Heb 4:12-16
The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgement on secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing is hidden from him; everything is uncovered and stretched fully open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves. Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must hold firm to our profession of faith. For the high priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin. Let us, then, have no fear in approaching the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of help.
Here the Word of God is placed before us in its purifying function: an exposure before the Word of God. There are no more masks, everything lies clearly before the eyes of the One to whom we owe an account.
A reason to be frightened?
No, but a great grace! At the hour of our death we will see everything as God sees it. Every veil that now clouds our vision will be taken away and we will wake up to the whole truth! The Word of God already helps us to do this by directing us again and again to the truth and calling us to open ourselves completely to it. It must separate: Light from darkness, truth from lies and error.
The Spirit, it is said, will lead us into all truth (cf. Jn 16:13). That is why it is so important that we ask the Holy Spirit to always open up the words of the Lord to us, on the one hand to gain a deeper knowledge of the Lord and also to see ourselves in His light, so that we do not fall prey to self-deception.
Perhaps we still feel something like “grey zones” within us, where we lack the final clarity and therefore prefer to keep them covered. Possibly we may even be a little afraid of a whole and true realisation. However, if we look at today’s text, then the way should be open for us to overcome all inner barriers and cast aside these shadows that accompany us.
Together with the introductory words, which want to acquaint us with the exceedingly sharp sword of the Word of God, the further words come very comfortingly close to us: „For the high priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin.“
So it becomes clear that we are not exposed before an inexorable truth and that sword is there to kill us, but before the Lord who has mercy on us. He certainly does not simply look over our sins as if they had no meaning, but He knows us, He knows about our weakness and temptations. However, it is a gaze of love that is directed towards us. God does not want to “settle accounts” with us, but has mercy on us and leads us to the right path.
And then we understand even more deeply: “The Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14)! In the Word we meet Jesus himself. The Judge is also the Saviour, mercy surpasses justice (cf. Jas 2:13).
Therefore, we can have confidence and come to the throne of grace with joy and zeal and put our whole life in order before God. There is nothing God does not know and there is nothing He will not forgive us for if we sincerely ask Him and repent.
The last sentence of today’s text should resonate in us that we “obtain help in due time” like another translation says. Now is still the hour of grace: Today!
We do not know what tomorrow will bring. We should never postpone when we should turn back more deeply. It is precisely this apocalyptic time that teaches us to act in the NOW. Just when we can no longer plan our lives as before and we do not know what tomorrow will bring! So let us ask the Lord without fear to remove everything that still stands in his way, to let his light fall into us, so that it can separate spirit and soul and we can fully awaken to the reality of God and not dream.
Our awakening is also important for those who do not yet know the throne of grace and are still entrenched in their sins and errors. Perhaps we can help them!