ONCE FOR ALL

ONCE FOR ALL
Heb 7:18-28
"Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day…. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." (v.27).

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS IN LIFE, I suppose, is to be condemned to a routine, monotonous job. I once stood and watched some girls working in a shop that provides photo-copying services. They sat there copying pages after pages of books, theses, journals, etc. To think they sat there, going through the same repetitive motions eight hours a day, six days a week! It is certainly not a very welcoming thought.

The author of Hebrews may be feeling somewhat in the same vein when he speaks about sacrifices being offered in the Temple "day after day" (v.27). Monotonous repetition is certainly the case. But compare that with Jesus, the great high priest: "he sacrificed for sins once for all" (v.27). The action is decisive, final and non-repeatable.

Now, repetition in itself is not necessarily bad. We repeatedly eat, sleep and go to work. However, there is a repetition that may not be healthy. This is when we continue to do something habitually when we have lost sight of its meaning and purpose. Or when its purpose has already be achieved. In the case of Jesus' sacrifice for sin, it is not necessary for the Jewish Christians to offer animal sacrifices any longer. The one supreme Sacrifice has already been made. But creatures of habit that we are, it is often difficult to break the habit.

In our Christian life, we want to cultivate certain disciplines. But in doing so, we must beware they do not become mere routines. Daily Bible reading is a case in point. It is the secret to a consistent walk with the Lord, as we feed daily upon His Word. But what if it becomes a matter of going through the motions? We will need to evaluate our Bible reading. We should not give it up, nor should we carry on without taking corrective actions.

Christians, of all people, should never be guilty of staleness or monotony. We have a living Lord who "lives forever' (v.24), who "always lives to intercede" for us (v.25). He is with us today. All that we do is done for Him. Nothing needs to be dull or mechanical.

Are there meaningless repetitions in my life?