An Enduring Image

Dear Faith Family,   

"...he disciplines us for our good, in order to share in his holiness."
(Hebrews 12:10) 


As the Letter to the Hebrews draws to a close, there are two repeated exhortations. First, consider Jesus Asended*, "seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (12:2). And seconcd, endure in holy living, "lay aside every weight and sin whih clings so closely, and...run with endurance the race that is set before us" (12:1). Consider Jesus and endure in a life holy, a life set apart for purpsoe. 

Is it not amazing that of all the images we have been encouraged to consider throughout the Letter to the Hebrews, the final and lasting image is you and me, of us, being "disciplined,"--trained up to fulfill the maturation of our potential--in our ordinary rhtyms and relationships through the "holiness" of Jesus--His unquie, powerful, source of life--which He shares with us and we share with others. An image of being trained by holiness, for holiness; imagine that! 

It seems the author of our letter desires us to hold that image in our minds and bring it to the forefront in our communities still today: 

"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, perfectly fit you with everything good in order to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)


While the idea that in our life with Jesus Ascended* we are perfectly fitted to be holy in all our conduct (1 Peter 1:14-15), the image of being disciplined by holiness for holiness is somewhat hazy for most of us. The reason is the baggage that comes with both the words "discipline" and "holiness." 

Be honest: when you read the verse atop this note —"he disciplines us for our good" — were your first thoughts or feelings positive, evoking warm memories? Or, did you cringe a little? If you are like me, and those hearing the Letter to the Hebrews first read, your experience of discipline--instruction that matures--brings with it memories of discipline's bite: 

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11) 


No matter how far into the marathon of faith we find ourselves, we all want the fruit of a mature life without having to go through the process and means of maturing. We want the end, yet, as the author of Hebrews reminds us, we cannot skip the admittedly and momentarily unpleasant middle. So, we are encouraged to recognize that this part of our pilgrimage matters, even if our first instinct is to recoil at the thought of it. But discipline is not the only word with baggage. 

Holiness, too, comes with a whole load of its own. When you hear the exhortation to strive for holiness, what kind of life comes to mind? While your specific image may differ from mine, I'd be willing to bet it evokes the mixed emotions of a standoffish goodness and a worthy but impossible standard. While the baggage of our experiential understanding of holiness is weighty, as we discussed on Sunday, the biblical baggage of the word is actually relatively light. 

But rather than explain with more words, a visual may be more helpful. So, while I'd encourage you to come back to Read and Listen, if you want to jump to Watch and Contemplate, you will discover why the image of discipline through shared holiness is an enduring vision of our lives with Jesus Ascended*. 



Love you, faith family. God bless!