our unknown author likely believed something similar to Paul, but from time-to-time Hebrews can be understood to suggest that Jesus and Christianity replaces Israel. Such an interpretation of Hebrews seems also to contradict Jesus’s story of the Good Samaritan which teaches that we are all in this together, even those most unlike ourselves, and that as the familiar hymn Jesu, Jesu puts it, “All are neighbors to us and you.” Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Jew, and all other religious and wisdom traditions are neighbors to be loved, as God loves those of us who strive to faithfully receive the call to follow Jesus of Nazareth, who lived, died, and rose again as a Jew – a beloved Son of Israel. Whatever Jesus was, is, and always shall be, he is no anti-Semite, and no White Christian Nationalist.
Then consider the opening episode in chapter 10 of Mark’s Good News of Jesus Christ the Son of God. It is easy to interpret it as fundamentally being about divorce. The Pharisees ask Jesus if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. What is not in the text is the fact that for nearly a century, the Pharisees had been debating this question among themselves. There were two schools of thought: the school of Shammai said only the man can dismiss his wife, and only for unfaithfulness, while Hillel allowed for more latitude, which eventually included a woman being able to initiate a divorce as well. Jesus is a real shrewdie and is not about to enter into this long-standing debate. He knows it’s a trap either way. Instead, he changes the conversation to be about marriage. It helps to remember that marriage in first century Israel was still a business arrangement between two fathers, involving dowry payments meant to protect everyone’s interests, but which payments would need to be returned if the marriage failed.
Marriage, says Jesus, is a covenant, very much like the covenant God makes with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is, with Israel. In fact, the prophets use marriage as a metaphor for the covenant between God and Israel. Which covenant is utterly unlike a typical marriage contract in the ancient world in that no matter how many times Israel gives up on God, God never gives up on Israel. Jesus knows this better than most. Despite his cries of abandonment on the cross, he rose to live another day. He also knows that the debate on divorce misses the essential truth: when relationships of any kind break down, everyone is hurt no matter who initiates the breakdown, and no matter what happens next.
Which may be why Jesus brings back the teaching on children which began back in chapter nine where the disciples evidently did not learn the lesson. People are bringing children to Jesus for a blessing, and the disciples try to send them away. Oy vey! Children had no rights, and, like women, were considered property. They were in every way marginalized like the poor, the halt, and the lame. Jesus says in effect, if you welcome me into your life, you must welcome them. As you reach out and receive into your life and into your heart those who are most hurt, damaged, marginalized and broken, it is as if you have welcomed me and my Father into your heart. Let’s not get hung up on blaming one another for whatever breaks down in our relationships, but rather let’s love one another, as my Father loves us and never gives up on us. We may not agree on all the details, we may go our separate ways, but if we do not stay in relationship with one another, then all truly is lost.
God speaks to us in many different ways in many different times. As we consider these sacred texts from Hebrews and Mark: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
[i]
Levine, Amy-Jill, Brettler, Marc Zvi, The Jewish Annotated New Testament
(Oxford University Press, USA:2017) p 460
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