Hebrews 6:19 – I love this verse. God’s promise is an anchor for our soul. And where does it anchor us? The inner place, behind the curtain, where God was in the temple. One end is tied to our soul, the other end, with the anchor, is with God. The hope, God’s promise to us, ties us together. How cool is that?
Not only that, but Hebrews 6:20 says it is where Jesus has gone – into God’s office if you will – on our behalf. It’s as if Jesus ties this rope to our very soul, tied the other end to the anchor, and took it too God’s office and left it there so we would never be lost, no matter how bad the storms get.
Hebrews 7:15 – I love the logic of Hebrews, how the writer uses Melchizedek to prove that Jesus is a priest of a different order, not by heritage, but “by the power of an indestructible life.” He was a priest because of who he was, meaning how he lived and what he did, his character. Amazing.
Hebrews 7:25-27 – “he is able to save to the uttermost” To the uttermost. The old priests couldn’t do that. They could “save” from one day to the next, but it did not last. The sacrifices had to be made, and salvation obtained, again and again. But Jesus “did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

Hebrews 6:2 – Hmm, the ESV says “instructions about washings” instead of “instructions about baptisms” like the NIV (my emphasis). The footnote says “Or baptisms (that is, cleansing rites)”. As a COC’er, I’m sensitive about that kinda stuff, but it makes me wonder.
Hebrews 6:1-2 – The list of elementary doctrine here is interesting. Most who call themselves Christian would understand the inclusion of faith, repentance, resurrection and eternal judgment. Less, perhaps, baptisms & laying on hands. Laying on hands makes me wonder, it’s not something I’ve experienced in any of the churches I’ve been a part of.
Hebrews 6:4-6 – I have understood these verses to refer to someone who left the Lord, as an explanation that one can give up their salvation. Taken alone, they seem to say just that. But putting them in the context of ‘leaving the elementary teachings’, that understanding gives me pause. It doesn’t make sense that Paul was saying “Let’s mature, because if you fall away you’re doomed.” I dunno, maybe, what do you think?
Hebrews 5:11-6:12 – There does seem to be an undertone here that ties our salvation with our depth of understanding. That bothers me a bit, as I would have said that you don’t need to be deep to be saved. I’m not sure yet what to do with that. Am I reading too much into the passage? Just because my understanding makes me squirm, does not mean I should dismiss it, but neither should I dismiss my misgivings. Any thoughts?

Hebrews 5:1-10 – Jesus is ike the other priests – weak in his flesh (though perfect in overcoming it) and called to be a high priest by God “to act on behalf of men in relation to God.”
Hebrews 5:11-24 – This passage makes me wonder about those who do not dig deep, or who refuse to even think about Christianity. In the ESV the passage is entitled “Warning Against Apostasy”. Apostasy is renouncing the faith Now I wouldn’t say that if you have a simple faith adn don’t dig deeper that you aren’t saved, but I do wonder about that. For some, their mind and intellect taht God has given them require deep thinking to keep their mind

Hebrews 3:3-6 – Not only is Jesus greater than the angels, he is greater than their patriarch, Moses.
Hebrews 3:10-11 – Some rebelled and did not enter the promised land. If we rebel and refuse to follow God, we will not enter heaven to be with him. I don’t think the religious wold likes to think about that. Against all Biblical teachings, we like to believe that are all going to heaven.
Hebrews 3:13 – The ESV says “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.“. Are we doing that? When was the last time someone came to you and ‘exhorted’ you so you’d remain faithful? Better yet, when was the last time you ‘exhorted’ someone else? I’m afraid we’ve let the American independence and ‘freedom’ allow us from being each other’s keeper and getting involved in each other’s lives.
Hebrews 4:1-13 – He goes out of his way to prove that there is a rest to be entered – heaven. Were some of the same belief as the Sadducees, that there was no life after death?

Well, here I am again, 4 months after I got done with my study of Ephesians, just now starting a new study. My ever present weakness, not getting into my Bible enough. Of course, I have been studying John with Jessica, which has been good for me as well as her, but I’ve done no study on my own.
I’ve begun to feel the pull of the scriptures again. I need this, to learn who this God I’m trying to follow is. Jessica has to get on the bus at 6:50 AM now a days, so our infrequent readings will be even less so. But that gives me an opportunity to get up with her and read before heading to work. Wish me luck. 🙂
Hebrews 1:3 – “Radiance of God”, “exact imprint of His nature”. That’s hard to comprehend that a man could be that, but he was.
Hebrews 1:4-14 – He spends these verses pointing out that Jesus was not an angel, pointing out how He is different than an angel. Was there a movement among the Jewish Christians to say that Jesus was simply an angel from heaven rather than God in flesh?
Hebrews 2:7 – He makes the point that though he was higher than the angels, for a time he was made lower. In other words, he didn’t come merely as angel nor was he god present in the world. He was in fact God, but a man as well. So, though higher, for a little while was became lower.
Hebrews 2:8 – “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” That’s certainly true. At present I see wars, crime, bills, possessions, wants, worries and more. I have to strain every day, throughout the day, to see Him.
Hebrews 2:11 – How amazing is Jesus on earth? He came as one higher than the angels, became fro a time lower than the angels in becoming a man, and he and us “have one origin.” Higher, yet lower; different, yet the same.
Hebrews 2:16-18 – He wraps up this angel comparison saying that it wasn’t to help the angels that he came, but to help us. To do that, he had to be like us, suffering under temptation as we do.

My Summer time Bible Readings with 11 year old Jessica.
John 7:1-13
Does that make sense to you?
J -So Jesus went secretly? I don’t get how he could go and not be seen?
I’m not sure. Perhaps he used a miracle to make himself look different, or maybe he just stayed in the shadows and made sure his friends didn’t see him, people who knew what he looked like.
Why do you think he went in secret?
J -So the Jews wouldn’t know? or maybe he wanted to see what they were doing?
I’m just not sure, lets read on.
John 7:14-24
Do you have any questions?
J – Why did he go and teach then, not earlier?
Well, he said to his brothers that it wasn’t his time. Maybe he wanted to go and listen and watch the people so he could know what to teach them, to understand what they needed. But I really don’t know why.
What about the last thing he said, does that makes sense?
J A little. It’s kind of like don’t judge a book by its cover.
What does that mean?
J – Don’t judge people by what’s outside, judge by what’s inside.
He says “Stop judging only by what you see. Judge correctly.” Remember how he’s trying to get people to see things spiritually instead of physically. I think that’s what he’s talking about. He talks about the man he healed on the Sabbath, remember how they were angry?
J – Yes.
He says how they will allow some work to be done on the Sabbath if its for a greater good.
J- What’s the Sabbath?
It’s their holy day, remember that God told them to rest on the Sabbath.
J -Oh it’s like on Postcards From Buster, when he was in New York with some Jewish people, on the Sabbath buster had to turn off his video camera.
Yes, that’s right. So the Jews would let a baby be circumcised if the 7th day falls on the Sabbath, but they were angry at Jesus for healing a whole person on the Sabbath. Jesus says that doesn’t make sense. If that’s ok, why isn’t it OK for Jesus to heal a man on the Sabbath?

My Summer time Bible Readings with 11 year old Jessica.
Do you remember in what we read last time that Jesus was talking about spiritual things and the people were thinking about physical things? Do you understand that?
J – Not really.
What are physical things?
J -Things you can see?
Yes, see, hear, smell and touch – they take up space. So what would spiritual things be?
J – Things you can’t see? I don’t know
Well you can’t ‘see’ them like you can this computer or desk, but you can ‘see’ them like you understand them. Like saying “I see what you mean.”
Spititual things are ideas and thoughts that have to do with your heart and soul, who you are inside. So it’s the way you think about things, how you think and what you believe. Spiritual things are important because they tell who you are inside.
You can pretend to be somebody different that who you are inside by how you act physically. Can you think of how?
J – I’m not sure if this fits, but once I pretended to be Hannah Montana, but I’m really not.
That’s kind of it, but that’s just pretend, everyone knows you’re not Hannah Montana. Here’s another example:
Say you really don’t someone in your class, actually you hate them because they are mean. God says we shouldn’t hate anyone,right?
J -Ummm-Hmmm
But when you go to school, you act nice to them and you talk to them and tell them nice things like they look good that day or something. In your heart, you don’t think so, but you act like you do. Does tha make sense?
J – Yes.
So God knows that spiritually, in you heart, you hate them, but you act like you don’t. The person you really are is the hateful one, though, and God knows it.
That’s why Jesus wants the people to think spiritually. God knows that what’s in our heads and hearts is who we really are and that is what will effect how we act and what we say.
John 6:41- 59
The poeple are still thinking about physical things, arent’ they?
J – Yep.
John 6:60-71
Jesus says exactly what we’ve been talking about John 6:63.

My Summer time Bible Readings with 11 year old Jessica. I think this was one of our best conversations to date.
John 6:25-40
J – Why did they follow him across the lake?
What did Jesus say about that, do you remember?
J – He said it wasn’t because they saw a miraculous sign, but because they ate the loaves until they were full.
Do you understand that?
J – Not really
I would think they were following to see more miracles, but Jesus says they weren’t.
J – How does Jesus know.
Jesus can see into their hearts.
J – Also God knows what you are thinking all the time
And Jesus is God. I’m not sure he was able to read minds like we think about, but that’s possible. What I think is that he knows people and can tell why they are doing things.
So what does that mean that they were following him because they had a good meal?
J – I think that it was because of the miraculous sign they knew he was the son of God and wanted to be his disciples.
But Jesus said that they weren’t following him because of the miracles.
J – But only the son of god could do that miracle so they knew he was the son of God because of it and followed him.
Well, if you look at what Jesus said, he says they followed because they were full. I think Jesus is saying that they were following him because he did something for them and they wanted him to do it again.
J – Wouldn’t that be like doing a miraculous sign?
It was, but it doesn’t say that they knew he was the son of God because of it. It says they followed because they ate and were full. I think what you said is a good idea or theory, but the words in the Bible don’t match the theory.
Look at John 6:30-31. They ask Jesus to do a miracle and talk about the miraculous manna with Moses. They ask about a miracle with food when they just saw one.
J – How long did the crowd follow Jesus?
I’m not sure, we haven’t read to where they aren’t following any more.
Jesus talks a lot about bread here doesn’t he, and the people respond. Do you think that Jesus and the people are talking about the same bread?
J – No. I don’t know what kind of bread Jesus would be talking about.
Jesus said the bread from heaven (John 6:33) is the one who came down. Who came down from heaven?
J – Jesus. So he is the bread that he’s talking about.
Right. Look in John 6:35, he says it plainly. Then in John 6:36 he says that they don’t believe even though they have seen him.
So Jesus is talking about spiritual things – believing in him and following him – but they are still thinking about physical things – when is lunch. Jesus does that a lot. Remember the woman at they well and his disciples?
J – They wondered about bead, and that’s not what he was talking about
He was talking about ‘spiritual’ bread.
Jesus cares about physical things, he did feed them, but he wants us to think more spiritually.

My Summer time Bible Readings with 11 year old Jessica.
John 6:1-15
You’ve heard this story before, right? Do you like it?
J – Yes, we made a craft out of it once at Sunday School.
Pretty cool eh?
J – Yeah, 12 baskets of leftovers. How big is a loaf anyway?
Loaves can be different sizes, but remember who had it?
J – It says a boy.
Right, could a boy carry 5 big loaves?
J – Probably not
That what I think, I think that means they were kind of small loaves.
J – Kinda like the ones that come in the bags, sliced up.
Probably, but he didn’t have bags.
J – They weren’t invented yet.
Nope.
John 6:16-24
This is one of my favorite stories. I always want to hear more of the story. I mean, they’re in the boat, the sea is rough, it’s a storm, they’re rowing, and rowing and rowing and then there’s this guy on the lake! So they’re freaked out and then Jesus says, “Hey, it’s me” and they say, “Oh, OK then.” Huh? I think there has to be more to the story.
J – Yeah, I think he would have calmed the storm.
But it doesn’t say that he did. So that means, he was walking on the rough water & the waves.
J – Wow, he could walk up the side of the wave.
Maybe it was just clam in a circle around where he was.
J -Uh, Okay.
That would be weird too wouldn’t it. I really wonder what it was like to see.

My Summer time Bible Readings with 11 year old Jessica.
John5:1-15
Do you have any questions or thoughts?
J – Why wasn’t he allowed to carry his mat?
Remember the 10 commandments?
J – Yes, but I don’t remember exactly what they say.
One of them is to honor the Sabath. Do you know what the Sabath is?
J-No.
God made the Earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. God said to honor the Sabath and to rest like he did. They were not to work on the Sabath.
J – So carrying their mat was work?
Well, the pharasees & teacher at Jesus’ time had made a lot of rule of what was work and wasn’t. They considered carrying his mat work. I think God just wanted people to set aside a day to slow down and think about Him, but they made it about rules instead. [Note to self: Slow down on Sundays!]
Jesus was God and he said to carry his mat, so that rule must not have mattered to God, right?
J – Yes.
John 5:16-30
There’s a lot of statemants in there by Jesus. Do you have any questions about them?
J – Why did they oppose him for doing the right thing even if it was against their law?
They were more concerned about thier law than doing good things for people. They were the ones who made the laws so if the laws were wrong that meant that they were wrong. They didn’t want to be wrong so they decided Jesus was wrong.
J – I still don’t understand
Even though God had said not to work on the Sabbath, they had made lots of rules, making it hard for people to do even good things on the Sabath. Their rules were kind of a good idea, to help people obey the command to keep the Sabath holy, but they went too far and now the rules were more important than the commands of God.
Jesus was saying that they were wrong and they didn’t want to be wrong. They were the leaders, so they decided Jesus was wrong. They were prideful.
John 5:31- 47
He says some strong words here. What do you think about what he said?
j – Who was he talking to
The leaders, the pharasees.
So he was telling the leasders that they don’t know God. You think that made them more mad?
J – Yes.
What does he say was the witness that he was from God?
J – I don’t know.
First he said John was a witness (John 5:33). Then what was it?
J – It says ‘It gives witness that the Father has sent me.”
What does?
J – The work the father gave him to finish?
Yes. So they can tell he’s from from God by what he’s doing. Just like people can tell if we’re Christians by our lives as well. How we treat people and what work we’re doing.