John 20:1-10

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         The first day of the week, Sunday, unlike the Western version of designations, Mary Magdalene of dubious reputation, made a visit to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid.

2.         The tomb itself, belonging to a member of the Council of Israel, Joseph of Arimathea, had been secured by having a large stone plastered in place. But Mary finds that the stone had been taken away.

3.         Mary, thinking there had been a grave robbery, runs to find Peter and the unnamed disciple, and tells them Jesus’ body is missing and nowhere to be found.

4.         So Peter and the un-named disciple rush out to see for themselves. Peter is no match for the speed of the other disciple and arrives at the tomb first.

5.         This disciple looking in saw the linen burial garments lying there. He does not got in himself.

6.         Peter, on arrival goes into the tomb and he also saw the garments lying there, and he also saw the face cloth folded up in a place separate from the other grave clothes.

7.         Then the other disciple enters the tomb, sees that Jesus is not there and “believes.”

8.         For unknown reasons, “they” and likely referring to the whole of the Eleven, had not yet understood that Jesus “must rise from the dead.”

9.         Then, the “disciples” and here John the Apostle, the author, states, “then the disciples went back to their homes.”

10.       The story continues with Mary weeping outside the tomb.

Hebrews 7:11–28

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.              If perfection, or the ultimate intention of God, had been attainable via the Levitical priesthood, there would have been no need for a high priest like Melchizedek. But there, from a human point of view, was a change in the priesthood.

2.              Jesus, is born of the tribe of Judah and not Levi, and there were to be no priests from the tribe of Judah. Thus Jesus’ priesthood is of another order, and unlike the priests of Levi, this high priest has no end of living but is eternal.

3.              And Jesus’ priesthood is not without an oath for such is found in Psalm 110:4, “You are a priest forever” and this oath spoken by the Creator God who inspired David the Psalmist.

4.              It is sharply stated by the author of Hebrews that Jesus “holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever.”

(This precludes all others, individuals or groups, who claim their truth is new improved truth. And there are many such who do so, consider Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Scientists among dozens of others.)

5.              Our high priest has no need to make sacrifices first for his own sin and then for the sin of others. This high priest, sinless and eternal, offered up Himself alone, and who “ has been made perfect forever.”

6.              The “Old Covenant (Testament) was always and only temporary, which covenant in fact pointed prophetically to the ultimate covenant ushered in by Jesus the Messiah.

7.              There is a paradox to be found here: there is an Old and a New Covenant or Testament, but there is really only one as the Old was never to be permanent.

8.              The New Covenant, agreement, testament, contract, never changes and is eternal.        

Hebrews 7:1–10

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         The writer of Hebrews in presenting the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus in these verses, refers to a legendary high priest, Melchizedek. This “king of Salem” and Salem means peace, received a tenth, or a tithe, from Abraham after his victory over his enemies.

2.         The point is that from Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob otherwise known as Israel, would come the Levitical priesthood. Thus, the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to that of the priesthood that would stem from Aaron, Moses’ brother, both of whom were from the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel).

3.         Jesus then is like Melchizedek, superior to the priesthood descending from Aaron, and again shown in Abraham’s giving of a tithe of the spoils of battle to Melchizedek.

4.         This explanation was important to Jewish believers in Jesus, especially since at that time the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed, and this in 70 CE.

5.         Though Hebrews is not directed toward Gentile Christians, still it is essential for all those who follow Jesus as Lord to understand the historical and spiritual background found in the Old Testament.

6.         In the Sermon on the Mount we find these words of Jesus: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). And the writer of Hebrews is helping us do just this.

The Book of Hebrews

Hebrews 6:13–20

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         The following passages will help set the stage for an understanding of this complex passage: Genesis 14:17–20; 22:1–18; Exodus 26:31–35; Psalm 110:1–7.

2.         In Genesis we find the promise that God made to Abraham, that he would be blessed and he would be “multiplied.” The Akida, the story of the Sacrifice of Isaac, who was born 25 years after the promise God made to Abraham, is part of the multiplying and a fulfilling of the promise despite being fulfilled after long years.

3.         God confirmed His promise to Abraham with an oath, a verbal and legal mechanism understood in that era, and from the Creator God it is unchangeable.

4.         God’s Word is unchangeable because it is impossible of Him to lie, therefore those who “have fled” to Him for refuge can be encouraged to “hold fast” to the “hope” that is ours. And there is no maybe attached to the definition of hope here: it refers to a sure thing.

5.         Instead of a maybe we have an “anchor” in ourselves, for we are a soul, a living being. (see Genesis 2:7) Here the Hebrew is nephesh meaning living creature.

6.         Jesus, the forerunner, meaning that He, in the ascension to heaven, is in the presence of the only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is there “on our behalf” the eternal and only High Priest. The order of His priesthood is like that of Melchizedek, not a Levite, no ancestors or offspring to follow as priest, and who is symbolic or prophetic of the high priesthood of Jesus.

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         The focus of the writer of Hebrews is, “Do not fall away!” Some suppose it means a born-again Christian could lose their salvation, but the best analysis is that all believers in Jesus can, at some point, lose their zeal and commitment. And this second-generation Jewish believers in Jesus were not living in the awakening days of the apostles; no, this is a “normal” time.

2.         The author encourages believers to move past the basics, as they are already turned from disbelieve to belief doing good works. No need for concerns about “washings” or baptisms, which many continued to do, and which was customary in the Qumran Community. Also “laying on of hands,” for all sorts of reasons like healings, commissioning, symbolic of ordinations, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

3.         However, if one fell away, if it was possible to lose one’s salvation, there would be no hope of regaining this. But, the author goes on, “yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. And actually, they had demonstrated their work and love by their “serving the saints.” Indeed, this is written by someone who has a deep pastoral love to those he or she is writing to.

4.         In conclusion, the author or authors (notice the “we” in verse eleven) desires the readers to show continued zeal,  devotion, and hope until the very end of all things.

5.         Though the author of “Hebrews” openly mentions the “back slidden” condition of the readers, this is done for the best of reasons.

6.         The message of Hebrews rings down through the centuries. Yes, there are times of awakening and revival, but also there are the regular times, times like we are experiencing now. Thus, even more so, we must be diligent, learning, studying, working, and obeying the laws of love and devotion.

7.         That this book is in our Scripture is so very important since all Christians experience times of difficulty, times when we lose our closeness and fellowship with Jesus and His Church.