Oct 16, 2012
Focus readings:Job 38:1-7; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45. Subscribe on Itunes
This week in Toowoomba is family week and last Monday was my wife Heather’s Birthday. Imagine if I had forgotten her birthday! I would be in serious trouble. At least temporarily there would be a partial breakdown in our relationship. We all know of families and marriages where relationships have broken down. When that happens one way to get the relationship going again is to have a mediator or go between who can mend the fences or bridge the gap. The best person to do a job like that is someone who can understand and relate to both sides.
In our Hebrews’ reading for today, this is the picture we get of Jesus. On the one hand he is painted as a real flesh and blood person who understands our human need and weakness. On the other hand he is spoken of as God’s eternal Son, holy and glorious. While the passage speaks of sacrifice the real point of it is that Jesus is the one who bridges the gap and restores the relationship between us and God. He brings us, imperfect human beings, to a perfect and holy God. However we understand the process this is what the church has always meant by the atonement. That somehow in Jesus we are made “at one” with God.
To return to the family week idea, the relationships are mended and the Bible talks about us being the children of God, because of Jesus. It talks of God being our perfect and loving parent (Father) because Jesus shares his Father/Son relationship with God, with us. Even if we did something like forget his birthday!!!
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