“A job well done”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, November 17, 2024
Hebrews 10: 11-25 (Forward, p. 19) CEV p. 1266
There is certainly something to be said of a ‘job well done’, whether that be a carrying out a motor vehicle repair, writing a report, or organizing a public event. It means that, in all likelihood, it will not have to be done all over again to make up for flaws or shortcomings in it, or that it need to be corrected big time the next time such an event is put on.
The same kind of thing can be said of Jesus’ atonement, Jesus’ death on the Cross for our sins. It surely is ‘a job well done’, and the author of the Letter to the Hebrews goes to great lengths to explain how this is so:
-Christ’s offering of Himself needs never to be repeated and serves
to take away all sins for all time.
-That one sacrifice means that we are forever set free from sin and
forgiven.
-His blood, His sacrifice, provides a new way to enter God’s
holy place and gives us confidence and courage in so doing.
That done, we should act accordingly: we should continue in that saving faith and trust in Him; we should keep our hearts pure and our consciences free from evil; we should keep on encouraging and helping each other; and we should make sure that we don’t neglect taking part in public worship.
After all, just think of all that He has done for us! After all, it is a ‘job well done.’ Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds” (verse 24).
“We usually think of provocation as a bad thing. I most remember the word ‘provoke’ from my childhood, with my mom begging us not to provoke one another. Here, Paul uses the word in a positive light. He wants his listeners to provoke each other—to push and prod one another toward love and good deeds. I wonder what that even looks like.
“When I was provoked as a child, it was a sort of egging on. My brother would sit in the back seat and poke me until I got annoyed. Then, when I would tell him to stop, he delighted in holding his finger inches from my arm and declaring, ‘I’m not touching you; I’m not touching you; I’m not touching you,’ over and over until my anger would boil beyond my control, and I would retaliate.
“The author of Hebrews suggests that we encourage each other such that love and good deeds swell inside us until they can’t be contained any longer and have to bubble out. This is a much better way of provoking!”
Moving Forward: “How can you do some provoking today in the name of Jesus?”