Living in the Spirit
November 13, 2015

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:19-25

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds. This sentence struck me as rather odd. It would have made more sense to me to simply say “let us provoke one another.” The act of considering makes me envision the vultures setting in the tree in the cartoon movie Jungle Book shrugging their wings and one saying “What do you want to do tonight?” with another replying “I don’t know what do you want to do?” over and over again until “tonight” is lost. Church meetings operate like that at times. Calling a meeting to consider how to provoke ourselves seems a bit overkill, but we do it very well. We probably would identify a laundry lists of ideas and then rank order them from the ones that seem most plausible to the least. Our work would be recorded in the minutes but we probably would never get around to actually provoking anybody although the planners might try to love and do a few good deeds themselves. How many meetings have you attended over the past couple of decades designed to find ways to increase attendance? Is your attendance up?

The truth is none of us like to be provoked. The Greek word translated provoked is paroxusmos* and means a provocation which literally jabs (cuts) someone so they “must” respond. I think the author of Hebrews is recognizing that human nature prefers not to have its equilibrium disturbed. As followers of Christ when we fall into a steady state that does not include love we must enable each other to love as Christ loved and trust in his promise that his love will conquer the world.

Prayer: O Love that Will not let me Go, prick my conscience when I stray from loving as you love, forgive me, and set me back on the path toward your kingdom. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/3948.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.