Remembering Saints and Martyrs
A précis of a sermon preached by the Rev Dr Barry Brown
at Saint Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark an Sunday 3 November 2024.

Introduction
Two of our three readings this morning come from books of the Bible we only
read occasionally in worship – following our Three-Year Lectionary. Passages
from the Old Testament Book of Ruth are read on only two Sundays in three
years. Today is one of those Sundays, and next Sunday is the other. I will make
a few introductory comments about the Book of Ruth and leave it to the Rev
Jinseon Park to make any further comments next Sunday.
The other book is from the New Testament, the Epistle to the Hebrews. Our
lectionary lists reading from Hebrews at Christmas, during Lent, on Good
Friday, and for a few selected passages in two of the three years in the cycle –
including this year. However, the passage I will attend to this morning,
although well known, is not included in the lectionary readings. So, I make
some comments before linking the Hebrews passage to the commemoration of
Christian Saints and Martyrs.
The Book of Ruth.
In Christian Bibles the Book of Ruth is located in the early historical section of
the Old Testament known as the ‘Former Prophets’ and represent the period
of the Judges, before the establishment of a monarchy around 1000 BCE. This
follows the order in the Greek version of the Old Testament (LXX). However, in
the Hebrew Bible, Ruth is located among the ‘Writings’ and is one of ‘Five
Scrolls’ which, in Judaism, are utilised during five festive occasions. The Ruth
scroll is featured in the Festival of Weeks (also known as Pentecost) and the
connection is the harvest season and newness of life as Divine providence.
Today’s reading, from chapter one, sets the scene. During a severe famine a
Jewish family is forced to leave their property near Bethlehem and find refuge
in a foreign land – Moab, across the other side of the Dead Sea (today –
location of Jordon) – among despised people! The man of the family, Elimelech,
dies leaving his wife, Naomi, as a widowed in poor circumstances with two
sons, Mahlon and Chilion. In time the two sons marry Moabite brides; but then
each son dies leaving bereft both Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Orpah
and Ruth. Naomi decides to return Bethlehem in Judea, leaving the younger

widows, with her blessing, to remarry Moabite husbands. Our reading today
tells how Ruth insists on joining Naomi as she returns to Bethlehem.
When I read the Book of Ruth it crosses my mind that Jane Austen could have
written this story; or, to be more realistic, that this story may have played some
part in inspiring the general plot of Jane Austen’s novels. Maybe? The storylines
are really quite similar. The storyline in Ruth is clearly about redemption.
Spoiler alert! I will not mention the rest of the story here in case Jinseon wants to
attend to this next week. However, I will mention the conclusion, as this gives
context to the whole story. Ruth ends up marrying a wealthy kinsman of Naomi,
Boaz; and this ensures security for both Naomi and Ruth (a Jane Austen’s
storyline!). But more importantly, Ruth, a foreigner, has a child, and her great
grandchild would be David, exemplary king of the Kingdom of Israel. Over the
years some Biblical scholars have even suggested that this was the main purpose
for telling Ruth’s story, especially during times of Jewish bigotry and exclusivity –
in a similar way to Jesus telling the story of the Good Samaritan!
[Note: Ruth in not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, and only once in
the New Testament. In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, Ruth is named as one of
only four women, alongside 42 men. Each of these for women seems to have
some shadow over their character, perhaps a reminder that both King David and
Jesus had non-Jewish blood in their veins].
The Epistle to the Hebrews.
In some ways Hebrews is an enigma. It provides a number of much-loved and
often quoted passages in the New Testament, often from liturgical use.
However, many contemporary Christians are not familiar with the Epistle as a
whole – unlike some of the Letters of Paul and others associated with Paul.
Perhaps its location toward the end of the New Testament has something to
do with this. So too has the detailed attention given to former Jewish rituals
and concepts.
The 1611 ‘Authorized’ King James Version of the Bible designates this book as
the ‘Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews’ and while this former title expresses
understandings that have existed at various times, each part of this title is
today considered to be rather misleading. Few biblical scholars now attribute
Hebrews to Paul. Over the years there has been a range of novel suggestions
concerning authorship, but most scholars now endorse the view of Origen in
the third century CE: ‘‘Only God knows who wrote Hebrews”.

The term ‘Hebrews’ is not helpful, but has some significance. In Paul’s letters
the titles reference the recipients by location (Rome, Corinth, etc). The best
view concerning to whom Hebrews was written suggests it was to a small
group of mainly Jewish Christians, perhaps a house church within a cluster of
churches, in Rome sometime between 60 and 90 CE. It also seems it was
addresses to members who were going through difficult times and were pining
the security of ‘the good old day’ and were on the brink of giving up their faith
and practice.
The use of the term ‘Epistle’ is also a little misleading. Because of the size of
Hebrews the word ‘epistle’ may be better than ‘letter’ (correspondence). The
closing section does have this form. However, Hebrews is better understood as
a rather long and complex sermon. The author actually uses the term
‘Exhortation’ (Heb 13:22). The ‘exhorter’ is well versed in the Hebrew Bible (in
the Greek version), writes in excellent Greek, and is adept at both Jewish and
Greek forms of rhetorical argument. Any particular passage in Hebrews needs
to be read within the context of the whole ‘sermon’.
Fred Craddock (NT scholar and preacher) is helpful in pointing out a structure
of four main sections each commencing as ‘Exposition’ (explaining) then
moving to ‘Exhortation’ (appealing – applying) to the Christian community to
which he belongs as a leaders, but is presently absent, yet hopes soon to
return. Our reading today (Hebrews 12:1-2) comes from a long and closing
‘Exhortation’ and follows a whole list of familiar Biblical characters who have
persevered and endured through the most difficult of times.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings
so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith,
who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right
hand of the throne of God.
[Craddock p147f] “Faith and endurance was very evident in the recital of the
lives and exploits of exemplars of the past… and the present aim of the writer
is to encourage the readers to endure in their sufferings. Although some of the
persons described were martyrs … and although Jesus’ death is cited, neither
they nor Jesus will be held up as martyrs to be imitated. The call is not for

death (martyrdom) but for endurance…. Jesus is unique, as God’s Son, but he,
like others, is the model of endurance in the face of hostility and suffering”.
Exhortation (appeal – application)
Hebrews is essentially an extended pastoral sermon exhorting Christians who
are deeply troubled to endure at a time when they are on the brink of
throwing in the towel – giving up, dropping out. There are many things that
can make us feel like that today. Getting older, feeling the pain and discomfort
of aging. Losing friends and loved one. The daily news and the horrors we see
on our screens day after day; not to mention the deluded sense of power and
entitlement of some of the world leaders – and those who are seeking to be
leaders. The political divide in the USA, as it holds its election this week, is as
troubling as the character of one of the candidates. There are numerous
reasons to be despondent and alarmed.
And there is the church as we know it, compared with the church some
have known in the past. It’s changing in ways that many grieve. Wasn’t it
easier when things were simpler, straight forward, familiar ? Oh for a
return to how things were. This is the sort of thing that the Sermon we
know as the Epistle to the Hebrews is about. But the preacher does not
give an easy fix; he discourages following the delusion of returning to the
past. Several examples of exemplars of the faith are provided. But,
essentially, the preacher point to Jesus:
“ … let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and
has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews
12:2).