We have just finished reading Matthew, a gospel written especially for people with a Jewish heritage. Now we read the letter to the Hebrews. The author is unknown, but has a remarkable understanding of how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament scriptures. The author knows the superiority of Christ, the dangers of unbelief and the sweetness of salvation in Christ.
Christ is the last, clearest word from God. In Christ, we are able to see God’s glory most clearly. The first argument in Hebrews is that Jesus is greater than angels. As One active in the creation of all things and as the One whose sacrifice is the purification price for the salvation of the world, Jesus is certainly greater than angels. The testimony of the Old Testament contrasts the place of angels with the place of the Lord’s anointed one. Jesus is the one who brings salvation; angels are servants of those receiving that salvation.
The warnings for the faithful begin in chapter 2 with a call to pay attention and not drift away from faithful life. The writer, without an apology, puts disobedience and ignoring the significance of salvation on the readers’ radar. If the readers can ignore the testimony of God expressed through signs, wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, then what hope can there be for them?
The grace and mercy of God blesses us with a Savior who comes to live as one of us. He suffers death to taste death for all, take away the fear of death and defeat the devil. This is the priestly service of Christ for us. Jesus is both sacrifice and priest. He makes atonement for our sins and continues to help us with our temptations.
Chapter 3 begins with a call for us to fix our minds, our thoughts, on Jesus. This call comes because we are tempted by many distractions that direct our thoughts away from Jesus, our apostle and high priest. We should focus our minds on Jesus because he is even greater than Moses. Moses was a faithful servant; Jesus is the faithful Son. One works in the house; the other owns the house.
If earlier the writer worried about the Christians drifting away, now the writer is concerned about active disobedience. The example of the Israelites indicates that people can be chosen by God and still decide to be disobedient. The idea that the truly chosen cannot help but be obedient, God-pleasing people is an alien idea in Hebrews. In Hebrews the Christians are in danger of falling away: “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold firmly till the end our original conviction” (3:12, 13).
Chapter 4 follows the warnings about drifting away, losing our Christ focus and becoming disobedient, with an encouragement to sustain our Christian commitment to the very end and not to fall short of the goal. Because the people of God in earlier days did not have strong faith, they fell short of the prize and did not enter God’s rest. So many Israelites died in the wilderness. They had faith enough to leave Egypt and journey across the wilderness with God’s help, but at the bank of the Jordan, their faith failed and they spent 38 years dying off in the desert with the Promised Land in sight. Sad.
Two realities should help us sustain our faith through all trials until we reach God’s rest: the alive and active word of God and the alive and active High Priest of heaven. The word reveals our innermost thoughts and attitudes and tells us the truth; Jesus, the Great High Priest, empathizes with our weaknesses and offers us grace and mercy. We need the truth the word gives us, but we would only stand condemned before its razor sharp judgment. We need the sweet Priest of heaven for the mercy and grace that allows us to go on. Listening to the word and leaning on the Priest give us the support we need to finish the journey.
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