The Collect for the Fifth Sunday in Lent
We beseech You, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon Your people; that by Your great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect for Ash Wednesday
Almighty and Everlasting God, who hates nothing that You have made, and forgives the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, being truly sorry for our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may, obtain of You, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle Hebrews 9:11-15
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.
12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
The Holy Gospel of St John 8:46-59
46 Jesus said, can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honour my Father and you dishonour me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Bishop Ian’s Thoughts
Today’s Epistle Reading is taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews Chapter 9, Verses 11-15.
The Epistle to the Hebrews is a somewhat mysterious Book in that it is not known conclusively who wrote it.
The thrust of the Epistle is to decisively prove that the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Gospel, of the Lord Jesus Christ is infinitely greater than the Law of Moses with its outward show of ceremonial worship and animal sacrifices.
A number of Christian scholars have suggested that the Epistle to the Hebrews was the work of St Paul, whereas others dispute his authorship, and suggest that the author was St Barnabas, a missionary companion of St Paul.
Another group of scholars suggest that it is the work of Apollos, a Jewish Christian from Alexandria, in Egypt, who was a scholarly co-worker of St Paul.
Apollos certainly worked hard to promote the Holy Gospel in the face of Jewish opposition. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles records the beginning of Apollos’ Ministry in Chapter 18, Verses 24-28:
“24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.”
There are also scholars who believe that St Paul wrote the Epistle in Hebrew, and that it was then translated into Greek by St Luke the Evangelist, the author of the Holy Gospel that bears his name together with the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.
One day, in the future, when we are rejoicing with the Lord Jesus, and fellow Christians, in the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven, we will know who wrote this most wonderful Epistle and we will give thanks to the Lord Jesus for giving it to us.
In the meantime, as the writer has chosen not to reveal his identity, let us not speculate on the authorship but rather enjoy and learn from the content of the Epistle.
In this opening portion of our Epistle Reading the writer asserts the supremacy the High Priesthood of the Lord Jesus to that of the earthly High Priesthood of the Jewish faith.
The Lord Jesus ministered “through the greater and more perfect Tabernacle” (Tent of Meeting in the ancient Israelite’s camp, or the Holy of Holies in the later Jewish Temples) that is not made by hands,” This greater Tabernacle is God’s Presence in Heaven.
This “greater and more perfect Tabernacle” is not built by human hands, but rather by God Himself:
“11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.”
The writer then stressed, that unlike the Jewish High Priest who cleansed himself, and the people of sin, prior to his entry into the Holy of Holies on the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), a ceremony that was repeated year after year using the blood of animals, the Lord Jesus entered the Heavenly Holy of Holies, (the Presence of God), once only, by His own Holy Blood, and thereby gained Everlasting Cleansing of sin and Eternal Redemption for His Chosen People:
“12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
The once, and for all time, Holy Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus has Cleansed us, His Chosen People, from all sins, and has Clothed us in the Holy Righteousness of the Lord Jesus for evermore.
Our guilt for past sins, through which Satan can drag us down, has been lifted and we can now serve the Lord Jesus with a clear conscience and a quiet mind. This gives us a confident, forward looking, attitude:
“13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
The Lord Jesus Christ has, by His Holy Gospel, the New and Better Covenant, secured for us our Promised Eternal Inheritance as the Adopted Children of God:
“15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”
May God give us thankful hearts for the Gift of the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and His Holy Righteousness in which we are clothed, and may we wait patiently for His Second Coming at which time we, and all who have trusted in the Lord Jesus, from every age of history, will inherit His Everlasting Kingdom. Amen.
Today’s Holy Gospel Reading is taken from the Holy Gospel of St John Chapter 8, Verses 46-59.
St John opens this portion of his Holy Gospel with the account of the Lord Jesus confronting the Jews regarding the question of sin:
“46 Jesus said, can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
The Lord Jesus tells the Jews that they do not hear and believe His words, because they are not children of God.
The Jews answered the Lord Jesus by asserting that he was a Samaritan (not of the kingdom of Judah) and that He is possessed by a demon:
“48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
The Lord Jesus responds to their accusation by declaring that He is not demon possessed but rather that He honours His Heavenly Father.
He further tells the Jews that He does not seek His own Glory, but there is one (God) who seeks Glory for the Lord Jesus and He is the Judge of the world.
The Lord Jesus finishes his response by declaring His Divine Authority to the Jews:
“49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
This claim by the Lord Jesus enrages the Jews who now say that they now know that He is demon possessed.
The Jews indignant response to the Lord Jesus’ words, was that the Jewish Patriarch, Abraham, and all the prophets had died many years before, yet here is the Lord Jesus saying that whoever obeys His words will never taste death.
The Jews’ final question to the Lord Jesus was whether He claimed to be greater than their deceased forefather Abraham and all the prophets? “Who do you think you are?” they demand:
“52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
The Lord Jesus then declared to the Jews that if He sought Glory for himself through His words then such a claim would not be supported, however if the Glory is sought by His Heavenly Father, the God whom the Jews claimed was their God, then the Lord Jesus’ Glory is validated.
The Lord Jesus then “rubbed salt” into the Jews’ wounds by further declaring that the Jews did not know God, but He did, and to say He did not know God would make the Him a liar, like the Jews, who were liars:
“54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.”
The Lord Jesus then made a most dramatic statement to the Jews:
“56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at tseeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
The Jews spat back their indignant response:
“57 You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
The Lord Jesus then stunned the Jews with His final declaration:
“58 Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
The Lord Jesus’ claim: “before Abraham was born, I am!” was a concrete, unequivocal statement, telling the Jews that He was God.
The name “I am” was the Sacred Name that God, had given to Moses when He spoke to him out of the midst of a burning bush. To know God’s Holy Name was essential to establish the credentials of Moses as God’s Messenger to declare to the people of Israel, that the God who had commanded him to speak to Pharaoh, to demand that the people of Israel be given their freedom from bondage in Egypt, was the Eternal God of Abraham and Isaac.
This event is recorded in the Old Testament Book of Exodus Chapter 3, Verses 11-15:
“11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
“12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
“13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
“14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.
“This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am" has sent me to you.’”
“15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.”
This declaration infuriated the Jews who regarded such a claim, by any person, to be God, as the greatest blasphemy.
This declaration by the Lord Jesus is proof positive that the Lord Jesus claimed to be the Holy God who created and rules over all things.
It decisively refutes the claim, by many so called “Bible scholars,” that the Lord Jesus was just a “good man,” and that He never claimed to be Divine.
“59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
The Lord Jesus’ response so enraged the Jews that they sought to kill Him by stoning.
I perceive a miraculous element in the escape of the Lord Jesus from the blood thirsty liars who sought to kill Him.
The narrative by St John that the Lord Jesus “hid Himself” seems to suggest that the Lord Jesus concealed Himself by manipulating the eyesight of the Jews in such a way as they could not see Him as they searched through the crowds within the Temple precincts.
The Lord Jesus used a similar technique to escape a similar mob of enraged Jews, hell-bent on killing Him, after He read from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth. This account is recorded in the Holy Gospel of St Luke Chapter 4, Verses 16-30:
“16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
“20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
“22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.”
“23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.”’
“24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
“28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
In this account the Lord Jesus, at the brink of the cliff, “simply walked through the crowd and went His way.”
This was no doubt a miraculous escape, performed by the One True Holy God, Who Created all things, and has all Power over His Creation.
Let us thank God that He visited our world in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, revealing His Love and Mercy, and His Power over all things.
Let us further thank God for entering into our world so that the Holy Gospel could be wrought by the Lord Jesus, to deliver His chosen people from the Great Judgement of God, that will come at the end of the ages, when the Lord Jesus comes a second time to this world, with Power and Great Glory, as “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” Amen.
Bishop Ian