He died so we could live (Hebrews 10:19-25)

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Anthony D. Clinkscales
Hebrews 10:19-25

Jerusalem, on a dusty road, an innocent man condemned to death bore a cross on his
shoulder. Down the Via Dolorosa, he staggered in agony, as he looked upon the hatred
in the eyes of his own seed. They didnt know that he was enduring this for them so
they could live forevermore in paradise again with him. They didnt know one day theyd
sing his praise with fear and trembling. They didnt recognize the king that kings call
kings. He didnt have to die for you and me. He could have just set himself free. He
could have come down from the cross at Calvary. But instead he was wounded for our
transgressions and he was bruised for our iniquity. And by his stripes we are healed.
Oh what an awesome price he paid for you and me.
They hung him high and stretched him wide. They nailed his hands and feet, and
pierced him in the side. Look at my savior hanging there, suffering, bleeding, dying for
you and me. The old preacher said that Jesus never said a mumbling word But
according to Matthew, Luke, and John, his last words included: Father, forgive them for
they know not what they do (Luke 23:24), Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke
23:43), Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother (John 19:26-27), My God, why
have You forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46), I am thirsty (John 19:28), It is finished
(John 19:30), and Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46). And he
bowed his head, hung his head and he died. Jesus, son of the living God bowed his
head, hung his head and he died. But on the third day, on the third day, I said on the
third day Jesus rose. Victoriously, triumphantly, with authority he rose.
Kurt Carr summarized the Christians most cherished account that undergirds the
Christian faith in his composition, They Didnt Know. Indeed, the first-century church
did not know that their collective reproach against the Son of Man would bring the
greatest celebration piece for many a preacher who ever preached, or will ever preach
this Christian doctrine. And our text, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is no
different in this homiletical discourse. Throughout Hebrews, the purpose and power of
Calvary is the substratum for the homily. The sacrifice of Jesus and the High priestly
authority are the driving points of the proclamation to those first-century hearers.
And essentially, this observation sums up all the arguments that precedes the word
therefore that begins my pericope, which lets you know what the word therefore is
there for. It is the basis for the claim, a justification, a deliberation, an articulation of the
power, the effectiveness and the efficacy, that is, the never-ending power of the blood.

He died so we could live (Hebrews 10:19-25)

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The preceding argument, which most if not all of us concur, is that Christs sacrifice was
once and for All.
This homily was dealing with the apostatizing threat of a vast majority of believers;
these hearers were in need of encouragement. The author was aware of the social
status of listeners who were among the victimized and underprivileged status of society,
which fostered social resentment and hostility. Collectively, they lived a life
characterized by marginalization and stigmatization as a result of the hierarchical social
interactions and exploitative structures of the Roman Empire.
Hebrews 10, and the book in general, deconstructs the hearers perceived notion of
honor and shame, personality, limited good, envy, kinship, and cleanliness. Jesus
sacrifice and Jesus teachings are emphasized and unpacked as a rebuttal to the doubt
and conflicting interests that debunk the faith of the first-century believers.
Hebrews 10 deals with the first-century personality and conscience. The first-century
believers personality was highly influenced by their theological convictions. Personal
and social criticism was based on collective perceptions of honorable or dishonorable
actions. The first-century personality wrestled with maintaining a good conscience and
rectifying a bad conscience. Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus blood was the perfect
sacrifice, and this acknowledgement along with obedience to Christian authority is
essential in order to have peace of mind.
In our contemporary society, we have a theory of unlimited good. We ascribe honor to
individuals, and declare that our actions do not take honor from others. Within the
context of Hebrews the honorable person is a limited good because the context is a
closed, small society where everyone knows everyone. Social lines assimilated in the
enculturation process provided a socially shared map, which helped and urged the
situating of persons, things, and events within boundaries. 1 The authors claim is that
this audience and all other believers can overcome their cultural circumstance through
ascribed honor by God. Ascribed honor calls for accountability to one another. We are
to provoke one another to love and good deeds; we should be accountable for our gifts.
Traditionally, whenever humankind functions without universal principles, we seemingly
have a tendency toward violating others. Without the observance of basic common
values, humankind tends toward violations such as racism, sexism, ageism, militarism,
elitism, harassment, disenfranchisement, and marginalization. Ethics of compromise
are essential so that everyone remains in a perpetual state of contentment in our pursuit
of happiness. Everyone has to be accountable to each other according to the gift of
1

Bruce J Malina, The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology, 3 rd edition,
(Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 2001), 28.

He died so we could live (Hebrews 10:19-25)

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virtue that is posited in each one by God. This has been a challenge because too many
people neglect humankinds collective values and common good. The expectation that
God has of Gods people has not been fully portrayed because of the many distractions
including on one side, people who are narcissistic, materialistic, and oppressive. On the
other side, the distraction of hardened hearts and troubled minds of the many victims
who lack forgiveness and reconciliation cripple children of God. I contend that common
good, forgiveness, reconciliation, accountability are the prerequisites for the ideal
society. The ideal world requires everyone to embrace the universal truths uniting us,
and dispel the myths dividing us.
My brothers and my sisters I stand on the shoulders of our ancestors with just a brief
contemporary claim. I just want to remind us like the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews
in verses 19-25 that we cannot ever forget the price that was paid, clearing a debt that
we could not pay. Christ, our great high priest, has opened the way for us to enter the
Most Holy Place (10:19-21). We cant miss this opportunity to account for all the
benefits of the power and purpose of Calvary. We have responsibility and accountability
with this empowerment. We have accountability to one another. Indeed, the gift of
Godself through Christ Jesus has been posited in humankind; we have to be
accountable of the gift of virtue that God has given each of us. I believe it was Paul who
also suggested that through natural law, that is, through our partnership with the eternal
law through Divine providence, we know good from bad, right from wrong. And this
ability to discern light from darkness is just the beginning. God has giving us talents,
skills, and abilities to use for our benefit and the benefit of one another in the earth.
God expects us to use these gifts for the good of all citizens of the earthly community.
God gives us the tools needed in order to have life, and have life more abundantly.
My brothers and sisters, God is not the Divine Task Master, making sure we are
persistent, in our use of these gifts. God gives the gifts expecting us to use our Godgiven abilities to create, sustain, and maintain a true way of living. What better way to
provoke one another to love and good deeds than to meet every need according to the
power in the metaphysical, on the inside. In addition, every effort should be made to
bring people into an awareness of their needful participation in the success of our
earthly community. We like Jesus have to consider the needs of others and meet them
according to the power on the inside of us. In the words of Howard Thurman, we have
to meet people at the level of the ashtray realizing that any deficiency that we
encounter in another individual is merely a deficiency in us because we are all one.

He died so we could live (Hebrews 10:19-25)

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