The passage
      v19. In our passage for study, our writer summarizes his argument so far and draws out a number of exhortations. The "therefore" is somewhat out of place. The argument is more like: "since we have confidence ..... and since we have a great high priest .... therefore let us draw near ....." The central point our writer makes in the preceding section, and which he summarizes in v19-21, is that a believer has free access into the throne-room of the living God through the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can confidently come into God's presence, free of condemnation, and this because of God's mercy in Christ.
      v20. Jesus has provided a new way into God's presence, a new way to find life everlasting. The great curtain that hung before the Holy of Holies in the temple was a reminder that access into God's throne-room was all but impossible. Jesus ripped this curtain apart, providing free access into the presence of God. He did this by allowing his own life to be ripped from him; he gave his life for us.
      v21. As well as Jesus' priestly offering of himself as a sacrifice for sin, we also benefit from his priestly reign over us, particularly his intercession for the believing community and his guidance as the great shepherd of the sheep.
      v22. Because of Christ's priestly offering and reign, "let us ...." Our writer's first exhortation is that we put our faith in the promise of the free access that we now possess for entrance into the presence of the living God. Using sacrificial images from the Old Testament, we are given the image of Jesus sprinkling us with the blood of his perfect sacrifice and washing us clean with pure water. Seeing that we are now free from guilt, nothing more is required of us than to firmly rest in faith on this his mercy.
      v23. The second exhortation is that we continue in an undiluted confession of hope. The Christian confession, of course, is best summed up in the gospel of grace, and it is this confession, this eternal hope, in its simple purity, that we must continue to hold firmly. We worship a reliable God, so we can depend on his promises; our hope is not in vain.
      v24-25. The third exhortation is that we be concerned for each other, encouraging each other toward brotherly love and "lovely living." One practical aspect of brotherly love is our regular participation in the worship of the Christian community. Our presence serves as an encouragement to one another as we pass through the shadows of an age fast passing away. So, in this passage we are reminded again of the three pillars of the Christian way: faith, hope and love.

A Good Friday sacrifice
      Good Friday has generated some rather strange traditions. In some way or other they reflect Christ's sacrifice for us, along with our very compromised and limited response. The Stations of the Cross is one such example, an unusual exercise, but very worthwhile, certainly more useful than choosing to abstain from meat on Good Friday.
      When I was a young teenager, our church would gather up all the members, servers, choir and the like, and, along with other congregations, we would process through the deserted city streets protesting the opening of the local agricultural show on Good Friday. It was all rather incongruous, including the rally that followed the procession. Of course, the agricultural show was miles away from where we were protesting, which was probably a very wise thing.
      Our passage for study contains three exhortations which are based on Christ's sacrifice. In a sense, they define a proper response to the cross. Having a fish meal is one response, but the response outlined in Hebrews has a little more weight to it. Given that Jesus has shed his blood for us, "let us ..." Let us what?
      Let us approach God in faith. Jesus has broken through the barrier that separates us from God and has opened a way for us to follow. There can be no greater act of devotion on our part than to follow Jesus through the curtain, to believe in him, to put our faith in him, to rest on his provision. Today, as we focus on the cross, let us again rest on it for our salvation.
      Let us continue in our gospel hope. In the Good News, Jesus promises us forgiveness and an eternal right-standing in the sight of God, along with all the blessings that go hand-in-hand with God's gift of new life: a new friendship with God, a new lifestyle, a new freedom from guilt, self and fear, a new community to be part of, and a permanent place in God's new age. Today, as we focus on the cross, let us renew our hope for a better place where every tear will be wiped away, where death will be no more, and where there will be no more crying or pain.
      Let us encourage each other toward mutual love. Our writer has in mind practical compassion, "lovely living." He even touches on one particular aspect of brotherly love, our willingness to regularly attend the gathering together of our brothers and sisters for worship. Today, as we focus on the cross, let us renew our love for one another; let us consider the practical needs of our brothers and sisters, not just in this congregation, but our brothers and sisters scattered throughout the whole world; let us again learn lovely living.

v20
      en "by" - Instrumental
      prosfaton adj. "a new [.. way]. As of freshly slaughtered meat, fresh, not aged. "Fresh", Moffatt, although "new / recent" is better. A new means of access into the presence of God.
      zwsan (zaw) pres. part. "living [way] - living. It is unlikely that the participle is functioning as an adjective, further describing "way". Possibly substantival, "the living way" = Jesus; although consequential is better, "by a new way that leads to life", CEV.
      hJn "-" which [he opened for us]. Relative pronoun referring to the entrance into the Holy Place.
      enekainisen (egkainizw) aor. "opened" - consecrated, inaugurated, dedicated. Liturgical language, dedicated to a special usage, the usage here being access, therefore, "which he has opened up for us", Phillips. Possibly even reflecting the inauguration of the covenant, so Christ inaugurates the way / entrance; "which he inaugurated for us", Barclay, cf. 9:18.
      dia + gen. "through" - Possibly "because of", in the sense of by means of the curtain, that is, Christ's sacrificial death, but this seems unlikely. The curtain before the Holy of Holies is a barrier, separating the sinner from God. Jesus, through his sacrificial death, rents the curtain and provides us access. Therefore, "through", as in passing through. "He has opened for us a living opening through the curtain", NJB.
      thV sarkoV autou gen. "[that is] his body" - [which is to say] of the flesh of him. ie. Christ's sacrifice. It is likely that the preposition dia + gen., "through", repeats for this clause giving the sense, "through his body" (ie. a brachylogy, brevity in writing). Probably this second "through" is instrumental, "by means of", rather than local like the first. "Christ tore open a way through the separating barrier between us and God, and this by means of his sacrifice on our behalf"; "his body rent for us", Barclay.

v21
      megan adj. "great [priest] - A short-hand version of "Great High Priest" as distinct from the Jewish high priest who, like the people he represented, was a sinner.
      epi + acc. "over" - The idea of the priestly Christ is associated with his heavenly reign "over" us as the great shepherd of the sheep, 13:20.
      ton oikon tou qeou "the house of God" - Possibly a reference to the temple, but more likely the worshippers and therefore, God's people, so, the elect believing community of God's people.

v22
      oun "therefore" - v19. Grammatically applies here. "So let us come near", TEV.
      prosercwmeqa (prosercomai) aor. subj. "let us draw near" - let us approach, come to, draw near. Hortatory subjunctive. Given all that Christ has done for us, let us avail ourselves of the free access into God's presence that he has provided; "let us make our approach (to God) in sincerity of heart", REB.
      alhqinhV adj. "[with a] sincere [heart] - true, genuine. Describing an approach to God which is genuine, a "complete sincerity of heart", Barclay, but possibly expressing a stability of commitment toward God, something similar to "a steady faith."
      en plhroforia/ pistewV "in full assurance of faith" - in/with full assurance of faith. Possibly "with ... a sure faith", TEV, or better, "filled with faith", NJB, = "trusting / believing"; "an abundance of faith", Attridge.
      rJerantismenoi (rJantizw) perf. pas. part. "having [our hearts] sprinkled" - having been sprinkled, cleansed. Alluding to the cleansing by blood sacrifice, which blood is sprinkled on the worshippers for their inclusion in the redemptive consequences of the sacrifice, cf. Day of Atonement. The perfect tense indicating completed action with ongoing consequences, ie. of Christ's sacrifice. "Having been purified by the sprinkling of his blood", Phillips.
      apo suneidhsewV ponhraV "from a guilty conscience" - from a conscience of evil. Freedom from guilt is the consequence of the redemptive sprinkling of Christ's blood, so "let us then come ..... with our hearts so sprinkled with the blood of his sacrifice that we no longer have a guilty conscience", Barclay.
      lelousmenoi (leuw) perf. pas. part. "having [our bodies] washed" - having been washed. Alluding to ritual cleansing within a sacrificial context, possibly also alluding to Ezk.36:25-26. We would be wise to follow Calvin here who saw no reference to Christian baptism in this verse. We are able to approach God's throne because Christ has washed us clean of sin.

v23
      katecwmen (katecw) pres. subj. "let us hold" - let us hold firmly, fast, hold down. Hortatory subjunctive. Hold onto, don't let go, so "let us continue."
      aklinh/ adj. "unswervingly" - without wavering, not leaning, stable, fixed. This adjective agrees with "profess" and so it is the profession that must not be pushed out of shape, diluted, rather than our commitment to it, although an unwavering commitment may be implied.
      thn oJmologian thV elpidoV "to the hope we profess" - the confession / profession / agreement of hope. The use of two definite articles in this genitive clause follows grammatical form (Canon of Apollonius) rather than an expectation that both should be translated; it is "the confession of hope", not "the confession of the hope." Although two nouns, translators, as NIV, often treat "the confession" as if it were a verb expressing the act of confessing, probably best in the present tense, so "let us hold inflexibly to the hope we tell the world we possess", Barclay. Yet, the confession / profession is most likely creedal, which in its simplest form is the gospel, so "the confession of hope" may well be something like "the gospel of hope." The genitive, "of hope", would then be descriptive, where hope describes the content of the confession, but apposition is possible where both the content of the hope and the confession are the same, ie. that which we hope for, namely, the promises of the gospel.
      o epaggeilamenoV (epaggellomai) aor. mid. part. "he who promised" - the one having promised. Substantive participle. Maintaining a confession of hope rests on the knowledge that our God is reliable.

v24
      katanowmen (katanoew) pres. subj. "let us consider" - let us consider, pay attention to, understand, reason thoughtfully, think. In the context of love, "keep on caring for one another", Lane; "let us be concerned for each other", RJB.
      eiV "how we may" - for, to [stirring up one another].
      paroxusmon (oV) "spur [one another] on" - encouragement, stimulation ...... sharp contention, inciting. If "encouragement" is intended, in the sense of stirring up our brothers for good, rather than "anger / bitterness / sharp contention", then "help one another to show love and to do good", TEV.
      agaphV (h) gen. "toward love" - Objective genitive. "Brotherly love / compassion" is obviously intended.
      kalwn ergwn (on) gen. "good deeds" - good works. Again, an objective genitive. "We must think how to stimulate each other to love and to lovely living", Barclay.