Questions for Thursday

We continue our consideration of the priesthood of Jesus with his sacrifice on the Cross, and our own common priesthood with Him. Here are some questions that rise from chapter 8 of Hebrews.

1. We read that Jesus is a "minister" in the sanctuary. Does a minister act only for himself?
2. What other book in the Bible mentions the true tabernacle?
3. In Greek, v. 5 describes the sanctuary of earthly priests as a pattern and a shadow. Here are some sub-questions:
   1. If an object casts a shadow, is its pattern a true representation of the object in itself?
   2. When can shadow tell you everything about the object itself?
   3. If the earthly sanctuary is a shadowy pattern, what is the source of the light that surrounds the shadow?

OK, that is a good start. See you on Thursday morning!

Questions

When we study 1 John 5 on Thursday morning, we can start with some of these questions:

1. John mentions confidence again, in v. 11. How is this confidence different or related to the confidence John mentions in 1 John 2: 28 and 1 John 4:17?
2. Do you see anything notable in John's use of water, blood and the Spirit as witnesses? Are these three special in everyday life?
3. How does the Gospel describe water, blood and the Spirit in the crucifixion of the Messiah Jesus?

Let's take these three and look again into God's deep wisdom.

Progression, confidence

During our discussion last Thursday, we talked about one question at length: Why should we be confident before the judgement of God?

And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. 1 John 2:28

Here is the progression of answers we came up with, each answer getting closer and closer to the center of the question.

1. Confident if we keep the commandments.
2. Confident if we acknowledge the Lamb.
3. Confident because it is nor a surprise -- it is something foretold.
4. Confident because of faith.
5. Confident because of the Messiah's sacrifice on the Cross.
6. Confident because it is based on God's love for us.

At that point, we could go no deeper into the matter: God's love for us is a sure and solid bedrock.

Or, as St. Paul said in the city of Athens, "in Him we live and move and have our being."

The betrayal event

This morning, we discussed the emphasis on the cup of salvation in Mark 14:22-25, and how Mark devotes so many more words to it than he devotes to the one bread. After looking through Psalms 116 and 118, and re-examining the passages before and after Mark 14:22-25, we decided that Mark was emphasizing the cup in the middle of the betrayal event, all the betrayal and abandoning and the difficult prayer in Gethsemane.

It is curious that Jesus can sing the psalms of praise, the Hallel psalms, Psalms 113-118, in the midst of such a trap. Yet that is exactly what he does, the sacrifice of praise. The stone that was rejected became the cornerstone.

German describes an example in the life of St. Vincent de Paul, concerning a similar sacrifice in the midst of abandonment and betrayal.