I am thinking this morning about two posts that will wind people up. One is the missionaries from the Victorian era are still influencing the post colonial world. and the second is probably the least read post of the week, but the one that made me think the most and was the second most difficult to write — not the most most difficult to write this month.

There is a pattern: the theology posts — which are driven by the text of the lectionary, are hard, and read less. Things like reporting on a study or linking to wittiness? Easy, and read more. Take virtually no time. Often done in the evening. But the Bible and theology is making my head hurt on a regular basis. And it is the same today.

Hebrews 7:18-28

¹⁸There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual ¹⁹(for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope, through which we approach God.

²⁰This was confirmed with an oath; for others who became priests took their office without an oath, ²¹but this one became a priest with an oath, because of the one who said to him, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever'” — ²²accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.

²³Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; ²⁴but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. ²⁵Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

John 4:27-42

²⁷Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” ²⁸Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ²⁹“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” ³⁰They left the city and were on their way to him.

³¹Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” ³²But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. ³⁵Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. ³⁶The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. ³⁷For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

³⁹Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹And many more believed because of his word. ⁴²They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Today’s lectionary passages contrast with each other. The Hebrews passage is sheer theology: I think of Hebrews and Jude as the most theologically packed or dense books in the New Testament, exceeding the laws of Moses. Paul is showing to his Jewish audience that the law of Christ is superior to the law of Moses, and he is speaking in shorthand. He does not need to quote entire parts of scripture, but merely allude to them. for the scripture was systematically read in every synagogue.

From this we should see that Christ is not only our high priest and saviour, but that is works are sufficient, and there are no others. We do not need to go seeking new experiences and new confirmations in some form of spiritual anabaptism: for Christ is faithful.

The second passage shows two things. The first is that women can and should evangelize. There has always been a women’s network: one of the things that drew the Samaritan village to see Jesus was that the woman at the well, who had been shunned by the village women (for she could not keep a man, having been married five times, and was not living in sin) was now talking with confidence to the women saying “He knew all about me”. Unsaid is that he did not stone her as an adulterer.

And when the villagers saw Jesus they believed. Which brings us to his teaching to the disciples: there are many who do not know Christ. Many. And they need to know. I think this is what was missing from the discussion at Christianity Today and in my post yesterday, though I tried to get there: the motivation for missionaries going to Africa and Asia and the Americas was not to set up some kind of democratic state. The missionaries did not care: they were there because these people had not heard the gospel.

Any social consequences of this are side-effects of salvation. People may snark around these issues, but theology matters: for from correct thinking comes our sense of duty, which we then imperfectly follow — towards either sanctification or damnation.

UPDATE.
I should have put this in the post in the beginning. This is a screenshot of the post view frequency for this week. The two most theological posts are “Predesitination and Apostatsy” and “Not a metaphor”.

Q.E.D., methinks.