And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
One thing I enjoy about Morning Prayer is all of the readings that make absolutely no sense to me when I start. In other times, I’d scoff at these readings. Clearly they don’t make sense. Never have, and never will. But now, with a daily discipline of reading, reflecting and writing, I don’t feel as free to dismiss the bits I either don’t like or don’t understand. So I take time to work on those sections. Or maybe I take time so those sections work on me.
This is one of those sections. In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, he’s going on about the fiery mountain, where even animals turn to stone in its presence, and Moses was afraid. But now we’re living in a place where not only the mountains but also the heavens will be shaken by God’s fiery word. Hmm. I’ve never been quick to understand poetic comparisons. Again, I need to take time to think and reflect.
Or maybe, I need to use all of the resources available to me, to help me understand this in words and language I am quicker to understand. It turns out there are dozens of different translations of Scripture, some with thee and thou’s throughout, some written in more contextual language for a time, and some written for common folk. Enter The Message, by Eugene Peterson. He wrote his translation when he was working at a church with very common people. Before he preached, he needed to assure his people understood the basic Scriptures he was preaching from. The Message, and all sorts of translations can be found at BibleGateway.com. This morning, after a bit of reflection and still wondering what this was talking, I headed over to BibleGateway, and looked through a few translations. I don’t believe this is shopping for the best answer, but rather like looking for language that is more in line with how I think.
This section referenced above is originally from the New Revised Standard Version, or NRSV, and I didn’t understand it. New covenant? Sprinkled with blood? The Message translates this same phrase as, “The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace.”. Oh, I think I get it now .
When Abel was murdered, it became the source much more fighting and vengeance. But Christ’s murder was transformed into a sign of grace. Christ didn’t fight the authorities, didn’t exercise the power he had to stop his execution. Christ’s death was the ultimate non-violent resistance. He did not fight fire with fire; he did not escalate the violence by adding his own. Christ’s unprotested execution took the wind out of the sails of hatred and violence. What we’re left with is some crazy example of grace, redemption, and love. Forgive them Father, for they don’t know what they’re doing.
No more “an eye for an eye”. For all the hurts and evils in the world, I want to respond with peaceful, grace-filled, non-anxious, love, and remove the power of that evil. I want to transform any hurts done to me into graceful moments, and not retaliate, escalate, perpetuate.
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