Messianic Jews 10:19-25
Letter to the Messianic Jews

In my last post, we concluded our topic on Yeshua: His Better Covenant by digging into Messianic Jews 10:11-18 ~ The Superiority and Finality of the New Covenant and examining The Evidence of Yeshua’s Finished Work. In this post, we begin a new topic on Faith: The Better Way. We start by reviewing an Exhortation to Hold Firm by looking at Our Access to God in Messianic Jews 10:19-25.

Our Access to God

¹⁹ So, brothers, we have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua. ²⁰ He inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the parokhet, by means of His flesh. ²¹ We also have a great cohen over God’s household. ²² Therefore, let us approach the Holiest Place with a sincere heart, in the full assurance that comes from trusting — with our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us continue holding fast to the hope we acknowledge, without wavering; for the One who made the promise is trustworthy. ²⁴ And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching.” ~ Messianic Jews 10:19-25 (CJB)

Note: As I have stated before, Stern typically translates “faith” as “trust.”

After commencing the exhortation by addressing the brothers (Believers), the author summarizes the content of his argument, expressed at length in Messianic Jews 2:17-3:6, 4:14-5:10, 6:13-10:18. From theology, he turns to practical exhortation. He is one of the most profound theologians in the Brit Hadashah, but his pastoral instinct governs all his theology. He does not think merely for the thrill of intellectual satisfaction but only that he may forcibly appeal to us to enter into the presence of God.

He begins by saying three things about Yeshua.

• Yeshua is the living way to the presence of God. We enter through the torn parokhet into the presence of God.

• Yeshua is Cohen HaGadol (THE High Priest) over God’s house in Heaven. This means that Yeshua not only shows us the way to God but also when we get there introduces us to His very presence.

• Yeshua is the one person who can cleanse us from all our sins. The sacrifices of the Tanakh were ineffective to remove the real pollution of sin. Only Yeshua can cleanse us. By His presence and His Spirit, He purifies the inmost thoughts and desires until we are clean.

The author of the Messianic Jews goes on to outline our duty to others in a most practical way. He sees that commitment extend in three directions.

1. We must spur each other on to love and good deeds. Best of all we can do that by setting an excellent example. We can do it by reminding others of their traditions, their privileges, their responsibilities when they are likely to forget them.

2. We must not neglect our own congregational meetings to worship together. There were some amongst those to whom the author of the Messianic Jews was writing who had abandoned the habit of meeting together. It is still possible for us to think that we are a Messianic Believers and yet quit the practice of worshipping with God’s people in God’s house on God’s day. The best example of this is the “C&E Messianic Believer” who only shows up for worship only on Christmas and Easter.

3. We must encourage each other. It is easy to laugh at or pour cold water on others enthusiasm and to discourage them. The world is full of discouragers; we have a Messianic duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a someone else on their feet. Blessed is the person who speaks such a word.

Finally, the author of Messianic Jews says that the Messianic Believer’s duty to each other is all the more pressing because the time is short. The Day is approaching. He is speaking of the Second Coming of the Messiah when things, as we know them, will end. The early Believers lived in that expectation. Whether or not we still do, we must realize that no person knows when the summons to rise and go will come to him also. In the time we have, we must do all the good we can to all the people we can in all the ways we can.

We have been and continue to be redeemed once for all by His Blood.

In my next post, we continue in our new mini-series dealing with Faith: The Better Way by examining The Warning to Hold Firm in Messianic Jews 10:26-31.

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