May 13 2022 Day 342 Hebrews 1:1–3:19

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.



The Letter to Hebrews is often attributed to Paul, but its authorship is actually unknown. Regardless of its authorship, this letter is an attempt to explain why Jesus is the fulfilment of Hebrew Scripture. At the risk of being a heretic, the premise is a little off-putting to me. Much of the argument is based on New Testament Scripture. If the Hebrew people don’t ascribe to what the New Testament says, using it as the proof of an argument feels circular. It’s similar to my sick loved one using their own writings to try to prove to me their delusions. I also bristle when one religion tries to convert another, especially when we all believe in and worship the same God. I’m not likely to ever become Jewish, but I’m glad that tradition exists and works for so many. Same is true for becoming Muslim. While I understand there are distinct differences and possibly beliefs that are mutually exclusive, I maintain the similarities in believing in the same God are greater.

Now that my rant is out of the way..

The author is trying to explain that Jesus is the son of God, and through Jesus, all things should be understood. I’m reminded of the beginning of the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word.. and through him all things came into being”. I’ll admit, I don’t fully understand this notion. I can’t figure it out. But without that cognitive understanding, I can believe it.

The accompanying reflection for this passage is by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran Pastor and killed by the Nazis mere days before those held captive were freed. He writes that Jesus is the mediator, between us and God. But more, Jesus is the mediator between me and the world I live in, between me and the reality I find myself, and between me and everyone else. Hmm.

This morning, I’m thinking about the concept of Jesus being the mediator between me and everything else, between me and everyone else. There have been times where I’ve needed something mediated, where a third party needed to help untangle some situation. When that mediator is fair and just, the resolution is delightful. When the mediator is biased or unjust, any resolution does not feel resolved and it certainly doesn’t feel just.

The values of the mediator matter. They frame the outcome, and tint everything about the interaction. I like the notion that Jesus is or should be the mediator between me and everything and everyone. Every interaction I have with another child of God should be taken as if Jesus were between us. The conversations and greetings judged by God-the-Son. It’s not just the big decisions or hard situations, but everything.

Bonhoeffer goes on to write that some people want to skip the mediator, and go right to the god they’ve conjured. The problem with that is that God is so massive and incomprehensible, that it’s easy to form God into a reflection of our own values, so direct interaction with that image of God only supports our imperfectness. As author Anne Lamott writes, “You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."

I need a mediator. I need a fair and just and merciful mediator. As it turns out, I need Jesus.