It needs grappling with!
But it’s worth it!
Jerusalem and Judea – roots in the Hebrew Scriptures
“You will be my witnesses,” said Jesus to the discipiles in Acts 1:8, “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
Most of the people behind the New Testament have their roots in one way or another in Jerusalem and Judea, in the Jewish faith and in the Hebrew Scriptures.
We first met Peter on the Day of Pentecost, and joined him towards the end of his life as he reflected on all the faith had meant to him. In more ways than one, his was a a rocky hope! We then joined Mark, maybe the young follower of Jesus whose mother hosted a church in her house, who accompanied Paul and ended up in Rome taking down Peter’s reminiscences of Jesus. His was a very down-to-earth hope. And then we joined James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, who has no time for the theory of the Christian faith but sees hope coming alive in action.
These, like so many of the people behind the New Testament were steeped in their Jewishness and in the Hebrew Scriptures.
For the most part, we are not like that!
Hard but important for Christians who do not know their Hebrew Scriptures!
Most Christians are at home in the New Testament but find the Old Testament difficult to get to grips with.
If you are like that you will find Hebrews hard! Very hard!
The clue to understanding the book and the person behind it lies in its title. ‘Hebrews’. We very often think of the Christian Bible as made up of the Old Testament and the New Testament. We can lose sight of the fact that for the people who wrote the books and letters of the New Testament there was no New Testament and there was no Old Testament as such. They had their Scriptures. And their Scriptures were the books that make up our Old Tesatment. But for them they were simply the Hebrew Scriptures. The Scriptures of the Jewish people.
An Anonymous Writer making sense for Christians of the Hebrew Scriptures
Hebrews is written from a Christian standpoint in order to make sense of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is of great value to those who are steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures. But it can also be of great value to those who are ignorant of the Hebrew Scriptures, as it provides sign-posts to help you as a Christian find your way round the great themes of the ‘Hebrew Scriptures’.
The Authorised Version identifies Hebrews as one of Paul’s letters. No modern translations do that … for the simple reason that Paul is not mentioned in the letter at all. The last few verses of chapter 13 refer to Timothy and seem to have to do with Rome: that’s what led people to surmise the letter is by Paul.
The earliest traditions in the second century suggested otherwise. Tertulllian, (2nd Century, North Africa) linked Hebrews with Barnabas. Clement of Alexandria (late 2nd Century) linked it with Luke or Clement of Rome, suggesting a possible link with Paul. In the 3rd Century, Origen summed up the consensus of the time by saying that ‘God knows’ who actually wrote it. (See the Oxford Commentary on the Bible)
This is an anonymous letter. But it finds its roots in that part of the church that is very aware of its rootedness in Judaism, or in that part of the church that needs to be aware of the roots Christianity has in Judaism.
That makes it important for us! What kind of a book is it?
A Word of Exhortation – A Whole Way of Life
The answer to that question lies at the very end … whether or not you agree with the writer that he has written briefly, you can be pretty sure that it is a ‘word of exhortation’. See Hebrews 13:22.
You can see Hebrews as a sequence of mini sermons. Each sermon is made up of two parts.
1. First, there is a theological exploration of a theme from the Hebrew Scriptures that finds its fulfilment in the coming of Jesus.
2. Second, there is then a practical application of that theme to the way Christians should lead their lives.
In each sermon those two sections are linked by the use of the word ‘Therefore’. Look carefully for the linking word, ‘therefore’ and you will spot the moment of transition in the middle of each ‘sermon’.
At the heart of the Jewish Scriptures is ‘the Torah’ – for those who are Jews their faith has to do with the whole of their lives. Christians who take seriously the Jewish roots of their faith must realise too that words are matched by actions, and the faith we profess is a Way of Life.
For Hebrews ‘Hope’ is a whole way of life. The letter offers us ‘A Way to Hope’.
The sequence of sermons opens with a wonderful statement establishing who Jesus is.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,* whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains* all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
It draws to a close with an equally remarkable statement:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. (13:8)
In between Jesus is seen to be greater than the angels, one with God, and yet at the same time one with us in our human frailty and weakness, albeit without sinning. A great bridge-builder or High Priest, he draws us into the very presence of God. And that he does by faith. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and run the race that is set before us, sure of our faith, certain of a wonderful hope, committed to a selfless love for one another.
A Hebrew – the Way to Hope
But what are you going to do about it! It’s one thing to think through what is at the heart of the Christian faith, quite another to do something about it! That’s exactly what the anonymous letter to the Hebrews is all about. Against the background of the Hebrew Scriptures, what we think of as the Old Testament, the writer explores some of the basic things at the heart of the Christian Faith and then challenges the reader of the letter to do something about it!
1. All that the prophets looked forward has come to pass in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who is one with God in all his glory. (1:1-14)
Therefore, we need to pay attention to what we have heard from Jesus Christ and act on it! (2:1-4)
2. In Jesus God came alongside us, confronted the evil of the world and overcame it, giving us the opportunity to share in that victory and know the rich and wonderful love of God for ourselves. (2:5-18)
Therefore, as we belong to the family of God we must give Jesus the honour due to his name and look to him as the head of the household! We need to be worthy members of his family, sharing with each other a love that is real. That way we shall enter into the peace of God’s presence. (3:1 – 4:13)
3. Jesus really did come alongside us and experience humanity at its worst. He experienced all the trials and tribulations of this world, and its temptations too! The wonderful thing about Jesus was that he didn’t succumb to temptation! (4:14 – 5:14)
Therefore we need to follow him along the pathway of life he has mapped out for us: standing firm against the evils of the world, seeking to resist temptation when it omes. (6:1-12)
4. This Jesus is a remarkable bridge-builder. Sometimes it can feel as if there is a chasm between us in all our weakness and God in all his glory. Jesus bridges that gap. One with God in all his love, he comes alongside us in all our weakness. 6:13-10:18)
Therefore, that means we need to come to Jesus confident that through Jesus we can enter into the wonderful love of God. We need to come with the assurance of faith, holding fast to the hope we profess, committed to love in action. (10:19-39)
5. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen: from time immemorial it is what has prompted people to recognise that the world we live in is the world of God’s creation. Down through the ages it is what has kept people going through the most troubled of times. (11:1-40)
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 perfecter of our faith, the One upon whom our faith depends from start to finish. For the sake of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarded its shame and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (12:1-2)
6. The life death and resurrection of Jesus is an event that’s all important. (12:3-11)
Therefore, we must not lose heart: instead we must pursue peace with everyone and the holiness of God. We must welcome any who need our help: that’s the way to give hospitality to strangers. Above all, love is what counts more than anything else. (12:12 – 13:6)
7. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (13:8)
Therefore, we need to remember our leaders, those who spoke the Word of God to us; we need to consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. (13:7 and 9-17)
One final prayer: (13:18-25) May the God of peace who brought about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and brought us into the closest of all relationships with Him by the death and resurrection of Jesus ... May the God of peace make us rounded people, in whom the goodness of God dwells in all its fullness. Then may we put our faith into action in love for all around us, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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