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That you may not
become sluggish |
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The long Songkran holiday (the Thai New Year, also known as the Water Festival during which the Thais douse each other with water) provided me an opportunity to again read and reflect on the Letter to the Hebrews. Most
scholars agree that Hebrews was not written by Paul. They also believe
that it is not a letter in the same sense as the Pauline letters but a
homily that has been given an epistolary ending. While its author remains
unknown, I was delightfully surprised to learn – while reading a
commentary on Hebrews – that not a few scholars consider Aquila and
Priscilla to be among its possible authors, along with Barnabas and
Apollos. My
brothers and sisters, I am inclined to believe that Aquila and Priscilla
are the authors of Hebrews, not only because they are my favorite Biblical
couple but because of the reasons below. First, Hebrews ends with the following final greetings: Greetings to all your leaders and to all the holy ones. Those from Italy send you greetings (Heb 13:24). This verse indicates that the authors were in the company of friends from Italy. We know from the Book of Acts that Aquila and Priscilla were among the Jews ordered to leave Italy following the decree of Emperor Claudius: After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, following a decree of the Emperor Claudius, which ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them and then stayed and worked with them because they shared the same trade of tentmaking (Acts 18:1-3) It is not unlikely that when Aquila and Priscilla left Italy they were accompanied by friends and other Christian Jews who were similarly being expelled. Accordingly, Aquila and Priscilla were referring to them when they wrote “those from Italy send you greetings.” Second, the mention of “our brother Timothy” (Heb 13:23) indicates that the authors were closely associated with Paul, who counted Timothy among his closest disciples. It would hardly be surprising for Aquila and Priscilla to refer to Timothy as “our brother” since they too were among the closest companions of Paul as indicated in several New Testament passages. For example, the Book of Acts tells us that they went with Paul in his missions: Paul stayed on with the disciples in Corinth for many days; he then left them and sailed off with Priscilla and Aquila for Syria. When they reached Ephesus, he left Priscilla and Aquila behind and entered the synagogue to hold discussions with the Jews. Then he set sail from Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19,21). In
addition, Paul identified Aquila and Priscilla in his letter to the Romans
as his helpers who saved his life:
Greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus. To save my
life, they risked theirs; I am very grateful to them, as all the churches
of the pagan nations. Greetings also to the church that meets in their
house (Rom 16:3-5). In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul referred to
Aquila and Priscilla, implying that he was with them: The
churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord, as
does the church that gathers in their house (1 Cor 16:19). But the
most compelling indication that Aquila and Priscilla were closely
associated with Timothy – so as to be able to refer to him as “our
brother” – was the fact that Paul sent his greetings to them in his
letter to Timothy: Greetings to
Priscilla and Aquila and to the family of Onesiphorus (2 Tim 4:19). Third,
when reading Hebrews, one can easily notice the careful and involved
manner by which the authors explain its main theme of the heavenly
priesthood of Christ. This meticulous way of expounding on the mystery of
Christ is consistent with what we know about Aquila and Priscilla: A
certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived at Ephesus. He
was an eloquent speaker and an authority on the Scriptures, and he had
some knowledge of the Way of the Lord. With great enthusiasm he preached
and taught correctly about Jesus, although he knew only of John’s
baptism. As he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, Priscilla and
Aquila heard him; so they took him home with them and explained to him the
Way of God more accurately (Acts 18:24-26). We can see here that,
although Apollos was recognized as “an eloquent speaker and an authority
on the Scriptures,” Aquila and Priscilla still “took him home with
them and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.” Hebrews addresses a Christian community that is in danger of losing its faith. The members of the community have become lethargic and lukewarm. They have grown weary with the demands of Christian life. Not wanting to lose them, Aquila and Priscilla have sent them a message of encouragement, reminding them that as God’s people they are still on their way to the goal of their exodus, which is the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus is now waiting for them. Letter
to the Hebrews consists of a series of alternating exposition and
exhortation in four main sections. The first section covers an exposition
on Jesus’ superiority to the angels, using seven citations from the Old
Testament. This is followed by an exhortation to fidelity, warning the
community about the dangers of unfaithfulness and apathy. The section ends
with another exposition on the exaltation of Jesus through His suffering
and death on the cross. The
second section begins with an exposition of Jesus as the merciful and
faithful high priest – the faithful Son of God who is vastly superior to
Moses. This is followed by an exhortation based on the infidelity of
Israel during their exodus. The section closes with an exposition on Jesus
as “high priest according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:10). The
third section opens with an exhortation to spiritual renewal followed by
an exposition of Jesus as high priest offering the eternal sacrifice. It
is a sacrifice in the heavenly sanctuary, the sacrifice of the new
covenant. It is the perfect sacrifice. The
final section opens with an exhortation on discipline and obedience. After
recalling the faith of the ancients, describing the sacrifice of Jesus and
citing the courage needed to associate oneself with this sacrifice in
faith, the authors exhort the community to “strengthen your drooping
hands and your weak knees” (Heb 12:12). My
brothers and sisters, after many years in the community of Couples for
Christ, you may experience some degree of weariness. You may feel tired
and burned out. Service may no longer excite you as before. When this
happens, I encourage you to read the Letter to the Hebrews and reflect on
its two main messages. Prayerfully meditate on the high-priestly work of
our Lord Jesus Christ that broke the power of death and sin. Ponder deeply
on the pilgrimage of the people of God to the heavenly Jerusalem and
realize that this is our very own pilgrimage. I
urge you to listen attentively to the urgent plea of Aquila and Priscilla:
We earnestly desire each of you to
demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through
faith and patience, are inheriting the promises (Heb 6:11-12). My
brothers and sisters, Jesus is the high priest who has gone ahead of us.
He is waiting and has prepared a place for us. Let us therefore “not
become sluggish” but, like Aquila and Priscilla, continue our journey
with joy to the end that we may inherit the promise of Jesus. Amen. |
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