Hebrews III – A Priest in Your Pocket

Hebrews 5:1-10

November 9, 2003

 

GIMMICKS

Generally speaking I don’t like gimmicks

      Especially don’t like gimmicks touted to bring good luck

            Like a plastic Jesus to hang on rear-view mirror

            Or rabbit’s foot to attach to key chain

But some in category of gimmicks are fun and maybe even useful

      One that comes to mind is a round TUIT

            I’ve made an enlarged version of this small one so even back row can see it

            Normally they are about an inch in diameter

            You carry it in your pocket > when anyone says “I’ll do ____ when I get around to it”

                        Could be “I’ll unclutter my life when I get around to it”

                        Or “I’ll wash and wax the car when I get around to it”

                        Or even “I’ll start following Jesus when I get around to it”

            You whip out this little TUIT and say “Here’s your round TUIT’ > now just DO IT.”

                       

GREAT HIGH PRIEST LIKE ROUND TUIT

If round TUITs had been around when Preacher wrote > should have included a box with his sermon

These were very discouraged

            They were tired of being Christian

                        Tired of going to church

                        Tired of being different from the rest of the world

                        Tired of serving a world that didn’t get it

                        Even tired of Jesus (at least, Thomas Long believes this is why The Preacher wrote)

      This Preacher could have patted them on head > “There, there, it’ll be better”

            But he didn’t mollycoddle them                 

            Instead he reminded them of who they were and why they were

            Dove right into heart of gospel that transcended agony of their present situation

Halfway into his sermon > Preacher wanted to remind them of what Jesus did for them

      Jesus was their Great High Priest > and as such he was always available

      He was a bit like a round TUIT > so convenient they could put him in their pockets

 

WHO NEEDS A GREAT HIGH PRIEST

Why would those people need a great high priest in their pockets anyway?

Really two questions in one (1) Why need a priest at all? and (2) Why put a priest in a pocket?

Why would they need a Great High Priest at all?

First:  Why would they need a great high priest at all?

      The Preacher devotes first four verses to answering this question

      People have always had trouble being human

                  God intended people to be human

                  But almost everything humans do is less than what God had in mind

                  What humans do more often than not is sub-human > inhuman > inhumane

                  People > in their sub-human state > need forgiveness and courage to try again

      In early days of our faith > Priests were only ones who could do this

                  They offered sacrifices to God on people’s behalf

                  I believe this is leftover from influence of pagan cultures

                  People were usually afraid of their gods > wanted to appease them

                  To appease gods they killed certain animals on an altar or burned something

                  Evidence of these practices in most every primitive culture

                  Some livedin Africa near Egypt where our foreparents in faith lived 400 years

                  Lots of evidence in Bible that our God really didn’t want blood sacrifices

                  But old habits are hard to break > especially when you believe God will be mad

                  So early followers of God believed God wanted them to sacrifice animals

                  However, not just anybody could do this effectively

                  Had to be someone with credentials > from priestly family > especially Aaron’s

                              [Aaron was first priest > he was Moses’ brother]

                  Every generation had to have its priest

                              To be most effective > had to come from among them > no outsiders

                              Had to be someone the people knew >

                                          Someone who understood what it was to be one of them                    

                                          By understanding his own weakness > could understand theirs

                                          Someone who could be patient with the ignorant and wayward

                                          Bear with people without getting irritated or annoyed

                                          Not lose temper when people are foolish and not learn

                              Priest had to be of the people > yet somewhat apart

      And Priest had to be “of God”

                  Someone God knew > someone actually chosen by God

                  In same way God chose Aaron long ago

                              Preacher assumed people knew that story well

                              Makes only passing reference to it

      So Great High Priest needed to be of the people and also of God

With that explanation > the Preacher moves from high priests in general to Jesus in particular

      What is it about Jesus that qualifies him to be their Great High Priest?

                  God chose him!  God chose him and appointed him A Son

                  Christ became their Great High Priest by divine appointment

                  To reinforce importance of this statement > Preacher quotes from two Psalms

That’s the looooooooooooong answer to the first question > Why would they need a GHP?

      Because human beings need someone to keep them close to God, that’s why!

What should they do with their priest?

Second part of question: Now that they know they need a priest, what should they do with him?

      My answer is something like “Put him in your pocket.”

                  Remember the song “Catch a falling star > put in pocket > save for rainy day”?

            Pockets are where we put things we need in a hurry

                        Kleenex > keys > money > cell phones > glasses

            But handiness is of no use if they are not efficient

                        For instance > car keys will not take care of a runny nose > need Kleenex

                        But if car is locked > Kleenex will not unlock the door

                        You’ve got to have the right tool for the job

The benefit of having “priest in pocket’ is to have easy access to our means of forgiveness

            When humans do something sub-human > they need forgiveness to get on with life

            It’s not always convenient to have to go find a priest

            It’s much more efficient to know that, in Jesus, we have someone acting in our behalf

            Keep in mind > The Preacher wants to convince Hebrews to hang in there

                        Without Jesus [the Great High Priest] they cannot fully live

So what should they do with their Great High Priest?  Put him in their pockets!

 

TOO MUCH OF A GIMMICK                                        

I mentioned earlier I don’t like gimmicks > and this is beginning to sound gimmicky!

      I’m even somewhat embarrassed about the title to this sermon

            [some weeks I have sermons with no title > others titles with no sermon > this is latter]

Regardless of this title > there is nothing gimmicky or magical about Jesus

We cannot put him in our pocket like a rabbit’s foot

We cannot put him on our dashboard or hang him from rearview mirror

But we still need to know he is close to us

            In every way he was like us

Everything that tempted him tempts us

            Or almost everything

            You may have seen the “infomercial” on new book Jesus, Mary and da Vinci

                        Thesis was that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had child

                        No evidence to prove it, of course > but many think it true

            If perhaps it were true >he would have known temptations married people/parents face

Knowing whether or not Jesus was married is less important than knowing he was obedient to God

And there is ample evidence to support his obedience

            Even though people hurt him > he did not hurt anyone in return

            Even when people did wrong and bad things > he did not turn his back on them

            Even in the face of death > he did God’s will

And that’s why WE hang need to hang in there, even though also we may be tired

We need to constantly remember Jesus > and stay close to him

Maybe a plastic pocket priest isn’t such a bad idea, after all!

      Jesus, our “round TUIT” > now we have him . . . let just DO IT!