Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyrENqSTJgc
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 3047 | Upside-Down Selfie with Jesus
Greg Williams
The selfie is the new autograph. Armed constantly with our phones, if we run into a famous person or even go to a famous place, we can snap a picture instantly. It’s better than the old, impersonal autograph. Here you are in the presence of a celebrity for a moment—with your arm around a millionaire like you are old friends.
For about a second, it’s like you’re one of them.
Like every other commodity, selfies have now become big business too. How about a selfie with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)? That will run you almost $200. Take a snap with Sly Stallone? That’ll be $445. It can become an expensive moment, but it’s worth it for the big fans.
James and John make a kind of “selfie request” of Jesus in Mark 10:
And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
Mark 10:37 (ESV)
This is a bold request; they are asking for the seats of honor, to the right and left of the king. They are hoping to bask in the presence of glory and power—to sit for a moment on near-equal footing with royalty. In a sense, to take a selfie with him.
Jesus turns the conversation on its head quickly:
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mark 10:43-44 (ESV)
As he often does, Jesus turns the dynamic of the culture—and human culture in general—on its head. If you would be great, you must be a servant. There is no vying for the center stage; there’s no elbowing your way in for a photograph with fame. Jesus calls us away from these status symbols and trappings of identity into true freedom where the last are first and the humble great.
When Jesus finally was crowned here on earth, he did have someone on his right and someone on his left. But his crown was of thorns and he was nailed to his throne, and at each side of him were criminals.
So can we take this upside-down selfie with Jesus? If we’re going to snap a pic at his side, we won’t find him at the autograph table. We’ll find him serving not being served. Taking that selfie—standing next to him in that moment—is much more costly than taking one with any celebrity, but worth every penny.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 3047 | Upside-Down Selfie with Jesus
Greg Williams
The selfie is the new autograph. Armed constantly with our phones, if we run into a famous person or even go to a famous place, we can snap a picture instantly. It’s better than the old, impersonal autograph. Here you are in the presence of a celebrity for a moment—with your arm around a millionaire like you are old friends.
For about a second, it’s like you’re one of them.
Like every other commodity, selfies have now become big business too. How about a selfie with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)? That will run you almost $200. Take a snap with Sly Stallone? That’ll be $445. It can become an expensive moment, but it’s worth it for the big fans.
James and John make a kind of “selfie request” of Jesus in Mark 10:
And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
Mark 10:37 (ESV)
This is a bold request; they are asking for the seats of honor, to the right and left of the king. They are hoping to bask in the presence of glory and power—to sit for a moment on near-equal footing with royalty. In a sense, to take a selfie with him.
Jesus turns the conversation on its head quickly:
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mark 10:43-44 (ESV)
As he often does, Jesus turns the dynamic of the culture—and human culture in general—on its head. If you would be great, you must be a servant. There is no vying for the center stage; there’s no elbowing your way in for a photograph with fame. Jesus calls us away from these status symbols and trappings of identity into true freedom where the last are first and the humble great.
When Jesus finally was crowned here on earth, he did have someone on his right and someone on his left. But his crown was of thorns and he was nailed to his throne, and at each side of him were criminals.
So can we take this upside-down selfie with Jesus? If we’re going to snap a pic at his side, we won’t find him at the autograph table. We’ll find him serving not being served. Taking that selfie—standing next to him in that moment—is much more costly than taking one with any celebrity, but worth every penny.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c · Job 38:1-7 · Hebrews 5:1-10 · Mark 10:35-45
All human beings have suffered, including Jesus, and we can respond to it many ways: anger, rage, disbelief, guilt, doubt, and discouragement. To process suffering, we need to make sure we are not telling ourselves false stories about suffering, such as “I must not have enough faith” or “God promised protection, health, and wealth to believers.” A loving God does not desire our suffering. It is, however, a part of our universal human condition. Our theme this week is learning through suffering, and as we will see, even Jesus learned during suffering. The author C.S. Lewis writes, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is a megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” The readings this week closely connect the quality of humility with the ability to be transformed by suffering. Our call to worship, Psalm 104, is a lyric poem that recounts the days of creation, reminding readers that the earth is God’s, and it is good, regardless of the suffering that is part of the world. Job 38 features God’s response to Job about the limitations of human understanding in the midst of suffering. Mark 10 tells of the request made by the sons of Zebedee, James and John, asking to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in his kingdom. Jesus told them that to be great, they needed the humility of servants and an ability to suffer with him. Our sermon text, Hebrews 5:1-10, helps us understand what made Jesus the right human for the job of our high priest, enabling him to offer comfort to us when we need it the most.
Somebody Who Understands
Hebrews 5:1-10 (NRSVUE)
There’s a story about a farmer back in the 1900s who had some puppies for sale. He had just put up the sign on a post at the edge of his yard advertising the pups when a small boy appeared. “I want to buy one of those puppies,” he told the farmer. “Well, you know, these puppies are pretty expensive,” said the farmer. The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out several coins. “I’ve got 39 cents,” he said. “That might just work,” the farmer told him. “Let’s go take a look.”
They walked out to the doghouse surrounded by a chicken wire fence, and the farmer whistled. The mother dog came running out of the doghouse and down the ramp, followed by four black and white balls of fur. The boy pressed his fingers through the fence, and the puppies licked every one of them. But then the boy looked back to the doghouse, and there at the top of the ramp stood another smaller ball of black fur. It stumbled down the ramp, only to tumble into a heap at the bottom before trying to catch up with its siblings.
“I want that one,” the boy said, pointing to the smallest puppy. The farmer told him, “No, you don’t want the runt. That puppy won’t be able to jump and play with you like the others.” The boy reached down to pull up his pant leg, revealing a brace that ran down both sides of his leg and attached to his shoe. “I don’t run too good myself,” the boy told the farmer. “He’ll need somebody who understands.”
As we continue our study of the book of Hebrews, we’re learning about Jesus, his deep understanding about being human, and why he was qualified to be our high priest. Let’s read together Hebrews 5:1-10. Read More
The context of Hebrews 5:1-10
The fifth chapter of Hebrews begins to logically and methodically address why Jesus is our high priest. The writer of Hebrews is laying a foundation for his audience – Jewish converts – which will enable them to understand they are now a part of a better hope and a better covenant, a point which he will continue to argue in the remaining part of the letter. According to Barclay’s Commentary, this is Hebrews’ “special contribution to Christian thought – the doctrine of the high priesthood of Jesus Christ.”
Verses 1-4 discuss the qualifications of the Aaronic priesthood, and verses 5-10 show how Jesus meets those qualifications though not necessarily in the way most Jewish Christians would expect. The writer of Hebrews, who is never identified, must “establish beyond question that Jesus is a great high priest or the whole plan of salvation comes to nothing” (Barclay’s Commentary).
The role of the high priest is described in v. 1:
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins (Hebrews 5:1, NRSVUE).
The high priest represented the people, and to do that, the high priest had to fulfill three conditions: experienced human life, be put in charge by God, and offer gifts and sacrifices. We will look at each one, comparing and contrasting how Jesus fulfilled or exceeded the Aaronic priestly requirements.
Experience human life
Hebrews 5:2-3 specifies that the high priest must be human:
He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness, and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people (Hebrews 5:2-3, NRSVUE).
If the high priest were not human and faced with the same temptations and sin as others, then he could not represent fellow human beings before God. In fact, the Aaronic priesthood had to first offer a sacrifice for themselves before offering sacrifices for the people because they were prone to sin. Notice that Hebrews 5:2 highlights this empathy for human weakness:
He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness (Hebrews 5:2, NRSVUE).
A good high priest would identify with the weaknesses of those he represented. In the case of Jesus, though, he suffered with the multitude he represented (i.e., all of humanity), as shown in Hebrews 4:15. Aaronic high priests did not suffer with those for whom they presented sacrifices, so their ability to empathize would have been limited.
Be put in charge by God
Hebrews 5:4 explains that the role of high priest requires a calling by God:
And one does not presume to take this honor but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was (Hebrews 5:4, NRSVUE).
One only has to think about what happened to the family of Korah who disputed the priesthood and its role in mediating between humans and God, arguing that the priesthood was Aaron and Moses’ plan to grab power (Numbers 16:1-35). While the Aaronic priesthood began with God’s selection of Moses’ brother, Aaron, as high priest (Exodus 28:1, 40:12-15), by the time of Jesus, the office of the high priesthood had become politicized and corrupt. The emphasis on power removed any chance that humility might work transformation in the priesthood or those it served.
Jesus’ appointment by God as high priest is further explained in verses 5-6:
So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you;” as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:5-6, NRSVUE).
In these two verses, the author of Hebrews quotes from two psalms, Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, which were known by the original audience as messianic prophecies. Later in Hebrews 7, the author addresses the character of Melchizedek as an alternative priesthood since Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi, but from the tribe of Judah. Gardner-Webb University Associate Professor of Religious Studies Scott Shauf summarizes it this way:
Melchizedek is an obscure figure who appears in the story of Abraham in Genesis 14:17-20. He is said to be both a king and a ‘priest of God Most High.’ He appears nowhere else in scripture until his name shows up in this psalm, where the addressee of the psalm — understood by Jews of this period to be the Messiah — is said to be a priest in his order. Hence, we have the basis for the Messiah to be identified as a high priest, despite the non-Levite ancestry. Particularly important for Hebrews is that he is said in the verse to be a priest ‘forever,’ which connects nicely to Christ’s immortal post-resurrection status, and which provides a contrast with the mortality of the Levitical priests.
In comparing Jesus to Melchizedek, the author of Hebrews is saying that Jesus’ priesthood was superior to the Aaronic priesthood.
Offer gifts and sacrifices
The high priest’s role was to offer gifts and sacrifices, and Jesus fulfilled this role as explained in Hebrews 5:7-10:
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:7-10, NRSVUE).
While human, Jesus offered fervent prayers “with loud cries and tears,” possibly referring to the Garden of Gethsemane. Wheaton College Associate Professor of New Testament, Amy L.B. Peeler, writes that Jesus’ fervency in prayer would have been viewed as a strength, not weakness, to the Jewish Christian audience and that the ability to pray honestly and passionately spoke to the efficacy of those prayers:
At the first part of chapter 5, the author has said nothing about the effectiveness of the priests’ offerings, but he does say that Jesus’ offering of prayer was effective. God heard Jesus because of his reverence. He was not … delivered before his death but after it. He experienced what he knew was true about God’s ability to rescue out of death.
Verses 8-9 can be difficult because of the translation of the word “perfect:”
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9, NRSVUE).
Hebrews’ author uses a literary device or a “play on words” with “learned” (emathen in Greek) and “suffered” (epathen in Greek), suggesting a “no pain, no gain” meaning.
If we look back to Hebrews 4:15, we can see that despite the author’s assertion that Jesus learned obedience and was made perfect, it’s clear that Jesus’ life experiences didn’t compromise his sinlessness. The phrase “made perfect” (teleioo in Greek) is better translated as “a sense of finished or completed” rather than moral perfection. Jesus had completed his mission as a human being, living a perfect life while being subject to all the human temptations. Some scholars believe that these verses show that Jesus became equipped for his role as high priest through living a perfect human life.
By suffering the physical and emotional pain of wrongful execution at the hands of the empire, thanks to those who wanted power more than they wanted to be transformed, Jesus identified with the suffering of marginalized people. He understood the way they had been treated by those in power and the burdens they bore because of the human systems in place. And by willingly enduring similar mistreatment even to death, Jesus became our high priest. He “learned obedience through what he suffered” (v.8) so that he could understand the human experience and bring us into relationship with the Father and Holy Spirit. And Jesus doesn’t merely understand and empathize with our humanity, his obedience and suffering healed our humanity.
In the same way the boy in the opening story understood the pain of living within the limitations of his disability and thus understood the limitations the runt of the litter might have, Jesus learned through his suffering as a human being the struggles we face living within our human systems. Therefore, when we face difficulties, we know we have a high priest who has felt the way we feel and will support us as we work through it.
Call to Action: This week, when facing a difficulty, contemplate how it helps you cope, knowing that Jesus fully identifies with us and our suffering. Consider how you can offer that same support to someone else who is facing a difficulty that you’ve experienced before.
For Reference:
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-29-2/commentary-on-hebrews-51-10#:~:text=Twenty%2Dfirst%20Sunday%20after%20Pentecost,to%20our%20understanding%20of%20Christ.
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-29-2/commentary-on-hebrews-51-10-3
https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2015-03-16/hebrews-51-10/
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/hebrews-5.html
https://deeprootsathome.com/stories-about-empathy-wont-soon-forget/
Jared Neusch—Year B Propers 24
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR053-Neusch-YearB-Propers24.mp3
October 20, 2024 — Proper 24 in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 5:1-10
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Program Transcript
Jared Neusch—Year B Proper 24
Anthony: Let’s transition to our third pericope of the month. It’s Hebrews 5:1-10. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 24 in Ordinary Time, which is October 20.
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness, 3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not presume to take this honor but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
We read that Jesus is ultimately the greater high priest. And as you mentioned in the context of Hebrews, it wants to point us to the supremacy of Christ. But those can just be words if we’re not careful. So, I guess I’m going to invite you to make it personal. How is Jesus Christ the greater high priest and why does it matter, Jared?
Neusch: Yeah, there’s a lot in that text. I think there is a lot that could be learned in that text. Especially if you really want to dive into the Old Testament and the roles of the priests and the priesthood and sacrifices and all of that. And I don’t consider myself an expert there. So, I think there’s just so much more that we can learn on this.
But in general, Israel’s priests had a role to represent the people of Israel to God and to offer various kinds of sacrifices. But some of the problem — I think there were multiple problems — but some of the problem was that the priests were flawed themselves. And so, they were even having to offer sacrifices for their own sin as they were going about this process.
But also, they were operating under a different covenant than we are in now. And through this process, ultimately, a new covenant was needed. And so, Jesus is the needed solution. But he didn’t come from the line of Aaron; he comes from a different line altogether, which the author says is the line of Melchizedek, which is, of course, a bit of a mysterious figure.
And you can dive in and see what different people think about that, but he appears in the stories of Abraham and in Psalm 110 as well. In general, there was an insufficiency in the system leading up to Christ. Like Paul tells us in Galatians, the law functioned as a tutor until the arrival of Christ.
It wasn’t in competition with Christ or something that needed to be destroyed. It was put in place as a bit of a pedagogue, as a tutor that would lead us there until the fullness of time. And this was great, but ultimately it was always insufficient. It was never meant to be sufficient.
It was meant to lead to Christ eventually. And so, it did not, it could not compete with the supremacy of Christ, his salvific work. And this is the same when we think back to the beginning of Hebrews 1 that we’ve talked about; there are ways that God has acted and moved and mediums he has worked through in many times, in many ways, but now his Son. And so, Christ is able to offer the ultimate deliverance in a way that we were obviously never able to.
I guess just to kick things off, that’s how I understand the previous system and its role in the story and how Christ mediating this new covenant is just supreme.
Anthony: And thanks be to God that he is the mediator, and he mediates our relationships.
And I bring that up as a tip of the spear of what I’m about to ask. In its original etymology, the word arrogant means to claim for oneself what’s not rightly theirs. I say that because there’s just no whiff of arrogance in Jesus, even though he is the supreme high priest. He did not claim the honor of high priest apart from the Father appointing him. He did not glorify himself.
I’m curious what do you make of the humility of God revealed in Jesus Christ? And again, why does it matter?
Neusch: This, you know, immediately makes me think of Philippians 2, which is the earliest Christ hymn that we have, at least we think. And it says, “He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped but emptied himself taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness and being found in appearance as a human. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The humility of the incarnation, suffering and death of Christ — and to me, this is a really, really big point in my own theology, in some of my writing, in some of my passion, even when it comes to Christian pacifism is this way of Christ, the humility, the willingness to suffer these things.
And this is not a 33-year blip on the radar of God of how he was this one time. Oh, in this moment, he was the slain lamb and nonviolent, but now he’s the lion of Judah and he’s coming back to retributively take everyone out.
No. This is not just a little blip on the radar of God that finished. This is a perfectly clear window into the nature of God. This is what God has always been like. It is what he will always be like. It is how he is.
And there’s — I need to stay on topic here, but you can get into the book of Revelation, and it reads in perfect harmony with this humble suffering, slain lamb depiction of God. We don’t need to take a right turn when we get to the Eschaton and go, all right, now he’s coming back for blood, and it’s going to be quite a violent story. There is a way to read this where it is the slain lamb and his army of martyrs. But we won’t get into that now.
This is then central, if we bring things back to hermeneutics or biblical interpretation, this humility, that God reveals in himself through Christ. This willingness to self-empty while we were still sinners and while we were still enemies and violent towards him, he positioned himself in this beautiful, canonic way.
And this sort of depiction of God, like I said, it’s not a blip on the radar. It is how he was and how he will always be. And I think this, understanding of God needs to be excavated a bit more rigorously in our reading of the Old Testament. And so, there’s so many reasons it matters.
That’s one of the ones that comes to mind. This needs to play out in our reading of the scriptures. We don’t want it to just be that we see this way or manner of God in tiny little pockets. And especially when we get to the Gospels, but elsewhere, we see a bit of a different view. This is how God has revealed himself most clearly, and it needs to matter in terms of how we read Scripture.
Anthony: Yeah, it’s going back to what we said earlier about him being Jesus, the true human, showing us how life can be lived by the Spirit and the outworking of his humility. It can’t be compartmentalized; it must be reflected, embodied in the way that we live.
And referring back to the last pericope, we talked about the outworking of loving our neighbor, laying down our lives, esteeming them. But it’s a double movement as well, because I think one of the problems we’ve had, especially say quote unquote Christian missions, is we’re coming to save somebody. Or we’re coming in to be the hero and not in great humility, in Christ’s humility, asking ourselves, what can we learn from the other? How can they serve us? How can they be a blessing to us?
I think that’s part of the outworking here of Christ’s humility that abides in us by his Spirit is that, you know what, there is something for me to learn and to receive from the one that I’m going to serve. And so, there’s, oh, there’s so much we could say, but it’s just one of the thoughts that came to mind.
Neusch: That’s beautiful, Anthony. And it’s so delightful to hear you say that. This sort of view of Jesus is the antidote to, you know, colonial missiology, where it’s going to coerce and dictate the way things are going. And instead, what you’re talking about is absolutely beautiful.
And it perfectly captures the way of Christ. So that’s amazing.
Anthony: May it be so Lord.
Program Transcript
Jared Neusch—Year B Proper 24
Anthony: Let’s transition to our third pericope of the month. It’s Hebrews 5:1-10. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 24 in Ordinary Time, which is October 20.
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness, 3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not presume to take this honor but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
We read that Jesus is ultimately the greater high priest. And as you mentioned in the context of Hebrews, it wants to point us to the supremacy of Christ. But those can just be words if we’re not careful. So, I guess I’m going to invite you to make it personal. How is Jesus Christ the greater high priest and why does it matter, Jared?
Neusch: Yeah, there’s a lot in that text. I think there is a lot that could be learned in that text. Especially if you really want to dive into the Old Testament and the roles of the priests and the priesthood and sacrifices and all of that. And I don’t consider myself an expert there. So, I think there’s just so much more that we can learn on this.
But in general, Israel’s priests had a role to represent the people of Israel to God and to offer various kinds of sacrifices. But some of the problem — I think there were multiple problems — but some of the problem was that the priests were flawed themselves. And so, they were even having to offer sacrifices for their own sin as they were going about this process.
But also, they were operating under a different covenant than we are in now. And through this process, ultimately, a new covenant was needed. And so, Jesus is the needed solution. But he didn’t come from the line of Aaron; he comes from a different line altogether, which the author says is the line of Melchizedek, which is, of course, a bit of a mysterious figure.
And you can dive in and see what different people think about that, but he appears in the stories of Abraham and in Psalm 110 as well. In general, there was an insufficiency in the system leading up to Christ. Like Paul tells us in Galatians, the law functioned as a tutor until the arrival of Christ.
It wasn’t in competition with Christ or something that needed to be destroyed. It was put in place as a bit of a pedagogue, as a tutor that would lead us there until the fullness of time. And this was great, but ultimately it was always insufficient. It was never meant to be sufficient.
It was meant to lead to Christ eventually. And so, it did not, it could not compete with the supremacy of Christ, his salvific work. And this is the same when we think back to the beginning of Hebrews 1 that we’ve talked about; there are ways that God has acted and moved and mediums he has worked through in many times, in many ways, but now his Son. And so, Christ is able to offer the ultimate deliverance in a way that we were obviously never able to.
I guess just to kick things off, that’s how I understand the previous system and its role in the story and how Christ mediating this new covenant is just supreme.
Anthony: And thanks be to God that he is the mediator, and he mediates our relationships.
And I bring that up as a tip of the spear of what I’m about to ask. In its original etymology, the word arrogant means to claim for oneself what’s not rightly theirs. I say that because there’s just no whiff of arrogance in Jesus, even though he is the supreme high priest. He did not claim the honor of high priest apart from the Father appointing him. He did not glorify himself.
I’m curious what do you make of the humility of God revealed in Jesus Christ? And again, why does it matter?
Neusch: This, you know, immediately makes me think of Philippians 2, which is the earliest Christ hymn that we have, at least we think. And it says, “He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped but emptied himself taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness and being found in appearance as a human. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The humility of the incarnation, suffering and death of Christ — and to me, this is a really, really big point in my own theology, in some of my writing, in some of my passion, even when it comes to Christian pacifism is this way of Christ, the humility, the willingness to suffer these things.
And this is not a 33-year blip on the radar of God of how he was this one time. Oh, in this moment, he was the slain lamb and nonviolent, but now he’s the lion of Judah and he’s coming back to retributively take everyone out.
No. This is not just a little blip on the radar of God that finished. This is a perfectly clear window into the nature of God. This is what God has always been like. It is what he will always be like. It is how he is.
And there’s — I need to stay on topic here, but you can get into the book of Revelation, and it reads in perfect harmony with this humble suffering, slain lamb depiction of God. We don’t need to take a right turn when we get to the Eschaton and go, all right, now he’s coming back for blood, and it’s going to be quite a violent story. There is a way to read this where it is the slain lamb and his army of martyrs. But we won’t get into that now.
This is then central, if we bring things back to hermeneutics or biblical interpretation, this humility, that God reveals in himself through Christ. This willingness to self-empty while we were still sinners and while we were still enemies and violent towards him, he positioned himself in this beautiful, canonic way.
And this sort of depiction of God, like I said, it’s not a blip on the radar. It is how he was and how he will always be. And I think this, understanding of God needs to be excavated a bit more rigorously in our reading of the Old Testament. And so, there’s so many reasons it matters.
That’s one of the ones that comes to mind. This needs to play out in our reading of the scriptures. We don’t want it to just be that we see this way or manner of God in tiny little pockets. And especially when we get to the Gospels, but elsewhere, we see a bit of a different view. This is how God has revealed himself most clearly, and it needs to matter in terms of how we read Scripture.
Anthony: Yeah, it’s going back to what we said earlier about him being Jesus, the true human, showing us how life can be lived by the Spirit and the outworking of his humility. It can’t be compartmentalized; it must be reflected, embodied in the way that we live.
And referring back to the last pericope, we talked about the outworking of loving our neighbor, laying down our lives, esteeming them. But it’s a double movement as well, because I think one of the problems we’ve had, especially say quote unquote Christian missions, is we’re coming to save somebody. Or we’re coming in to be the hero and not in great humility, in Christ’s humility, asking ourselves, what can we learn from the other? How can they serve us? How can they be a blessing to us?
I think that’s part of the outworking here of Christ’s humility that abides in us by his Spirit is that, you know what, there is something for me to learn and to receive from the one that I’m going to serve. And so, there’s, oh, there’s so much we could say, but it’s just one of the thoughts that came to mind.
Neusch: That’s beautiful, Anthony. And it’s so delightful to hear you say that. This sort of view of Jesus is the antidote to, you know, colonial missiology, where it’s going to coerce and dictate the way things are going. And instead, what you’re talking about is absolutely beautiful.
And it perfectly captures the way of Christ. So that’s amazing.
Anthony: May it be so Lord.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- The audience for the book of Hebrews was Jewish Christians who were feeling cut off from their Jewish rituals, observances, and connections. The author of Hebrews set out to show these Jewish Christians that Jesus Christ exceeded all the requirements of a high priest. How does understanding this context help us as modern readers to understand the argument the author is making about Jesus? In other words, why does understanding the importance of priestly requirements to an ancient Jewish culture help us place the argument about Jesus as high priest in its proper context?
- Once we understand the book of Hebrews within its context, how does it feel to know that Jesus Christ “is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is subject to weakness” (v. 2)?
- The text tells us Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest (v. 5). Do you think humility enabled Jesus to empty himself and assume a human incarnation?
- What connections do you see between humility, suffering, and transformation in your own life?
