16 January 2011

16 January 2011

Psalm 148, 149, 150; Isa. 43:14-44:5; Heb. 6:17-7:10; John 4:27-42

This passage speaks of the Lord doing a “new thing.” We celebrate that new thing in Jesus making a way for all peoples to be in covenant with the Living God. It is, or should be, our joy to offer Him a sacrifice of praise and worship but too often we think of worship as something like an obligation. There is some significant theology in these few verses. He accuses the people of failing to offer sacrifices commensurate with their sins and says that He forgives them anyway, blots out their transgressions, “for my own sake.” Forgiveness of sins is set on a footing other than sacrifice, simply because He desires to forgive. Jesus is the new thing but He is the pre-existent Word so in that way He is not a “new thing.” He is the oldest thing but in Jesus’ death on the cross we see that this theological statement on the basis of forgiveness is God’s self-sacrificial nature for love of us.

The disciples see Jesus doing a new thing, opening Himself to those beyond the nation of Israel. It is an ingathering of sorts, however, as the Samaritans were part of the nation at one time. They have only the Pentateuch and have separated themselves from the nation. They do not accept Jerusalem as God’s dwelling place. When the disciples return from their errand to get food, they marvel that Jesus is talking to a woman and in this encounter they surely marvel even more over the reception of the Samaritans to Jesus. He is far more warmly received by them than among the Jews. Does Jesus have the authority to reach out to these hated people and if so, where did His authority come from? It is all about grace!

The writer of Hebrews points to a figure in the Old Testament who seems quite inconsequential, Melchizedek is only mentioned in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110, and sees him as prefiguring Christ. Who is this Melchizedek and why indeed does Abraham pay tribute to him? What had he done for Abraham or what was he likely to do for him? He is described as a priest of God Most High and blesses Abraham yet to whom does he minister and how does he minister? All these questions remain a mystery to us. He is an elusive figure and yet in the epistle Jesus is likened to this priest. The argument here is very Jewish in that as Levi is an ancestor of Abraham, that priestly tribe is inferior to the priest to whom their ancestor paid tribute. In this way, Christ is shown to be not so much a new thing but the fulfillment of what always has been but has been obscured. God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.