Today’s reading is Hebrews 5

Tom writes:

It’s strange that the writer has much to say about Melchizedek because to be honest - I’ve got nothing. He seems like an obscure character used to answer a question that I’ve never asked. But the stuff about maturity hits me between the eyes. Maturity is about being able to distinguish between good and evil (v14). That’s a powerful definition I’m going to try to remember. If we can just sneak across into chapter 6 we see that such maturity is built upon the elemental teachings of repentance from bad acts, faith in God, baptism, laying on hands, the resurrection, and eternal judgement. These teachings seem to follow the narrative of the Christian life as it should be lived. You repent and turn from idols to God, you get baptised, you are empowered and filled with the Spirit, and then... oh, what’s this stuff about resurrection and eternal judgement? We don’t seem to talk about those very much. Certainly not as the foundation of things. But resurrection and eternal judgement seem to be the two linchpins of the Christian mindset after being filled with the Spirit. They lift our eyes to a day in the future - a day beyond our current experiences - where momentous events will occur and destinies will be set.

For centuries they seemed to be used like prefects supervising (sometimes a little too keenly) the activities of Christian pilgrims, scaring them into behaving for fear of future rebuke. But they needn’t be seen that way. They can be seen as a glorious hope of justice and peace. They can be seen as the consummation and full enjoyment of the slithers and snippets of the kingdom that we get to experience today. They can be seen as fundamental truths about life, without which maturity cannot be reached. They set the context for our life - they help clarify the things that are worthy and the things that are useless, the things that are good and the things that are evil. It is hard to be mature in faith if you don’t ever think about resurrection and judgement. So can I encourage you to think about them some more; maybe (if I may be so cheeky) they even warrant your time more than musing about the mysterious Melchizedek.

Question for reflection

How do you know the difference between good and evil?

Hebrews 5 - Wednesday 18th September