Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. – Hebrews 9:25

Today's Scripture Reading (June 29, 2024): Hebrews 9

Playing a death scene can be one of the ultimate roles for an actor. For a writer, it is one way of keeping the story's mystique alive. It says that no character is safe; death comes for us all. I must admit that I was deeply saddened that the writers of "The Good Doctor" decided to kill off Dr. Asher Wolke, played by Noah Galvin, in the show's final season. However, since it was the final season, there had to be an ending for all of the show's characters; Galvin received the privilege of playing the death scene of his character, Asher Wolke.

Sometimes, I wonder, especially in a Movie Franchise, if the writers decide to kill someone off, and then after the movie is made, they sit in a room trying to answer the question, "What have we done?" And it is in those minutes that they begin to dream about how to bring the character back.

Is that what happened in Star Trek's "The Wrath of Khan?" It must have -been a dream for Leonard Nimoy to be able to play the death scene of his Character "Spock" and to be able to speak the words "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," words that have become part of our cultural lexicon, as Spock lies dying with his friend, James T. Kirk, safely on the other side of a screen. Bringing Spock back from the dead in "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock" was probably floated long before anyone gave the go-ahead to kill off such an important character. If Star Trek were to continue, Spock would be needed, and the character was not just an essential part of future movies featuring the original cast, but Spock also played an important  role in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

In a movie franchise, it may be okay to kill off a main character if there is a way to bring the character back. But that isn't possible in real life. Which is the point the author of Hebrews is making. A priest could enter the Most Holy Place over and over again only because the blood of the sacrifice that he brought with him was not his own; it was that of an animal that died in his stead. Jesus's sacrifice was once and for all, partially because the blood that he brought was his own; it wasn't an unnamed animal that had died for the people; it was Jesus. But a man can only spill his blood once, and Jesus spent that once on our behalf.

Jesus's sacrifice was once for all because it was a sacrifice that could only be given once. Yes, Jesus rose from the dead, but unlike any fictional character I know, he rose immortal, unable to die. Jesus does not need to die over and over again for our sins, like the sacrifices brought by priests every year.

According to the Author of Hebrews, the priests bringing the sacrifice into the temple every year was an illustration of the day that Jesus would enter heaven as the final sacrifice for our sins. And there, the sacrifice and the bringer of the sacrifice will mediate for us in front of God himself.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10