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When Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
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This is the Epistle selection that will be read aloud in churches on the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 26], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will be preceded by one of two pairs of Old Testament and Psalm readings, either Track 1 or Track 2. The track chosen by an individual church will determine if the Old Testament reading is from Ruth or from Deuteronomy. Track 1 will include these verses: “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law” and “Yahweh sets the prisoners free; Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind; Yahweh lifts up those who are bowed down.” Track 2 will include these verses: “Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey” and “Oh, that my ways were made so direct that I might keep your statutes!” Those will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark 12, where the response to Jesus by the scribe was, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”’
The last time this reading selection came up in the lectionary cycle (2018) I wrote a deep observation of the literal text, coming from the Greek written by Paul. I included background that is relative to the ten verses that precede these four selected from chapter nine. I stand behind my observations then, as they are still applicable today. If that article is one you would like to read, it can be accessed by clicking on this link. As it is with all the writings of the Epistles, there is much depth that can come from writings that are divinely inspired, coming from the Mind of God, where ‘speaking in tongues’ is required to see more and more truth become exposed from the language of Yahweh being used. This language cannot be translated properly by services that know Greek and know other languages and transform the Word of God into human paraphrases. The reading above is so much more than is shown.
From the translation services that provide English-speaking Christians with the quotes and passages they love to memorize as ‘the Gospel,’ these four verses from Hebrews 9 fall under headings, such as: “Redemption through His Blood” [Bible Hub Interlinear]; “The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries” [NRSV]; “The Blood of Christ” [NIV]; “The Old and the New” [NASB]; and, “New Covenant Ministry” [Christian Standard Bible – CSB]. From this variety of headings, all coming from the same text, although some separate these verses, while other lump all into one whole, they convey a duality of past and present, old and new, such that the “blood” must be seen as spiritual, not physical.
I wonder if Leo drew two bodies, one imposed on top of another, to show the union of two souls in one body of flesh?
In the first verse of this reading selection (verse 11), the NRSV translators have set aside two series of words in parentheses, separated by a comma mark. The parentheses are not part of the written text. Verse eleven literally translates into English saying, “Christ now , having arrived as high priest of those having become of good use , on account of this greater kai more complete tabernacle not made by hands , this existence , not of the latter this institution .” This must be seen as Paul explaining the “high priest” he wrote of in Hebrews 7, which has been the readings the past two Sundays.
First of all, the writing of “Christos,” is a capitalized word that takes on a divine level of meaning. The word “christos” in the lower-case means “to be rubbed on, used as ointment or salve.” The capitalization says Paul is speaking of ALL souls that have been Spiritually Anointed ones by Yahweh. This is not a divine level of meaning otherwise. Only Yahweh can Anoint a soul, making that soul be a “Christ;” and, Yahweh is not to be limited in any way by mere human translators or mere human interpreters to say “Christ” can only be Jesus in the flesh. This reality is because Yahweh can Anoint the whole world, if the whole world submits to His Covenant for marriage. “Christ” is NOT to be limited to being read as the ‘last name’ of Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman in Bethlehem. The Old Testament is one story after another that tell of the Christs of Yahweh: males and females He Anoints who He chooses.
When one realizes “Christ” is a state of being, one which Paul knew personally, as Paul was an Anointed one of Yahweh, his writing “Christ now” is speaking about the death of Jesus of Nazareth, whose soul was most certainly Anointed by Yahweh, as His Son, but that Anointed soul was no longer present on the face of the earth as it was, when Jesus lived in flesh [his Anointed soul animated dead matter]. At that moment of writing [“now”] the focus of verse eleven states a change has occurred, unlike what was before. The rest of the segments of this verse must be realized as Paul writing about the present state of the “Christ,” as opposed to the way it was when Jesus lived and walked.
In that new [remember the titles that transitioned from “old” to “new”?] state, Paul wrote next: “having arrived as high priest of those having become of good use.” That says the Anointed soul of Jesus had entered into others, like Paul [not only Paul, but all Apostles or Saints], with that soul of Jesus “having arrived” in “those as high priest.” This means the soul of Paul was no longer the “high priest” of Paul’s body of flesh. Paul had been named Saul, when his soul was his “high priest,” but Saul was not anointed by any deity as a divine servant of any true God. Saul was his own “god” [a “soul” as an “el”], who worshiped his own evil acts as being righteous. However, after Saul submitted his soul to Yahweh [changing his name to denote that transition from old Saul to new Paul], the presence of Jesus’ soul with his soul – AS HIGH PRIEST – means Paul [like “those” also “Christs” of Yahweh] had “become of good use.”
Following that statement of divine presence being within Paul [and others like him] for “good use,” he then wrote a segment of words that contain the marker word “kai,” which denotes importance needing to be seen in that stated after that marker word. Here, Paul wrote, “on account of this greater kai more complete tabernacle not made by hands.” In that, “greater” becomes relative to the “good use,” which says people who have not become Saints will try to do “good things,” but when the soul has been enhanced by the presence of Jesus’ soul, as a “Christ,” then the “good use” of one’s being is “greater.” This can be intuited to be meaning Jesus walks again in the flesh – in the flesh of a Saint – so being Jesus reborn is “greater” than being someone who likes Jesus a lot and tries to figure out what Jesus would do “now.”
The marker word “kai” then says “more complete tabernacle not made by human hands” becomes very important, relative to this “greater” state of being. In this, the “tabernacle” must be seen as the most holy place in which Jesus has become the “high priest.” That is one’s body of flesh. Saul was a tabernacle for Judaism, where he served as the “high priest” who took delight in the persecution of Christians. When his soul became “Anointed” by Yahweh and Jesus became the “high priest” of his “tabernacle,” then Paul was transformed … but “not by human hands.” Jesus never physically met Saul. Jesus did not physically come touch Saul and tell him, “Change and be Paul.” In the same way, the Judaic religious system was built by human hands, where everything they believed in was made up by the intelligence of their brains, with none of the leaders of that religion a divine “high priest,” who was one “Anointed” by Yahweh.
Paul then separated two words by comma use, which makes one pause to reflect on his writing “this existence,” which also says “this is.” This says the old state of being has changed into a new state of being. The new state that “exists” “is” the “Christ” state of being – a Saint whose soul has married Yahweh and then given birth to the resurrected soul of Jesus as “high priest” in that body of flesh – a body is no longer as it was before, led only by one's soul.
The final segment of words is then Paul writing, “not of the latter this institution.” In that, the Greek word “ktiseōs” is written, which the NRSV has translated [within parentheses that are non-existent] as “creation.” According to Strong’s, the word means “creation (the act or the product)” [definition], but then “(often of the founding of a city), (a) abstr: creation, (b) concr: creation, creature, institution; always of Divine work, (c) an institution, ordinance.” [usage] Thus, the intent, following a segment of word that spoke of a spiritual “tabernacle” [one “not made by human hands”], says “this existence” is “not” to be confused with a “creation” of Jews in Jerusalem, but the new “institution” that would go by the name of Christianity [based on the reality of all members of that “institution” being Anointed ones by Yahweh, with His Son the “high priest” of all].
In the translation I present, the Greek word “ταύτης” is written, which transliterates as “tautēs.” This is the genitive singular form of “hoûtos,” which means “this,” but can mean “here, the preceding, the latter, or a reference to someone famous or infamous.” As “here,” Paul was writing from a Roman prison, who was persecuting him because of Jewish influences within Rome. The “preceding institution” was the Judaic religion, which was coming to an end of relevancy (“the latter”). Thus, Paul was writing so translators would catch his drift and see him writing about a change taking place, from the old to the new.
Verse twelve then can literally be seen to translate as stating, “not through blood spilled of goats kai calves , through now this own blood spilled , he entered once for all among these set apart by God , eternal redemption having obtained .” This is where people see the blood of Jesus on the cross as him dying for the sins of the whole world, which is stupid to think. This speaks of the old “institution,” created by the “hands of men,” not Yahweh, being one where blood sacrifices was an integral part of their physical system that saw spilling blood as a cleaning exercise, one which pleased Yahweh.
Jesus was indeed the sacrificial lamb whose blood would be spilled, meaning he would be killed and he would have marks on his flesh that bled; but that was not so his flesh could be roasted on the altar fire and then served to people waiting for some barbequed goat or calf. Jesus died so his soul could be spilled out; and, that is the meaning of Paul writing, “he entered once for all among these set apart by God.” Those “set apart by God” [aka “sacred ones” or “holy places”] are those who are “Christ now.” The soul of Jesus has been released through willing sacrifice. That sacrifice was not to cleanse sins ceremoniously [with physical blood and ashes sprinkled], but to enter those who repent from their sins, forevermore. Thus, when Yahweh sends into those who will be His Saints His Son resurrected – to become their “high priest” – then they have earned “redemption” and “eternal” life for their souls.
Verse thirteen then literally translates to say, “If indeed this blood spilled of goats , kai of bulls , kai ashes of a heifer , ceremoniously sprinkled to cleanse those who have become unclean , make holy towards this of this flesh purification ,” this is Paul speaking of symbolic restoration of sins done by bodies of flesh. Such ritual sacrifices have no lasting value. Just like washing the dirt off one’s flesh with water makes one clean for a moment, only to get dirty again later, nothing has changed within. Physical cleansing does not (cannot) reach into where the motivation to get dirty again comes from.
Verse fourteen is then a continuation of the line of thought begun in verse thirteen. Here, it is important to realize the capitalization of the Greek word “Ei,” at the beginning of verse thirteen. That "If" is still in effect as the line of thought moves into the next verse (following a comma mark, not a period). The capitalization of “If” means the divine level of meaning the word absorbs says all physical sacrifices of living creatures for religious purposes are to please some god, IF that god indeed requires a blood (soul release) sacrifice. Thus, the proposition that animal sacrifices please Yahweh is the ‘big IF’ here. It asks the question, “Does Yahweh only want His servants and priests to clean their bodies of flesh, routinely, through ritual spilling of animal blood?”
The answer to that question can be found in Isaiah 1:11, where Yahweh spoke to the prophet, saying "“The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says Yahweh. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats." This is what Paul was alluding to in verse thirteen.
The literal translation of verse fourteen into English has it say: “how much more this blood shed who of Christ , which because of the Spirit eternal , itself to bring to blameless this God , will cleanse this conscience ourselves away from mortal works , into this to serve God living !” This becomes a statement about how much “greater” is the freeing of Jesus’ soul, than that of farm animals, because that soul being released from a physical body means it can then enter into those who are deemed by Yahweh to be His Anointed ones. Being a “Christ” means one’s soul has been cleansed, which is “much more” than being washed by water or having had some ritual ashes sprinkled nearby.
The second segment of words confirm that being Anointed ones of Yahweh is Spiritual, where the capitalization of “Pneumatos” gives this a divine level of meaning, which is the marriage of Yahweh with a soul, through His “Spirit.” This marriage is taking on the name of Yahweh [which is “Jesus”]; and, that union with a soul forever grants it eternal life … beyond the time in the flesh. It is this marriage that cleanses the soul [and thus the body of flesh too], which allows Yahweh to sit upon the throne of one’s heart, while His Son becomes the “high priest” of one’s fleshy “tabernacle.” Like Job [and all Saints] one becomes “blameless,” which is a statement about being free of the condemnations of sins.
Jesus did not die to forgive sins. Jesus died so his soul could be given by Yahweh … to His wives in divine marriage … who agreed at the marriage altar never to sin again. The First Commandment – "Do not wear the face of other gods before My face" – says, "the faces of other gods lead souls to become sinners." A soul cannot marry Yahweh and not forever give up being a sinner. Thus, Jesus died to show how each wife-to-be of Yahweh [a soul] must also crucify one's past worship of self, in order to become reborn as the Son of man.
When the next to last segment speaks of a clean conscience, which says one’s soul is well aware of past sins having been forgiven [through sincere repentance and love for marriage to Yahweh], the future direction taken by the soul still possessing a body of flesh is “away from mortal works,” where “mortal” is sins of the flesh, which lead to death of a body, releasing the soul to reincarnation or being sent forever into damnation. Therefore, the last segment of words then say ministry ensues, where one does the works of Yahweh incarnate, as His Son reborn. One is transformed divinely, to serve the Father in a world in need of Saints.
As a reading for the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to realize the need to be reborn as Jesus, as one of Yahweh’s Christs. One has to realize that physical blood of Jesus is meaningless, until one sees one’s own blood becoming that of Jesus, after his soul has been resurrected within one’s own soul. Otherwise, the ‘blood of Christ’ has to be seen as the outpouring of Yahweh’s Spirit upon one’s soul. The marriage of one’s soul to Yahweh allows one to be clean enough for His Son’s soul to be reborn into human flesh. When that transformation takes place – from the old to the new – then ministry can indeed begin for Yahweh.