Uniform Lesson for October 9, 2016
Scripture passage and lesson focus: Hebrews 3:1-6; Matthew 7:24-29
In this lesson we continue to explore what the Bible says about the sovereignty of Jesus. Both Matthew and Hebrews use the metaphor of a house to describe the relationship between Jesus and his followers.
When people think of a house, they usually have in mind a building with walls and a roof, rooms and doors, windows and floors. Many consider owning a house to be a basic part of the American dream. That is why so many people have poured energy into programs like Habitat for Humanity. Living in a secure and comfortable house is what many people eagerly desire and work hard to achieve.
Matthew 7:24-29 — A firm foundation
The Gospel of Matthew gathers many short sayings of Jesus together into five extended discourses. Each of these discourses ends with a closing formula modeled after the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 31:1, “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things … .” Matthew’s purpose is to identify Jesus as the new Moses whose teachings are more authoritative than those of Moses and his interpreters.
In Matthew 7:24-29, the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes two very different persons. A wise person who listens and acts upon the teachings of Jesus is like a builder whose house is built on a solid foundation. A foolish person who hears but does not act according to Jesus’ teaching is like a builder whose house is built on sand. The house built on rock withstands a flood but the house built on sand collapses. These words of Jesus recorded by Matthew are a warning: Ground your life on the rock-solid words of Jesus.
Hebrews 3:1-6 — God’s faithful Son
In the letter to the Hebrews, which is actually a lengthy sermon, the author addresses the recipients of this letter as “holy partners in a heavenly calling.” They have been made holy by Jesus, the sanctifier, through his sacrificial death. To sanctify is to make holy, to set apart for a special God-honoring purpose. In 2:11-12, Jesus refers to his followers as his brothers and sisters whom he has sanctified. They have become partners with Jesus and they share in a calling, a mission, a purpose.
The preacher urges his hearers to concentrate attentively (unfortunately the NRSV translation “consider” lacks this nuance) on Jesus. Jesus is identified as “the apostle and high priest of our confession.” This is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus is called an apostle. For the author of Hebrews, an apostle is not an evangelist. Jesus is identified as an apostle because he has been appointed and sent as a heavenly messenger by God.
Jesus was sent to be the “high priest of our confession.” Here the confession being referred to is the profession of faith made by the congregation. It is the commitment of trust in Jesus as God’s Son expressed in worship and the life of Christian discipleship. The preacher will develop the theme of Jesus as our high priest in Hebrews 4 and 5. Jesus, both apostle and high priest, is God’s faithful Son.
To help the recipients understand Jesus more fully, the author compares Jesus to Moses. Moses was faithful “in all God’s house.” Here the word “house” refers not to a building, but to a household, a community, the people of Israel. Both Jesus and Moses were faithful. But Moses was faithful as a servant in Israel (Numbers 12:7). Jesus is faithful as God’s Son. Jesus deserves greater honor than Moses, the homilist contends, because he is one who formed and shaped the household. He is more than a servant.
The household Jesus built constitutes the people of God. “We are his house,” the homilist declares, meaning that the people being addressed and we (the modern readers) are God’s household. They and we are a community of holy people called to be faithful to God’s Son. But that identity is dependent on remaining faithful with confidence and pride to the hope Jesus provides. The homilist is aware that the recipients of this letter have faced opposition and possibly even persecution. Confidence and pride are indicators of the strength and assurance with which he exhorts believers to live out their calling.
For discussion
How would you describe your heavenly calling? Who are your holy partners in that calling? How often do you and your partners discuss your calling? What actions do you associate with the wise person or, conversely, the foolish person in Matthew 7:24-27?
