Chapter 19
Hebrews
The History:
Who wrote the book?
The author of the letter to the Hebrews remains a subject of discussion. Eastern churches never questioned Paul was the author, the Roman Empire believed Paul was the author, putting it into the earliest Canon of Scripture. Clement of Rome believed it. But fourth generation Western church questioned everything. Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, and even Clement were suddenly put forward as candidates, though why Greeks like Luke and Clement were in the list, writing to Hebrews about their own faith, I cannot imagine.
It was written about the time Paul was in prison for the second time around sixty AD. It is midway through Nero’s reign Nero started out being very popular and did many good things for Rome. It was about halfway through his reign he began to persecute the Jews but it was a gradual increase, starting with confiscating their property and putting them in prison. The letter was written before seventy-seven AD as it makes no reference to the destruction of the temple and sacrifices were still being carried out.266
It was obviously sent to a Jewish community, but there is no direct reference as to where. We will see in a moment it would have been of special benefit to the Jewish community in Rome.
But if it is written to Christians in Rome why just the Jews? After all, Christians were going through the same treatment. But Christianity was at that time Illegal, but Judaism was still legal. So the Jews were tempted to go back to the synagogue. But these were in the hands of Judaizers who were by now, denying Jesus is Messiah and requiring returning Jews to say so.
The Letter
Hebrews was not written as an exposition of the nature of Christ. It was written as a letter urging the Jews not to go back to old theology; not to give up.
Hebrews concentrates on the present priestly ministry of Christ in the life of the believer. Jesus is both the divine Son of God and completely human, and in His priestly role He clears the way for human beings to approach the Father in heaven through prayer267. The great theme of the letter is ‘Jesus is better than…’:
He is better than the priesthood of Aaron, because only through Jesus do we receive eternal salvation.268 Better than any High Priest going beyond the curtain, because He offered Himself as a sinless sacrifice on behalf of the sins of human beings.269 Better than the angels bringing better lives to humanity through salvation. Better hope than the Mosaic Law could promise, Better sacrifice for our sins than a bull or a goat, and providing a better inheritance in heaven for those who place their faith in Him.270 Jesus is indeed superior to all others.
Paul argues with Jews in Rome, who were struggling under Nero’s persecution as Christians, Don’t go back to the Mosaic Law, stick with the better way. To Paul’s mind it was clear, the old system was a shadow of the real thing. If you go back to the Old-Covenant, you realize you will have to repeat your sacrifices daily. If you deny Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice, you have no other choice but you have no temple to sacrifice in. The writer to the Hebrews showed these Jewish Christian believers that, though they were faced with suffering, they were indeed following a better way, and they should persevere.
The second half of the book takes groups of Old-Testament believers, whose faith held steadfast even though the had not seen what they had been promised. Their faith was demonstrated in what they did. They persevered on, the did not return to their old ways.
Some did but they lost everything. So press on and don’t look back, don’t look for the easy way out. By faith Noah built an Ark, if he had not kept faith we would not be here today, for all flesh would have been wiped out. By faith each of those listed did what was asked of them. Take your eyes off Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, or the prophets because they fulfilled their part in a chain that led to Christ Jesus. If they had not, you would have no destiny. Now fulfil your part by holding fast to Jesus that God might compete his vision of a new heaven and new earth in which all these and you might be reunited.
All this depends on the one who fired the starting gun on this destiny in faith, He will also be there at the finishing line to see us complete the journey. He is the author and finisher of our faith271.
‘How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation’? Is Paul’s question and it is addressed to these believers. Drifting away is a recognized state that can happen to any believer not only these Jews. It comes if we neglect the source of our salvation, Jesus.
By chapter-ten, Paul is ready to lay out the final analysis of this argument. If you neglect the source of your salvation, there is no longer a remedy for your sin.
Without entering into the side-lining debate, ‘Once saved always saved’, this letter is speaking to those, who have once accepted that Jesus is the only means of salvation, only to then deny it. No matter what you conclude as your answer to this question of ‘once saved always saved’, this is a very grave warning. ‘How then shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation’? Peter argues the positive side of this question, ‘Make your calling sure by living in the way that shows it’272
266 Hebrews 10: 1–2, 11
267 Hebrews 4: 14–16
268 Hebrews 5:1–9
269 Hebrews 7: 24–26; 9 :28
270 Hebrews 1: 4; 6: 9; 7: 19; 9: 23; 10: 34
271 Hebrews 12
272 2 Peter 1: 10; also 2 Timothy 1: 7-15 ; Romans 11:28-32