This is a homily for communion for the preaching course I’m taking. We’ve backed away for a time from full sermon preparation to homilies.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed,¹ would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder (ἀνάμνησις) of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.²

The rhetorical question, would the same sacrifices not have ceased to be offered, is a compelling argument that communion is not a sacrifice, but a reminder, a recollection, a memorial done by those who have turned in obedience to follow the Lord Jesus (Luke 22:19 ESV):

And [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance (ἀνάμνησιν, a form of ἀνάμνησις) of me.”

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV):

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance (ἀνάμνησιν, a form of ἀνάμνησις) of me” [Table].

Given who we are it may be impossible to approach the Lord’s table without being reminded of our sins. Do this in remembrance of me, Jesus said and Paul reminded us. For Christ also suffered once for sins, Peter wrote, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.³

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.⁴

But how best to proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns? Shall we weep and wail over our sins, become the loudest mourners at the funeral of our dying idol, that old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires?⁵ Or shall we embrace our new Lord’s sacrifice—the only sacrifice which can truly take away sins—as our own to live the righteousness of our resurrected and indwelling Savior: loving one another with his love, rejoicing together by means of his joy, true subjects of his reign of peace, not from the outside in or the top down, but from the inside out because we are crucified with Christ and we no longer live us, but Him, enduring by means of his patience, being useful to one another by his kindness, doing good to one another by his goodness today, tomorrow and every moment of everyday forever by means of his faithfulness, ever restrained from the evil we once were, the evil we sometimes fear we might become again, by his steadfast control? Amen?

The actual goal of this assignment, however, is not the written homily above, but to become so familiar with the chosen Scripture that I can read the room and ad lib by the Holy Spirit. The only way I know to become familiar with the Scripture is to slow down and go word-for-word in Greek (or Hebrew and Greek in the Old Testament).

The Greek of Hebrews 10:1 begins: Σκιὰν γὰρ, For a shadow, ἔχων ὁ νόμος, has the law. Following the Greek word order⁶ here can be confusing in English: “a shadow has the law” might sound as if “a shadow” is the subject and “the law” is the direct object of this clause. In Greek it’s clear that Σκιὰν is a form of σκιά in the accusative case, while ὁ νόμος is in the nominative case. Still, Σκιὰν, shadow, begins this clause, which I’m no longer inclined to perceive as irrelevant. The participle ἔχων is not the verb ἔχει, but a singular active participle in the present tense, nominative case and masculine gender (ὁ νόμος is masculine and Σκιὰν is feminine).

At the moment I only note the fact, without understanding why a participle was chosen rather than a verb. While I’m inclined to translate this present participle “having,” it is mostly to remind myself that it is a participle. Perhaps the combination of the conjunction γὰρ and the present participle ἔχων accounts for the ESV translation For since.

Hebrews 10:1 continues: τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, of the good things to come. Translating the plural genitive article τῶν of the covers the genitive case, but not necessarily the plural quality of the article apart from the word things. I’ll go with “of these” for reasons which should become clearer momentarily. Translating μελλόντων, another present active participle to come, while interesting, implies the infinitive verb μέλλειν. I’ll opt for my standby “coming.” That sense of the future is a feature of the root verb μέλλω in the present tense: “to be about to, be on the point of; to be destined, inevitable; to intend, propose, have in mind; to come after that, (something) to come; to exist in the future.”

Translating ἀγαθῶν good things covers its plural quality but seems to imply either the “Substantival Meaning” of the adjective ἀγαθός (“goods, possessions, treasures, prosperity”) or limit its “Adjectival Meaning” to what is attributable to things (good action, good deed; performing well, functioning capably; fit, capable, useful, beneficial, desirable; good, well, serviceable; fine [metal]) as opposed to persons: “good, gentle, noble; good, brave; morally good and acceptable (resulting from a kind and generous character); joyful, inclined to joy.”

I prefer not to limit the meaning of ἀγαθός at this point, but am hard-pressed to find an alternative: “goods” has the same issues as good things, and “goodnesses,” while accurate, seems very awkward. “For a shadow having the law of these coming goodnesses” isn’t necessarily a better translation than For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come, but consider the reality behind these words.

Paul explained: law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient.⁷ In other words, law (Torah) was intended to put “the old human” (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον), born of Adam, fathered by the devil, your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,⁸ on a path toward righteousness. The end of that path, however, is not a reformed or rehabilitated “old human,” a shadow…of these coming goodnesses: We know that our old self (ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος) was crucified with [Christ] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.⁹

Hebrews 10:1 continues: οὐκ αὐτὴν, instead of (literally “not she,” remember the feminine shadow Σκιὰν; e.g., “she is not”), τὴν εἰκόνα, the true form, τῶν πραγμάτων, of these realities. I prefer not to dispute the true form as a translation of τὴν εἰκόνα, but feel obliged to acknowledge that εἰκόνα, a singular feminine form of εἰκών can mean: “a likeness, image, portrait; form, appearance; phantom, apparition; something made to resemble something else.” The latter option seems the most pertinent here. These “coming goodnesses” are made to resemble the last Adam…a life-giving spirit,¹⁰ our Lord Jesus Christ as the new self (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; e.g., the new human) created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.¹¹ In other words, the one born from above is τὴν εἰκόνα, while the highest achieving old human’s right actions are merely a Σκιὰν, an accusative form of σκιά (“shadow, shade, darkness”), however daunting and perplexing that may seem.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.¹²

Hebrews 10:1 continues: κατ᾿ ἐνιαυτὸν, by every year, ταῖς αὐταῖς θυσίαις, the same sacrifices, ἃς προσφέρουσιν, that are offered, εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς, continually, οὐδέποτε |δύναται|, never can, τοὺς προσερχομένους τελειῶσαι, those who draw near make perfect.

The Greek of Hebrews 10:2 is: ἐπεὶ, Otherwise, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο, would they not have ceased, προσφερόμεναι, to be offered (or “being offered”), διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν, since no longer would have, ἔτι συνείδησιν ἁμαρτιῶν, any consciousness of sins, τοὺς λατρεύοντας, the worshipers (literally, “those worshiping”), ἅπαξ κεκαθαρισμένους (or κεκαθαρμενους), once having been cleansed?

The Greek of Hebrews 10:3 is: ἀλλ᾿ ἐν αὐταῖς, But in these sacrifices (or “But by means of these”), ἀνάμνησις ἁμαρτιῶν, a reminder of sins, κατ᾿ ἐνιαυτόν, there is every year (or “by every year”).

And finally, the Greek of Hebrews 10:4 is: ἀδύνατον γὰρ αἷμα, For it is impossible for the blood (or “For impossible for blood,” or “For impossible for bloodshed”), ταύρων καὶ τράγων, of bulls and [of] goats, ἀφαιρεῖν ἁμαρτίας, to take away sins. The active infinitive verb ἀφαιρεῖν is a form of ἀφαιρέω in the present tense: “to separate, deduct, subtract; to remove, cut off, smite off; to strip off; to shift positions of; to deduct in advance and set apart (from the rest).”

A table comparing Hebrews 10:2 in the KJV and NET follows.