Sermon for November 10, 2024
Ruth 3:1-5 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security[a] for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
Ruth 4:13-17 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a [a]close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a [b]nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
- Like Kin
- Jeff Broadnax
When I was 18 years old, I met someone who would change my life for the better. Here’s the catch: we couldn’t have been more different as people. John was a white man from Great Britain; I was a black kid from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was old enough to be my father, and I played more basketball in one weekend than he had his entire life. I called July 4th Independence Day; he called it Rebellion Day. But we both loved the Proverbs and we both called Jesus, Lord.
John would regularly stand up on my behalf to tear down manmade barriers that tried to keep me from being who God destined me to be. Over the next 30 years, we would transcend cultural norms and become family despite our racial, ethnic, and generational differences.
In America, the pandemic and political or racial tensions of recent months have made it easy to feel disconnected or fragmented from others. It’s been hard to stay connected with people close to us and even harder to connect with those who might be different. But discovering how God can help people move from fragmented to family is an important practice that we should look at more closely.
One biblical example of an outsider becoming family can be found in the book of Ruth. The story begins with the Israelite family of Elimelech and Naomi who left Judah and moved to Moab with their two sons to escape a famine. They lived there a long time; their sons grew up and decided to marry two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.
The relationship between Israel and Moab was complicated and broken. Relational betrayals had left spiritual scars and historical animosity between them. These differences could have very easily created a fracture in the relationship between Naomi and her daughters-in-law.
The story takes a sad turn when the father Elimelech and the two sons become sick and die, leaving three widows and no children behind. Naomi urges the two daughters-in-law to go back to their families and remarry, and Orpah does. But Ruth insists on staying with Naomi, even leaving Moab and her family to go back to Judah with Naomi. Ruth works hard to find food for the two of them until Naomi realizes there is a distant relative named Boaz who could marry Ruth as part of Israel’s legal system to care for widows. Boaz marries Ruth, and she bears a son named Obed. Let’s read how Naomi’s friends celebrated Obed’s birth:
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
Ruth 4:14-15 (NRSV)
This son was the grandfather of King David and part of the lineage of Christ.
The foreign woman Ruth was an outsider, not part of Israel’s culture or religion, but God chose to include her in Jesus’ ancestry. In a society where sons were prized, the Israelite women praised the outsider Ruth, saying that she was better “than seven sons” (v.15). Ruth’s love for Naomi was widely recognized and appreciated, and Ruth became like kin to Naomi, regardless of their religious and cultural differences.
This example of love and kinship between two women from different cultures can instruct us today. Because God saw fit to include an outsider in Jesus’ heritage, we understand that love transcends differences.
Family isn’t just restricted to blood relatives. Because of Christ’s Divine love, we are united into one human family.
Filled with the Spirit, may you have the heart of the Father to love one another, including the outsider, and embrace our diverse representation of the imago Dei (the image of God).
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
SECOND READING
This week’s theme is one sacrifice, one Savior for all.
Our continued reading from Hebrews compares the repetitive offerings and sacrifices made by Israel’s priest with the sufficient offering and sacrifice of the Lord given once for all to secure our salvation.
| Hebrews 9:24-28 NKJV | Hebrews 9:24-28 NRSV |
| For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [a] copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another — 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. | For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the holy place year after year with blood that is not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. |
For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [a]copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another — 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Lectionary Notes
Once For All
Hebrews 9:24-28 NRSVUE
Earlier in Hebrews, the author was making some comparisons between Christ and the Levitical priesthood where Jesus comes out “much more” superior in many ways. Today, it may appear we are having a re-run of that theme because today’s text will revisit many of the same comparisons. Only this time, it will advance them even further, in case we need another dose. We shouldn’t be too surprised at this repetition as the entire letter of Hebrews attempts to paint a string of contrasts between our great high priest Jesus with the sacrificial system of atonement and all that went with it. All of these provisions in Israel’s history were also to serve to point to the redeeming work that ultimately is accomplished in Jesus Christ. Today’s text will serve to sum up these previous contrasts by using the image of Christ’s heavenly, final, and effective intercession for sinners and the good news of forgiveness. So, let’s dive in and see how much more we can gain in seeing Jesus as our true, once for all, high priest.
We will look at four realities that are given to us in Jesus as our high priest as evident in the passage. We see the first one in the first verse:
- Christ is in heaven interceding for us.
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24 NRSVUE)
To get behind the author’s meaning, we need some understanding of what the original audience of Hebrews would have already assumed. They already had a good understanding of ancient Israel’s ritual practices for atonement that took place during the Exodus well before the building of any temple in Jerusalem. Specifically, the place of worship at that time was a tent constructed with an inner sanctuary called the holy of holies. This is where the high priest would enter once a year to offer sacrifices. He would have to offer sacrifices first for himself and then for the sins of the people. What is interesting is how the author refers to this sanctuary and its sacrificial system in this verse as “a mere copy of the true one.” This system was to point to a future and deeper reality. It was not the real thing, but a sign of that which was to come.
The “true one” or real thing is noted as not being “made by human hands,” rather, Christ “entered into heaven itself.” There is far more going on here than ever took place in the earthly tabernacle or temple of Israel’s sacrificial system. We are assured that this is not a copy of something else that we are still waiting for. We have arrived at the original holy of holies. This is the heavenly tabernacle where Jesus serves as our high priest in the actual presence of God. This means he is making intercession for you and me in the throne room as we speak. In a way, we could say that God’s presence was dwelling in the former holy place of the tabernacle and temple, but not in the same way Jesus is being described here. God was present, but more as an extension of his heavenly presence. But Jesus is the new tabernacle who is in the very presence of God in heaven, and all “on our behalf.” That’s the reality as hard is it might be to believe. We have a perfect high priest who is interceding for us in heaven to the Father.
Next, we will go further in showing some points of contrast between Jesus as high priest and the ancient sacrificial system of Israel. As we look at these contrasts, we will also encounter our next two realities given to us in Jesus as high priest.
- Christ’s priestly work is “once for all.”
Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the holy place year after year with blood that is not his own, for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:25-26 NRSVUE)
Jesus’ work as high priest is unique, unrepeatable, and completely effective. The phrase “once for all” is the author’s way of expressing the absolute finality of Christ’s work. God has spoken his word in Jesus Christ his Son, and there is nothing more that needs to be said. A modern author may say, “When God sent Jesus, he dropped the mic.”
Perhaps we need to address the sensibilities we may have towards the idea of Jesus’ bloody sacrifice. We may feel that we are too sophisticated culturally for such outdated and barbaric rituals. Yet do we not still sacrifice each other? How often are people used as scapegoats for one’s own wrong and guilt? This can happen in families, communities, nations, and even churches. If we can convince ourselves that it’s that “other” person or group of persons that is to blame for all my shortcomings, then we can ease our conscience and feel justified. Many historical atrocities have been committed over this very dynamic of sacrifice. As we see the “once for all” pronouncement of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that this insane cycle of sacrificing one another for the sake of our own consciences has come to an end.
We can come to the foot of the cross together to receive the forgiveness and justification that Jesus provides in his own self-given sacrifice. There is no need to point the finger at someone else when Jesus has already taken it all upon himself for our sakes. In addition, in light of Jesus’ fully effective work of forgiveness and reconciliation, we can boldly confess our sins to Jesus our intercessor. We do not have to hide in fear that once our sins are discovered, we will be tossed aside. Jesus died for our sins, not to toss us aside, but to save us by “tossing our sins aside,” by which we mean, completely and utterly removing and destroying them and giving us the righteousness that alone belongs to Christ. He has set us free to live in his freedom to love and worship the Father.
- The arrival of Jesus and his self-offering usher in “the end of the age.”
And that brings us to the third reality that Jesus has now ushered in “the end of the age.” This phrase means that Jesus’ coming in the Incarnation and dying for our sin signals that all of salvation history has reached its end in him. Jesus has done everything necessary for our salvation, and we can live in it as we anticipate its consummation in Jesus’ return. And that leads us to the final reality expressed in the last two verses remaining.
- Christ is returning.
And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28 NRSVUE)
At the end of our passage today, we see a shift in the author’s presentation. Up till now, the author has been comparing and contrasting Jesus and his work with that of Israel’s priesthood and sacrificial system. Now he finds a similarity to draw from using what all humans experience and what Jesus experienced on the cross — death. Drawing from this similarity, the author makes the argument that just as all people die “once” and then pass to another stage, like “judgement” in our case, so Jesus also experienced death “once” and will now pass into the next stage of his work.
This final stage will not be about judgment as he has already dealt with sin with his first coming. His second coming rather will be about salvation for “those who are eagerly waiting for him.” This section then concludes on a note of hope. Even though we would already say we are “saved,” we know that there is more to come. In this present evil age, we have not yet fully been brought into all that God intends for his good creation.
As we look around our world and observe and experience all the pain and brokenness that has ensued from our rejection of God’s grace, in Christ, we can believe the goodness of God and his good provision for our salvation in his Son, and we can “eagerly” wait for him. We know we have moved from that which is passing away into the reality forged for us in Jesus Christ. This reality stands in such contrast to what we often are tempted to cling to. However, we are growing to see that Jesus is so much more than any of these mere imitations. In Jesus, we have the real deal once and for all.
Call to action: Talk to God about any fears, doubt, shame, or guilt you are still dealing with, and ask him to help you leave it at the cross. Ask him to help you understand and live in the reality of who Christ is and what he has done for you. And ask God to provide opportunity for you to share the good news about Jesus’ “once for all” sacrifice with someone who is living in their own fear, shame, doubt, or guilt. His sacrifice enables them to rise in worship to our one true high priest.