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All the Rest
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Sometimes I just stand in the candy isle at the store. There is a Walgreens down the street from house and they have most delicious candy isle, all year, not just in October! I like to stand there because it makes me feel powerful. Like many of you, when I was a child at the store, my parents always hurried me through the candy isle, unless of course we were going to a movie and my mother was going to sneak cheaper candy into the movie in her gargantuan hand bag…but that’s another story. And even on the rare occasion I was permitted to pick something on the candy isle, it was inevitably only one thing…how do you pick just one thing?! Now, I stand there as a fully fledged adult, my own checking account, no permission to seek in regards to candy treats, and I majestically proclaim, "I could have one of each of you if I so desire. You are within my domain." I seldom actually buy anything, the taste of power is much more satisfying these days!
God wants each of us to stand in the REST isle and have some of each, not picking just one, certainly not leaving empty handed, but all, each, All the Rest present in our lives. The writer of Hebrews is saying to the young Jewish/Christian teachers not to make the same mistake of their ancestors, enter the fullness of the rest available to us and teach others the same!
The prevailing belief is that the writer of Hebrews was a highly respected teacher in the early church, a person of significant influence, like a Paul, highly educated in both Judaism and the burgeoning doctrines of Christianity. My favorite teacher, Reverend Earl Palmer formerly of University Presbyterian Church in Seattle Washington, now Earl Palmer Ministries, likes the idea of Hebrews being from Priscilla, the wife of Aquilla, converts of Paul. He surmises this may be why the author is never identified, to avoid the bias that would surely have come if people knew a woman had written this.
Hebrews was probably written sometime between 65 and 70 AD, and according to the writer’s own words in the verse three of the second chapter…was a second generation Christian. "…how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him." Meaning, that the writer of Hebrews did not have the privilege of being taught directly by Jesus as did people like Peter, James, Mary, and Martha. The writer of Hebrews knows that just as those who learned from Christ taught him/her, so now he/she must in turn teach the generation that follows, as every generation must continue to do as it has now been for almost 2000 years. This is one of the most sacred duties of The Church, the caretaker and perpetuator of Christian doctrines.
As we journey through 15 verses, beginning in chapter 3, verse 16 and continuing on through chapter 4, verse 11, we find that there is an understanding of Rest that is essential for every devoted follower of Jesus to grasp, not just a partial understanding but a complete understanding, All The Rest. Each of us need this understanding, so that our lives can experience the fullness of the restfulness that God intended for us to have and also so we can pass this knowledge and practice on to our children…and down through the ages, never to be lost. I believe there are four components to All the Rest, let’s look at each of them, together with the next four articles. See you Friday, thanks for reading!!
Pastor Fred
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