Last night one of our girls made a phone call and the relief who were shadowing and I sat in disbelief at the confused view of reality she seemed to hold on to. Her “truths”, to an older person, seemed pure ignorance of reality. Of course I am sure we have all been there before.
Shoot, I am sure we all still engage in this fairy tale reality from time to time. When Jenny and I first got out of school I lived in this warped view of reality where I believed that now getting a job would be easy and that it would make everything easy and things would be awesome and fulfilling from there. Boy was reality different.
I learned contentment, patience, and endurance were the only things that would allow us to be satisfied and still hold on to our dreams. Joy comes from Jesus, not an “easy” situation in life. Not that our jobs would have even turned out easy really.
Sometimes the things we do not currently have or that we dream about can seem clearer to us than what is really around us. It is kind of like the reflection in the mirror being clearer to you than the reality. It doesn’t matter how good it looks, when you walk away from the mirror reality is all you have to work with.
The Hebrew believers had trouble with wishing for what they didn’t have. They felt that it would seem more real to them than what they had, the Author reminds them to remember.
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
The author gives them a clear direction to remember their leaders. These are people who went before them and lived out an example of the life of faith. real people who can be a testimony to the true reality around them. Other’s examples always seem to give us a better view of reality than we can come up with on our own. He then tells them that Jesus is the same for the readers as He was for their leaders.
The the Author attacks the problem. The Hebrews wanted to turn to Jewish ceremony. In the middle of the mundane waiting game the Hebrew believers had begun to want something that felt more “real”. The Author reminds them reality is grace, not ceremony.
The Author then reminds the of the superior nature of Christ’s priesthood over the Jewish priesthood and invites the believers out of the camp of ceremony and separation and into the fellowship of suffering and redemption.
The, knowing the human heart, a concession is made. When we look longingly for something it should not be some “future” achievement or placement, it should not be some work or station, and it should not be to some man-made ceremony or creation. We have a GREAT promise to look forward to. Our eternity in a better reality spent with God.
We all get distracted with our own plans, Lord knows I have. It is difficult to remember that in the moment only grace matters. It is hard to remember that we are not called to a fairy tale of ease, but to shame, suffering, and redemption. Our dreams can be founded in God and a wonderful goal; but the only promise we should focus our daily activity around is the promise of a better city and a better relationship with God.
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