Better than Abel

...and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)

I am slowly contemplating my way through the list of realities presented here in Hebrews in contrast to the previous list that it contrasts. Yesterday I dwelt on the idea of membership and what that might possibly mean for me. There are so many insights to capture here that I am loathe to go back to previous studies that I left off some time ago to visit this. But my real desire is for my heart to learn at least as much but preferably more than my intellect in these times of devotion. So as I consider the words I always try to keep my spirit open to whatever God's Spirit may have for me in these moments to transform my heart and inner belief system.

I notice this morning in reviewing verses 22-24 that there may potentially be clusters of things instead of individual items. The clusters, if this is true, have three items each and the items relate to the first descriptor in the cluster.

First is Mount Zion – the city of the living God – the heavenly Jerusalem.

Then myriads of angels – the universal companionship – the church of the firstborn.

Then God – the Judge of all – the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

Then Jesus – the mediator of a new covenant – the sprinkled blood (of Jesus).

At first the spirits of the righteous made perfect may seem to refer to spirits of people apart from God. But if the pattern is true – and I believe it very well may apply – then I think it could have just as easily been translated in such a way as to refer to the Spirit of God as revealed in the spirits of all those who allow Him to make them perfect or mature. The focus very likely needs to be more on the God who produces the fruit of righteousness in the lives of His people more than on the people themselves. And since it is really only one God who is behind their true motivations, who is transforming them and infiltrates the spirit of each believer, then collectively the righteous made perfect exhibit a composite image that looks strikingly like God Himself.

Something else I noticed this morning. Each of these sections or lists starts with the similar but opposite phrase come to. Verse 18 starting the first list (which is likely referring to the old covenant mentality) says you have not come to.... Then verse 22 which begins the contrasting list begins with you have come to....

I began to wonder what this really meant. In what way do we come to or not come to these things? Is there something in the surrounding context that might be connected to this phrase that would help me understand its meaning better? Sure enough, as I looked back a little ways there it was; See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God...

So one of the important truths embedded in this passage is that grace will not be found in an external-oriented religion that is based on fear as its motivation for righteousness. All of the things listed in the first list are external in nature, generally fear-inducing, focused on power and display and calculated to impress from the external. It certainly produced fear, even in the mind of Moses who was somewhat considered by the Hebrews as at least partly the originator or facilitator of the Old Covenant. But this whole book of Hebrews is devoted to exposing the inability of that kind of religion to really accomplish what God desires to do in His people. That is why, even from the very beginning, God desired a New Covenant with all of His people who were willing to relate to Him at a much deeper level than in displays of power and a focus on external religion. There needs to be a completely different work at the heart level that will produce the natural fruit of righteousness instead of the fruit of our own labors.

And just as I write this the Spirit impresses me with the answer to the question raised in my mind this morning as to why Abel is referred to in this passage. The conflict that arose out of the tension between Abel and his brother was because Abel chose to relate to God from his heart and Cain chose to rely on the fruit of his own works. Because the blessing and affirmation of God was enjoyed by Abel and not by Cain, Cain became very resentful and bitter and allowed that bitterness to fester and grow until it blossomed into full-blown murder. He had come short of the grace of God and the root of bitterness sprang up in his heart causing great trouble and grief and defiled the earth with the blood of his own brother. (v. 15)

Jesus was a revelation of the ultimate spirit that was in Abel, a counterpart of sorts. Abel had chosen the option of the New Covenant instead of the Old Covenant that was chosen by Cain and his spirit was made perfect by God. Abel was only an example of the results of choosing the better option but Jesus was Himself the real mediator of the New Covenant. He is the link between heaven and earth that makes the New Covenant effective. Because of this the sprinkled blood of Jesus, even though similar in many respects, is far more eloquent than the blood of Abel in revealing the real truth about God's desires and attitude toward sinners.

This word mediator has a lot of false ideas that have infiltrated its definition over the centuries. Because of our typically skewed picture of God we believe that we need a mediator to appease His wrath, to change His mind in some way about us or to put in a fix for us somehow so that God will not carry out His anger against us for our rebellion against Him. Whatever shade of darkness we may believe in our hearts about God's attitude toward us will be a contributing factor in misunderstanding this concept of mediator.

But a careful study of this concept in the context of the Bible reveals that it is not God's mind or heart at all that needs changing about the situation between us and Him but it is totally and completely all on our side of the relationship that the misunderstandings exist. The whole purpose of Jesus' mediation between God and sinful humanity is to change our view of God, not to change God's view of us. Any belief that harbors doubts about God's complete and everlasting, unconditional love for all of His created beings is poisoned with Old Covenant reasoning and will lead to confusion, doubt and fear.

I confess that I have lived my whole life under the shadow of the Old Covenant and still struggle to become free at the deeper levels of my heart with this theology of fear. Now that I think of it this explains why all of my life I could not make any sense whatsoever of the story of Cain and Abel. Oh, I knew all the standard spins on this story enforcing the need for strict obedience to God's commands, but that spin tended to keep me off target as to the real meaning of that story until this morning. Now I see what this verse is really explaining and it is very encouraging to me. The spirit that was seen in Abel as he suffered abuse and death at the hands of his own brother is a foreshadowing of what all who are truly in Christ Jesus will suffer as they choose to believe the real truths about God in contrast to the false versions of righteousness embraced by their protagonists.

Abel was a very fine but small example of the demonstration of the truth about God that was far more amplified in the life and death of Jesus. Jesus' whole mission is to address our misconceptions and fears about God by showing us real love, compassion, kindness (which leads us to repentance according to Romans 2:4) and how God feels about us. He clearly stated, He who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9) He emphasized that He and the Father are one. The Father God does not think differently about us in the slightest bit than Jesus does, and if we carefully meditate on the truth as it really is in Jesus that He taught and demonstrated we will more fully see the many lies that we still cling to about God. These lies riddle all of our thinking, every person on earth whether religious or not. It is the mission and passion of Jesus to expose and eradicate this terrible slander about His Father that has been perpetuated since the false charges of Lucifer first emerged in heaven.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please remove all of the lies about You in my heart as well as in my mind. I don't want them here anymore as roots that cause bitterness to poison my spirit and those around me. Fill me with the real truth about You and Your faithful love for me. Help me to have bold confidence in Your value for me as Your important son that You cherish just as much as Jesus. Help my heart to grasp that truth and have it totally transform me with its power for Your reputation's sake.

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