Pioneer of Salvation
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12[1]
When you think about what the original pioneers who settled this
land went through, it is amazing what they accomplished. I’ve made several
cross-country moves in my life. That kind of move is challenging for most of us
to consider. But we have the benefit of knowing that we can make the trip in
the relative comfort and safety of a car, never too far from fuel and food and
a motel to spend the night. The original pioneers had none of that. Those who
first blazed the trail westward didn’t even know if they were on the right
track. Those who followed the trails after they were reasonably well marked
were risking everything when they took the journey. It is truly amazing to
think about what they accomplished.
When you consider what motivated the pioneers to make such a
journey, I’m sure you would find a variety of answers. Some were looking for
the promise of prosperity. Others were just looking for a place to settle and
raise a family. Whatever motivated them, I have to wonder whether they knew
what they were in for. The stories of the pioneers make it clear that some did
not. They were not prepared for the hardships and sacrifices required to carve
a livelihood out of the wilderness. It’s hard to imagine that any of them were
fully prepared for what lay ahead. But some of them persevered, and they made
it possible for others to follow, and to settle this land.
Our scripture lesson from Hebrews for today speaks of Jesus as the
“pioneer of our salvation.” It’s a unique way of understanding Jesus. In fact,
this theme is only found in the Letter to the Hebrews. I think it likely that
has something to do with the context in which the letter was written.
Christians faced increasing opposition to their faith. Many were becoming
discouraged and losing heart due to the hardships they faced on a constant
basis. The Letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage them to persevere in
their faith despite the obstacles they lived with.
In that setting, the Scripture speaks of Jesus as the “pioneer of
our salvation” (Heb. 2:10). The idea is that Jesus has “blazed the trail” for
us to experience salvation. He has opened the way for us to know God in a
life-changing way. But Hebrews not only calls Jesus the “pioneer of our
salvation.” The Scripture also speaks of him as “pioneer and perfecter of our
faith” (Heb. 12:2). The idea is that he not only blazed the trail for us, but he
has also completed the journey, and stands as a living example of how we can
complete our journey—by following him in single-minded devotion to God’s will and
ways.
I find it remarkable that in both settings where the Letter to the
Hebrews speaks of Jesus as the pioneer of our faith, suffering plays a
significant role. In our lesson for today, the Scripture speaks of Jesus being
“perfected” for that task through what he suffered. Specifically, he tasted
death for us all in order to open the way for us to God. Again, in the other
setting where this theme occurs, those to whom the letter was addressed were
encouraged to look to Jesus and what he endured on the cross as encouragement
to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). And so,
as the pioneer of our salvation, Jesus continues to encourage us to finish our
pilgrimage of faith—a journey that will last our whole lives.
I’m not sure we realize it, but I would say that we all are like
the pioneers in some ways. We, too, are “on the way,” taking the journey of
faith. And while we have many examples to follow, each of us has a unique path
to take. For most of us, we really have no idea where that path is going to
lead us. And none of us can know what hardships or sacrifices we will encounter
on the way. I think it’s safe to say, however, that all of us will come to a
time in our journey of faith where what we have to endure on the way will leave
us discouraged. It’s common to find ourselves, after having worked so hard for
so long, to simply grow weary of the journey.
In a very real sense, this not only applies to us as individuals.
It also applies to us as a church family. Like most churches these days, we
find ourselves trekking into a
wilderness of sorts. The landscape in which the church finds itself situated in
this culture is one that has changed dramatically, and those who are open
enough to be aware of this change find themselves blazing a trail into the
future of what the church will become in this strange new world. At this point,
I would say that none of us can say where this journey will lead or what the
church will look like as we adapt to a new environment along the way.
It’s not easy to
be a pioneer. It takes constant commitment to persevere along a difficult path.
It’s easy to get discouraged and lose heart along the way. Fortunately, none of
us has to make this pilgrimage of faith on our own. Most of us have the
encouragement of friends and family as we face the hardships of the journey. We
also have the encouragement of the family of faith to help us along. But
perhaps more importantly, we can look to Jesus when we lose heart. As the
“pioneer of our salvation,” Jesus has marked out the path. As the “perfecter of
our faith” he has shown us how to complete the journey, and he continually
encourages us as we seek to finish the path. We are not left to make this
journey alone. As the “pioneer of salvation,” Jesus leads us to our final
destination.
[1] ©2018 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan
Brehm on 10/7/2018 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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