Thoughts for the Day

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Every commentator on the Epistle to the Hebrews says sometime "This is difficult." However, it has much to teach us and is worth studying. Today, let us look at one word in the passage above: the Greek word archegos, or 'pioneer' in English. We think of a pioneer as someone who leads from the front taking people with them.

In 1912 my mother's family spent weeks on a small ship sailing to Costa Rica. When they arrived my grandmother from London in her Edwardian dress was expected to cope with an ox cart, dense jungles and a single room to live in during the dry season as her husband and two elder boys began to 'modernise' a banana plantation. Each winter season they built an extra room onto the house, in the meantime she would teach the baby (my mother) and her two other daughters aged 5 and 9 years, their lessons, despite the fact that she had only been to a 'dame school' herself. My grandparents were true pioneers in the traditional sense. They stayed in Costa Rica for 15 years building up new estates for an international banana company before returning to the UK.

The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus 'the pioneer' of our salvation. In other words he blazed the trail to God for us to follow. In choosing to take the punishment for our sin upon himself and suffering death on a cross, Jesus also identifies himself with us and knows what it is to feel pain. If we ae in physical, mental or spiritual pain try praying to this Pioneer!

Lord Jesus Christ,
when we were unable to reconnect with God,
You made the decision to be born as a human,
to experience our life on earth
with all its pitfalls.
Yet you did not give in to temptation,
but blazed a trail back to God
by choosing to suffer for us,
so that we might be forgiven our sins,
and become sons and daughters of God.
May we never forget that You are with us
in our pain or despair,
and that You walk alongside us each day.
to give us strength.
Amen.