The Resurrection Settles It

Hebrews 13 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International

Bible Society

Hebrews 13

11 The high priest carries the blood of animals

into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but

the bodies are burned outside the camp.

12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city

gate to make the people holy through his own

blood.

13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp,

bearing the disgrace he bore.

14For here we do not have an enduring city, but

we are looking for the city that is to come.


Another metaphor as the Apostle translates it
in Hebrews. When he says,'go to him outside the
camp', does he suggest that, for the hebrew
believer there is a need to make a break with the
earlier covenant of temple worship? That all of
the requirements of temple worship were only to
make it easier to recognize the one who is
represented by the Passover lamb? Since, 'we are
looking for the city that is to come'. Even
though at this time, John had not yet seen the
events recorded in the book of the Revelation,
the Apostle was looking into the future through
the lens of prophetic scripture. He saw in the
text of scripture, that there was more to come.
He saw that there was a future eternal Jerusalem,
that will replace the present metaphorical
dwelling place of G-d, represented by the temple
in Jerusalem.

In the book of Exodus, the temple worship had not
yet been organized. That was soon to come, when
Moses received instructions for the construction
of the tabernacle. After the people left Egypt,
then they were given the tabernacle. It was a
symbol of the presence of G-d in the hebrew
community. The metaphor is not too tough to
figure out. After release from slavery in Egypt
(sin), then the Christian is a dwelling place
(tabernacle) for the presence of G-d. In the
same way that the hebrew community was intended
to represent the
kingdom of G-d on earth, so it is with the
christian. All I can say as I look around is, Oh
my, how we've managed to mangle the script, on
this act.

1 Corinthians 6:19 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

19 What? know ye not that your body is the

temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which

ye have of G-d, and ye are not your own?


The temple itself and the ceremony surrounding it
is loaded with metaphors. But that's for another
time. Right now, the focus is on the
resurrection and related issues.

Something has gone wrong. My best guess is that
over time, the same temptation that overtook the
hebrews has overcome the christian community. We
try to emulate the lifestyle that is surrounding
us rather than the kingdom of G-d. It didn't
work out for the nation of Israel and it won't
work out for the Christian community. Nobody
ever said that it was supposed to be easy. There
is a price to be paid for everything in life, and
a reward/penalty on the day of reckoning. That's
the way it is. As they say, there's no free
lunch.


Hebrews 11

24By faith Moses, when he was come to years,

refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's

daughter;

25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the

people of G-d, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin

for a season;

26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater

riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had

respect unto the recompence of the reward.


Moses knew enough about his national identity
that he saw there was no way to identify with
both worlds, the Egyptian and the Hebrew.
Although it's not explicitly stated in the text,
there is an assumption that Moses was familiar
with the history of his ancestors. I'd expect
that there was a good deal of Egyptian legend
surrounding the presence of the hebrew race in
Egypt by way of oral history. There was no
way to accomodate the paganism of Egypt in the
monotheism of his ancestry. As much as Egypt
represented the pinacle of contemporary
civilization, they were a nation of pantheists.

It seems that cultural identity always settles in
to a thelogical context. I'd suggest that this
hasn't changed much over the years. It just
isn't given the attention that it merits. And
the idea of secularism is a hilarious effort to
hide the age old inclination and devotion toward
pantheism. As the philosophers have put it in
other words, we are content to be ruled by our
passions. Pantheism offers the most generous
theological context for that human inclination.

So, what does any of this have to do with the
resurrection of Christ? I'd suggest that it goes
right to the heart of the issue. It's the same
issue that surrounded Jesus with controversy
during his years of ministry.

Matthew 21:23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

23And when he was come into the temple, the

chief priests and the elders of the people came

unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what

authority doest thou these things? and who gave

thee this authority?


That's the question! Who has authority? I'd
suggest that the resurrection settled that debate
once for all.

Matthew 28:18 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International

Bible Society

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All

authority in heaven and on earth has been given

to me.