An extract from Guidelines - Hebrews

by John Proctor

Included in the following extract from Guidelines are three week’s worth of readings. Click on the links below to go to a particular day’s reading


Introduction

This is an odd letter. We never find out who wrote it or who received it. There is just a hint of personal greeting at the very end. Yet even without mentioning names, the whole letter seems very direct and pastoral. The writer knows the concerns and circumstances of the readers, and wants to help them and sustain their faith.

The readers’ situation was difficult. They were not brand-new Christians, but they had stopped making progress in their Christian life (5:11–12). Times had been tough, and they found it hard enough to hold the faith, let alone to grow in it. Indeed, they were in danger of coming unstuck, for there had been persecution already (10:32–34) and more might be ahead (12:7; 13:3, 13). Some members of the fellowship had drifted away (10:25) and, even among those who stayed, confidence and stamina were running low (10:35). It was proving difficult to stay the course, keep the faith, encourage one another and maintain their Christian hope (10:23–25).

As ever when times are tough, some people try other options. Here, the obvious possibility was to go back to base. These people, like most of the earliest Christians, were Jewish by race and background. Even if they abandoned their Christian contacts, they would still have a place in the wider Jewish community. But the writer thinks that this would do them no good. He explains that Jesus is the centre and fulfilment of Israel’s ancient faith. To step away from Jesus would be a step away from their roots and heritage. They would not really be reconnecting with that heritage in any secure way. Going back to base, as it seemed, was no alternative at all.

In some ways, this letter seems remote from the 21st-century church. It refers often to the Old Testament—but the aim is always practical. Passages that explain and expound the Old Testament are interleaved with sections that encourage, assure and challenge. The effect is rather like a multi-decker sandwich, but there is a pattern and direction in the writing—to point the readers back to Jesus. Perhaps this message is not so far from our concerns. Hebrews is about Christian stamina, about holding the faith when you are tempted to give up, about a God who is sure and trustworthy across the ages, and about Jesus who connects our life to God.

These notes are based on the New Revised Standard Version.


Week 1 Day 1: The Moment of truth read Hebrews 1

‘God has spoken.’ So the letter begins. Often, through many centuries, God’s word was heard—prophets told the word and people trusted it—yet it was never complete. But now God has spoken one great and glorious word in Jesus. He is God’s grand moment of truth. Through Jesus the world hears God’s word, not in phrases and fragments but fully and finally (vv. 1–2).

Hebrews has a keen sense of hope fulfilled. Now is the time to which the Old Testament led, says the letter. God’s Son has come, the one through whom the world was made (v. 2). The world’s meaning and destiny come to focus in him. God’s glory has been seen among us. Our sin has been swept away by the holy love of Christ (v. 3), and now he is ascended, near to his Father, greater than all the powers of heaven (v. 4).

The writer uses a chain of Old Testament texts (vv. 5–13) to show Jesus’ greatness. The key texts seem to be the first and the last, which have already echoed in the opening paragraph and to which the writer will return later in the letter.

The first half of verse 5 comes from Psalm 2:7. This was one of Israel’s royal psalms, so to take it up here is to speak of Jesus as a king. He is ‘heir of all things’, the one marked out to rule the nations (v. 2, from Psalm 2:8). His kingship is not for Israel alone but for the whole world.

Verse 13 is from Psalm 110:1, and this psalm appears often through Hebrews. Again it is a kingly psalm but it has another angle too, for the king is also a priest (Psalm 110:4) like the royal priest Melchizedek of Genesis 14. When Hebrews 1 tells of Jesus sitting at God’s right hand (vv. 3, 13), it draws the reader into an intricate web of scriptural connections and hopes. Jesus is prophet, priest and king—God’s last word, God’s gracious representative, God’s royal Son.

Some other texts in the chain have a royal flavour too, including God’s promise to David (2 Samuel 7:14, seen at the end of v. 5), and a royal wedding song (Psalm 45:6–7, in vv. 8–9). But the epistle does not dwell on this royal theme. Its main point in using these texts is to compare Jesus with God’s angels (vv. 5, 6, 7–8, 13), and there is no real comparison. Jesus is greater in the status he holds and, as we shall see, in the service he gives.


Week 1 Day 2: One among us read Hebrews 2

This chapter falls into two unequal parts—up to verse 4, and from verse 5 onwards. The first part is a short warning, and the second launches a long section of explanation and encouragement. Both of them take up, in different ways, the theme from chapter 1 that Jesus is greater than God’s angels.

The opening verses are about two messages and those who delivered them. There was an ancient tradition (see Deuteronomy 33:2) that God used angels to ‘declare’ his law to the people of Israel (v. 2). Now the gospel has been ‘declared’ (the same word, v. 3) by Jesus. So, says the writer, if the law angels gave was taken seriously, how much more earnestly should the good news be followed? If Jesus is greater than angels, the message he brought must be even more important than the law they delivered. This is a message to hold on to, not to drift away from (v. 1).

Jesus holds the future (v. 5). He is a leader to trust and follow. He has shared our humanity and given us a new hope. The second part of the chapter starts with a biblical quotation (vv. 6–8, from Psalm 8:4–6), and so looks at human life in two ways. We are creatures both of dust and of dignity, and Jesus gives meaning and reality to that double identity. He was ‘for a little while lower than the angels’ (vv. 7, 9). He participated in human life as our brother (v. 11). He took the flesh and blood of our fragile physical nature, and passed through the experience of death that we must all face (v. 14). He suffered among us, and felt the stresses that suffering brings (v. 18). He was truly and surely one of us.

Yet Jesus also offers us a new honour and dignity, for even as he died he drew the sting of evil and broke the power of the evil one (v. 14). He gave himself for the pardon of human sins (v. 17), and because of his faithful suffering he is now ‘crowned with glory’ (vv. 7, 9). He is above all God’s angels in rank and reign. He has shared human nature, and now he represents his people before God as ‘a merciful and faithful high priest’ (v. 17). He connects our life to God’s own presence.

Week 1 Day 3: Follow your leader read Hebrews 3

Christians often talk of life as a journey, a pilgrimage of faith. The great pilgrimage in Israel’s history was the exodus. From Pharaoh to freedom, from Egypt to the land of promise, from slavery to rest, the road was desolate, dry and demanding, and the memory too was far-reaching. Long after the exodus was over, Israel recalled that they had been a travelling people. Moses, the leader on the journey, was remembered with honour as a prophet and servant of God. This chapter of Hebrews says to the readers, ‘You are still exodus people. Your journey of faith is like the desert journey of old.’

There is a leader: Jesus is an ‘apostle’ (v. 1), one sent by God to show the people their way. Just as Moses led the people, Jesus too is a faithful leader. But Jesus is more than Moses (vv. 5–6), for Moses was a prophet, a witness to the final truth that Jesus would bring (1:1–2). Moses was servant and Jesus is Son.

There is a travelling people, called the ‘household of God’ (vv. 2, 6). Faith is a family affair: it binds people together as sisters and brothers (vv. 1, 12).

There are also dangers. The exodus story tells of dangers from outside—from desert, distance and drought—but it always speaks of God as equal to them. The greater dangers, those that caused the severest trouble, came from within, from among the people. Loss of heart and faith, loss of confidence in God and his leaders—these were what made the pilgrims stumble, and in just the same way the dangers on the Christian journey are dangers of attitude. Have we got the inner stamina to go the distance?

Verses 7–11 quote from Psalm 95, which has often been used in Christian Sunday worship—‘O come, let us sing to the Lord.’ The last portion of the psalm is about the link between stamina and trust. Faith in God gives us energy, while loss of faith makes us lose momentum and direction. ‘Encourage one another,’ says Hebrews. Keep alert; keep the faith (vv. 12–14). You are ‘partners with Christ’ (vv. 1, 14), and you are called to keep on following him.

Week 1 Day 4: Resting place read Hebrews 4

The journey continues. The theme of chapter 3 was the need for staying power; here the main theme is the destination. The key word, cropping up nine times, is ‘rest’. It comes from the last verse of Psalm 95, which is quoted in verse 3 (and 3:11). However, the line of thought in chapter 4 is anything but restful. We are led on a lively tour of the Old Testament to see how many texts point forward to God’s final promise.

God’s first ‘rest’ was on the seventh day of creation (v. 4, from Genesis 2:2). The world was made and sabbath came. Here was the coming of God’s peace, the stability and completeness of an unspoiled creation. And still, says Hebrews, this is the wholeness to which people of faith may travel—the great sabbath of God that gathers and completes all his works.

The next thought of ‘rest’ is the end of the exodus journey, the promised land that so many of the Israelite pilgrims did not survive to enter (v. 6). Yet when Joshua eventually led the people in, the land turned out not to be God’s final rest after all (vv. 8–9). It was a signpost, not a finishing post. For Psalm 95:7 speaks of ‘today’—an opportunity that is still open, still there to be taken. This psalm was written centuries after Moses and Joshua (v. 7), and Hebrews finds in it a permanent reminder that God’s rest is always ahead of us. The journey stretches forward: care and energy are still required (vv. 1, 11), for each new ‘today’.

Hebrews has drawn on a wide range of Old Testament writing, as a word for the readers’ own day. This was not just an instinctive use of scripture; it was a deliberate policy. The author believed that the ‘word of God’ is always a living message, reaching into the centre of the human personality and opening us up to God (vv. 12–13). It is a discerning and demanding word, and to live under this word is a daunting responsibility. Our only confidence comes from Jesus, who has gone this way before us and offers us mercy and help for our own trials (vv. 14–16). As scripture opens us up to God, in Jesus we find that God is open to us.

Week 1 Day 5: Priest and people read Hebrews 5:1–10

A few times already, Hebrews has called Jesus ‘high priest’ (2:17; 3:1; 4:14). This theme—Jesus’ priesthood—will take up most of the next five chapters. In these central chapters of the epistle is the heart of the writer’s message. Jesus fulfils the worship of the Old Testament era. He is a point of contact and access, an intermediary between humanity and God. Through Jesus we can draw near to God with confidence and hope. As the writer prepares to explain all this, he starts by outlining what high priests did in Old Testament times. He compares Jesus with them, in three important ways.

First, high priests offered sacrifices for the sins of the people (v. 1). Hebrews will say much about Jesus’ unique sacrifice of his own obedient life in the chapters to come. For the moment, however, there is only a hint of this, when we read that Jesus gives ‘eternal salvation’ (v. 9). His sacrifice will not need endless renewal, year after year.

Second, high priests identified with the people they served (vv. 2–3). They were themselves part of the family of faith, and they shared the weakness and sinfulness of those they represented. They had to offer sacrifice for their own forgiveness as well as for other people’s. In this respect, Jesus was different. He did not share human sin (4:15), yet he did share the rough side of human experience (vv. 7–8). He suffered, hurt and wept, and even for him this was a growing and transforming experience. Through suffering he was equipped in a deeper way for his work as priest (v. 9). The pain of the cross (for it seems that verse 7 recalls Gethsemane) was an experience that changed Jesus. There was nothing straightforward or easy about his dying for us.

Third, high priests had to be appointed by God (v. 4), and Jesus too received his priesthood from God. Verses 5–6 use texts from Psalms 2 and 110 (psalms we met in chapter 1) to show this. Jesus is priest according to a pattern declared long ago in scripture, ‘according to the order of Melchizedek’ (vv. 6, 10). Melchizedek will require some further explanation, in chapter 7, but first the letter digresses to speak more pastorally to the readers.

Week 1 Day 6: Giving up giving up read Hebrews 5:11—6:12

This is one of five warning passages in Hebrews. We have met two already: do not lose your grip on the Christian message (2:1–4), and take care not to miss your destination (3:12—4:11). This third passage talks about growing in the faith and not falling away from it. If the letter had been written in our day, it might have said something like this: ‘Christianity is like riding a bicycle. You need to keep going forward. If you are content to stand still, you will probably fall off.’

The passage starts gently enough, the author saying, ‘I need to explain some of this a bit more fully’ (5:11). Very reasonable, we might think, after the rather compressed set of ideas in yesterday’s verses. But are the readers ready for fuller explanation? What appetite have they got for Christian teaching? The author fears that they have not progressed as far as they should have done (5:11–14). So he urges them to grow in their faith. They have heard the basics of the gospel (6:1–2), and should press on to mature and fruitful Christian living (6:1, 7). If people lose their grasp on the message, and their desire to follow Christ withers away, it will be desperately hard to rekindle any sort of faith in them (6:4–5). The freshness has gone, a hardening has come into their relationship with Christ, and they are unlikely to turn back to serious Christianity again (6:6). Their situation is as disappointing, frustrating and hopeless as well-farmed land that refuses to produce good fruit (6:8).

Does the author of Hebrews really expect these readers to fall away from faith? It seems not (6:9): they have served well and God is faithful (6:10). But the future is not to be taken for granted (6:11–12). Persistence and perseverance matter. Hope needs to be a magnet, drawing us to the promises ahead. We prove God’s grace best by pedalling in forward gear, not by freewheeling in neutral.

These warning passages in Hebrews have alarmed many sensitive Christians, who think, ‘Does it mean me? I’ve been so feeble in my faith. Might God have given up on me?’ If you fear and wonder whether it might mean you, God’s answer is probably a word of reassurance along the lines of verse 10. The situation truly to dread is that we stop caring whether it means us or not, and we become ‘sluggish’ (v. 12), mere freewheelers in faith. Then we might indeed fall off.

Week 1: Guidelines

O Lord God, when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same to the end, until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory; through him who for the finishing of thy work laid down his life, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Based on words of the English admiral Sir Francis Drake

Week 2 Day 1: Patriarch and priest read Hebrews 6:13—7:10

What’s the point of Abraham? Or, what’s the point of mentioning Abraham just here in Hebrews? There seem to be two reasons. First, he was a man of promise. God made promises to him about descendants, land, and blessing for the world (6:13–15). Then Abraham and Sarah had to live by faith, trusting promises whose fulfilment they could not see and would not have expected in the normal order of things. They lived by faith, and lived by God’s future.

The readers of Hebrews have to live by the future too, trusting God’s faithfulness and God’s word. This is the whole message of the little digression in the letter from 5:11 to 6:12. They must look forward and be people of hope—so Abraham is mentioned as a reminder that God’s purposes are sure. God swore to Abraham in his time of severest test, when he had almost sacrificed his son, ‘I will surely bless and multiply you’ (6:14, from Genesis 22:17), and God’s promises are like an anchor, binding our Christian lives to God’s own holy presence (6:19). The hope to which he calls his people, the prospect of his ‘glory’ (2:10) and ‘rest’ (4:11), can sustain and steady us in all life’s storms.

The second reason for Abraham popping up just here, is that he gets the line of thought in the letter back to Melchizedek. This mysterious priest-king from Genesis 14 is an important character in Hebrews. The many echoes in the letter of Psalm 110:4 (for example, at 6:20; 7:3) make the point that Melchizedek was a blueprint, a prototype for Jesus’ role as priest.

Melchizedek appears quite suddenly in the storyline of the Bible (Genesis 14:18) and disappears as abruptly and mysteriously as he came. We hear nothing of his birth or death. He seems to be a timeless character, a priest for ever. As such, he is an ideal model for Jesus, a contrast to the ceaselessly changing priesthood of Old Testament Israel.

Indeed, Melchizedek had a more important role than Israel’s priests, for they were descended from Abraham, and Abraham paid Melchizedek a tithe of his spoils of battle (7:4–10). So the priests who collected tithes in Israel had actually paid tithes, through their forefather, to Melchizedek. He was, as it were, priest to the priests. He brought to the people the blessing God had promised them (7:6; Genesis 14:19–20). And now the priestly order of Melchizedek is being renewed in Jesus. Jesus is the new priest-king, giving fresh life to the strange and ancient tradition of Genesis 14, and showing in new ways the majesty and mercy of God.

Week 2 Day 2: Genetically modified gospel? read Hebrews 7:11–28

One of the hot public issues of our era is genetic modification. Seeds are improved by adjusting the gene code they carry, to make the crop richer, tastier or healthier—not so much ‘practice makes perfect’ as ‘change makes perfect’. That is exactly the combination of ideas we meet in this corner of Hebrews—change of genes, and perfection.

‘Perfection’ is an important word in Hebrews: Jesus was ‘made perfect’ by suffering (5:9), and Christian growth is a matter of pressing on to ‘perfection’ (6:1). But the English word ‘completeness’ or ‘wholeness’ might have been a better translation. If a thing is ‘perfect’, we may fear to damage or even touch it—perfection is not to be spoiled; you keep your distance—whereas the words ‘complete’ and ‘whole’ are more accessible. They have the sense of something, or someone, becoming what it was meant to be, growing into its destiny, being ready for use and service. This is what Hebrews finds in Jesus—someone who is whole himself, and who makes it possible for others to become whole.

The former priesthood, sons of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, could never make things really ‘whole’ (v. 11). They were involved in the human sin and weakness for which they offered sacrifices (v. 28). They were fragile and mortal and their service only ever lasted for a while. Their ministry would always be interrupted by death (v. 23). Notice that Hebrews does not criticize these men, but their ministry did not have the spiritual power or potential of Jesus. The Old Testament foreshadowed and prepared for the New. The priests were faithful in their day, but they were working within a limited system. If they could have brought real wholeness to the people they served, God would never have spoken of another priesthood.

A new priesthood has been prophesied, however (vv. 17, 21, yet again quoting Psalm 110). God has committed himself with an oath (v. 20), as he did to Abraham (6:14–17). Jesus has taken up his priesthood, not through a line of physical descent but by the power of his own resurrection (v. 16), so there has been a modification of the pattern. No longer do Levi’s genes determine who wears the priestly robes in Israel. That way of continuing the priesthood will not be needed. The destination to which it pointed has arrived. Jesus, from the royal tribe of Judah (v. 14), is God’s eternal high priest—complete and whole in himself, and offering wholeness to others through the sacrifice of his own life (v. 27).

Week 2 Day 3: New deal read Hebrews 8

Week 2 Day 3: Read Hebrews 8

Tracing the argument of Hebrews is like tracing the weave in a piece of tartan. Threads vanish for a while, then come to the surface again. You try to follow them, and eventually you start to realize how skilfully the weaver has controlled the whole intricate process. Hebrews is just the same. An idea might be mentioned briefly, as if to sow a seed in your mind. Then, some time later, the seed comes back to the surface. The idea returns, and starts to figure more fully and prominently in the writing.

In chapter 7 there were seeds—hints that the new priesthood represented by Jesus would involve a new kind of covenant too (7:22). There is a ‘change in the law’ (7:12) to allow a high priest from a different tribe. Now chapter 8 takes up those ideas and speaks about a ‘better covenant’ (vv. 6–7), a deepening and redefining of God’s relationship with his people. But Hebrews does not look outside the Old Testament for this new covenant. It uses one of the Old Testament’s own passages of hope, from Jeremiah 31:31–34, quoted in verses 8–12. Jeremiah had spoken in a time of turbulence and sorrow, and in faith he had looked ahead: God’s relationship with his people was not ended; it would be rekindled in new and sure ways.

In two ways, God’s new covenant will be different, and Hebrews will come back to these later. Firstly, it can get inside the human heart and personality in a way that never happened before (v. 10). God’s commands will be inscribed on the mind and heart, and people will be prompted from within by a desire to obey God. (Other places in the New Testament speak of this same prompting as the work of the Holy Spirit.) Secondly, the new covenant brings a permanent forgiveness (v. 12), which will not need to be renewed time after time.

So how does this new relationship with God come about? Does the new covenant have a place of worship, to continue the Old Testament tradition of Israel’s temple (v. 5)? What sacrifice will be offered (v. 3), and where? How will the new system—priest, covenant, temple, sacrifice—hang together? We shall see in the chapter ahead.

Of course these ideas seem strange and foreign to many Christians today. We are not drawn to Old Testament forms of worship and faith as an alternative to Christian belief. But the readers of Hebrews were. They needed to know that Jesus was sufficient and sure. They need not look anywhere else for security and support—and that may be a message that crosses the years and assures us too.

Week 2 Day 4: Nearer to God read Hebrews 9:1–14

Worship involves place, people and practice. Where does it happen? Who is involved? What do they do? And, most important of all, what difference does it make? Hebrews tackles all these questions as it compares the old covenant with the new. ‘What has changed?’ is the big issue. Jesus does make a difference, and outlining the former order helps to make clear the reasons why the new was needed.

Place: Hebrews speaks of ‘tents’ (vv. 2–3), not of a temple. The reference is to the book of Exodus, when Moses was commanded to make a tabernacle for the people to worship in. The instructions extend over many chapters (Exodus 25—31, 35—40), with much detail about the tabernacle itself and the sacred items to stand in it. The manna (Exodus 16:33–34), Aaron’s staff (Numbers 17:10–11) and the stone tablets of the covenant (Exodus 25:21) were reminders of God’s saving love in the exodus journey. But the main point Hebrews takes is the picture of two tents, an outer and inner sanctuary. Even the entrance to God’s presence is screened from the people.

People and practice: Priests ministered in the outer tent (v. 6). They were many in number, and their work was regular and constant, but only the high priest went into the inner tent—on just one day in the year, the Day of Atonement (v. 7; from Leviticus 16). Even then, God was only to be approached after sacrifice had been offered. Yet the sacrifices of the Old Testament, the repeated offering of ‘goats and bulls’ and the removal of impurity through the ashes of a red heifer (v. 13; from Numbers 19), were limited in what they could achieve. They only reached so far, and they were only meant to last so long.

Even the Day of Atonement had to be re-enacted year after year, yet Jesus’ sacrifice of himself will be valid for ever (v. 12). Sacrifices could offer formal forgiveness for broken laws, and confer an external purity, but they could not cleanse the worshipper on the inside; they could not ‘make whole’ the heart and conscience (vv. 9–10, 13–14). Jesus, however, offered himself, and so his obedient love has a penetrating power, to touch the believer on the inside and open people to God in a new and deeper way.

Jesus’ sacrifice of himself is part of God’s new covenant. It reaches the mind and heart (8:10); it brings a permanent forgiveness (8:12). Here is access to the life of God and to eternal hope, for Jesus has met with God, not in the earthly tent of the exodus but in heaven itself—as the verses ahead will explain.

Week 2 Day 5: The great sacrifice read Hebrews 9:15–28

In Hebrews 7, the emphasis is on Jesus as the new high priest. Chapter 8 sets out the idea of the new covenant. Then, through chapter 9 and halfway into chapter 10, the main theme is the new sacrifice. Jesus has offered himself as the basis of God’s new covenant with his people. The writer of Hebrews follows, as always, a biblical approach. We do not know whether this letter was written before or after ad70, when the Jerusalem temple was destroyed, but the worship of the temple is not directly in view. The Old Testament regulations that lie behind it are what really interest our author.

In Greek (the language in which Hebrews was written), the word for ‘covenant’ also means ‘will’. That double meaning is important in verses 16–22. A will is operative only once the person who made it has died (v. 17). In the same way, says Hebrews, God’s covenant came into effect through death, through the ceremonial shedding and sprinkling of sacrificial blood. The quotation in verse 20 is from Exodus 24:8, the occasion when Moses inaugurated God’s covenant with the people of Israel. Verses 19 and 21 refer to other Old Testament passages and other ceremonies (Leviticus 8:15; 14:4; 16:14–19; Numbers 19:18). The point is that, in the former covenant, purity regularly came through blood, and forgiveness through death (v. 22).

In the new covenant too, purity and pardon come through death. Sin has been dealt with at the cross, and now Jesus has entered heaven to represent us before God there (v. 24). In Hebrews the resurrection and ascension are not set out as separate events, as they are in our Christian celebrations: they belong together. Jesus passed through death, and is now ascended above the angels (2:9, 14; 10:12; 12:2). His presence in heaven is a sign of God’s acceptance of his sacrifice.

This sacrifice has the power to cross all time and space. It will not need to be repeated. It brings a new era in God’s dealings with humanity (vv. 25–26). As we pass through death to face God’s holy judgment (v. 27), so Jesus has passed through death to bear that judgment for us. When he returns, it will be to welcome those who trust him (v. 28) and bring to them—fully and finally—the pardon for which he died.

Week 2 Day 6: A people made clean read Hebrews 10:1–18

These verses bring to an end Hebrews’ long explanation of the new order that Jesus brings. After this, the main theme will be our response: how do Christians live in the light and faith of this new covenant? And these verses lead naturally on to the theme ahead, for they look at the sort of people Jesus enables us to be, and the resources he gives us for living.

A key word, as it has been before (recall the comment on 7:11–28), is the idea of ‘perfection’ (vv. 1, 14). Everything in these middle chapters of Hebrews, even the details that seem obscure or distant, has the thought of wholeness in mind. How is human life made complete by Jesus, in ways that were never possible under the former covenant?

A vital aspect of wholeness is freedom from sin, yet the former sacrifices could not ‘take away sins’ (vv. 2–4). They only, as it were, held sin at bay year after year. They had to be repeated, and this very repetition was a constant reminder of sin and a burden on the human conscience. But Jesus’ sacrifice was not simply the offering of a physical life. It was the willing commitment of an obedient heart (vv. 5–9, quoting Psalm 40:6–8). The gift came from within him, and so his offering has a moral authority and power to reach within us. What Jesus has done can touch the conscience of worshippers in ways that could not happen before (v. 2). He takes away sin, from our record and from our inner being. That is what Hebrews means by ‘we have been made holy’ (v. 10). We are changed within and forgiven for ever.

Of course there will be more to say. Hebrews will go on to urge its readers to respond faithfully, for Christian living is always a response. We are not called to be self-starters; nor do we deal with God’s grace in small instalments; but we respond to God’s great act of salvation, and seek to live by the wholeness that is ours because Jesus has died.

The last verses of today’s passage return to some Old Testament themes that are important in Hebrews. Psalm 110:1 echoes in verse 12—the psalm of the king-priest, the blueprint for Jesus, which we have met many times already in Hebrews. And verses 16–17 quote again from Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy, to underline points that were made in chapter 8 and draw the thought of the letter together before it moves on to face some very practical issues.

Week 2: Guidelines

‘First, set apart some time, more than once, to be spent alone before the Lord; in seeking earnestly God’s special assistance and gracious acceptance of you; in carefully thinking through all the conditions of the covenant; in searching your hearts whether you have already freely given your life to Christ.

‘Second, be serious and in a spirit of holy awe and reverence.

‘Third, claim God’s covenant, rely upon God’s promise of giving grace and strength, so you can keep your promise. Trust not in your own strength and power.

‘Fourth, resolve to be faithful. You have given to the Lord your hearts, you have opened your mouths to the Lord, and you have dedicated yourself to God. With God’s power, never go back.’
Part of the invitation to John Wesley’s Covenant Service, 1780

Week 3 Day 1: Confident to endure read Hebrews 10:19–39

Hebrews’ long explanation is ended of the priesthood of Jesus and the new covenant he has set in place. Now the theme changes, to talk about Christian response. Some of the readers have been tempted to abandon their trust in Jesus, so the letter urges them to stand firm and keep the faith. What Jesus did for them can give them confidence to live for him.

Verse 19 says, ‘Therefore…’: this is a hinge in the epistle, a sign that the argument is turning into a new direction. ‘We have confidence’ (v. 19) to come into God’s very presence because Jesus has died. We have ‘a great priest’ as head of the ‘the household of God’ that is the Christian family (v. 21). So let the readers ‘draw near’ and ‘hold steady’ (vv. 22–23). They can be secure and assured in their relationship with God. They need not depend on any other ceremony or sacrifice. They should not look elsewhere for hope and courage. More than that, they must do all they can to support and sustain one another in the faith (vv. 24–25). Christianity binds people together. We always have the privilege and responsibility of encouraging our sisters and brothers. Pastoral love is a shared duty and care.

From verse 26, we come to the fourth of Hebrews’ warning passages (recall the comment on 5:11—6:12). The writer is concerned for Christians who leave the church and their faith. The language is strong (v. 29) because the issue is serious. ‘Wilfully persisting in sin’ (v. 26) means the decisive sin of deliberately stepping away from Christian commitment. For such a person, there is nowhere left to turn. ‘Don’t leave the lifeboat’ is the point the writer is making. Even when Christians are beset with weakness and temptation, Jesus understands and can help (4:15–16), so do not be afraid to draw near (v. 22).

We should not think of the readers of this letter as unusually fragile Christians. They may have been stronger than you and I, but their situation is critical, and the writer wants to both warn and encourage them. These Christians have already coped with difficult times (vv. 32–34), and can surely keep going yet (v. 39).

The quotation in verses 37–38 is from Habakkuk 2:3–4: even in troubled times God can be trusted. His salvation may seem slow, but it will be sure in both its timing and its purpose. So let the readers press on, in endurance (v. 36) and faith (v. 38). Chapter 11 will focus on faith, and endurance will be the main theme of chapter 12.

Week 3 Day 2: Faith value read Hebrews 11:1–22

We have seen already how many contrasts Hebrews draws between Old Testament and New. There is now a new covenant, a new high priest and a new sacrifice. The religious ceremonies of the former era have served their day. These looked forward to Christ, and now he has come. But we should not think of Hebrews simply as a book of contrasts. There is continuity too. The writer is keen to honour the people of the Old Testament, and to take seriously their faith, their scripture and their hope. They were pilgrims on the road of faith long before Christ came. If we can learn from their mistakes (3:16–19), we can surely gain far more by studying their faith and looking to them as our predecessors and examples.

Faith is the confidence to live by values and beliefs that you cannot see (v. 1), and many people in the Old Testament story showed this quality of life. The list in chapter 11 runs all the way from the start of creation (vv. 3–4) to figures much nearer to the writer’s own time. Today’s portion refers to the book of Genesis. Abel’s worship (Genesis 4), Enoch’s relationship with God (Genesis 5:21–24), and Noah’s ark (Genesis 6—9) are early signs of lives marked by trust in a God they cannot see (vv. 4–7).

But the principal characters in these verses are Abraham and Sarah (vv. 8–19). Already we have heard something of their story as people called to live by promises and hope (6:13–20). Now we meet them again, as pilgrims on the earth, people without visible roots or a home, for their home is ahead of them, ‘the city with foundations’ (v. 10) that Hebrews later calls ‘the heavenly Jerusalem’ (12:22). Even if the readers of Hebrews are in danger of losing their property or being put out of their houses (10:32–34), they too have a home in heaven, a community where they truly belong.

Indeed, Abraham and Sarah were given signs, glimpses ahead of time, of Christ’s resurrection. The conception of Isaac by a couple too old to have children (vv. 11–12), and the saving of Isaac from sacrifice (vv. 17–19), were like new life coming out of death. Faith discovers that God will regularly bring hope out of despair, and resurrection out of emptiness, for the trail of faith, as the rest of this chapter will reveal, leads right up to the cross and empty tomb of Jesus. He was the supreme believer, the one who trusted God most truly of all (12:2). But first we must follow the story down into Egypt (vv. 20–22).

Week 3 Day 3: Roll of honour read Hebrews 11:23–40

The record of faith continues. For Moses, faith meant siding with his own people in their suffering, even though his upbringing in the royal house could have given him a protected life (vv. 24–26; Exodus 2—3). For the people of Israel, it took faith to strike out into the desert on the exodus journey (vv. 27–29; Exodus 11—14), and faith to find a home in the promised land (vv. 30–31; Joshua 2 and 6). Faith involved then (as it can now) being in a minority, taking risks and living differently. Yet even this faith, deep in the years before the coming of Jesus, can be described as ‘for Christ’ (v. 26). The shadow of Jesus’ own suffering falls on to the people of faith who came before him. They, as truly as those who come after, have shared in his commitment to God and the good news.

There is a long catalogue of people and deeds of faith in verses 32–38. At least four groups in Israel’s history seem to be in mind.

  • There are heroes of the book of Judges—Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah (v. 32). David was one of the first kings, who followed the judges and Samuel the prophet who anointed him (1 Samuel 16). These men all come from the early centuries in the promised land.
  • Mention of Samuel leads on to ‘the prophets’ (v. 32). Both Elijah and Elisha were used to restore dead children to their mothers (v. 35; 1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:35). There was a tradition that Jeremiah had been stoned to death, and Isaiah sawn in two (v. 37).
  • Those who ‘shut the mouths of lions’ and ‘quenched raging fire’ (vv. 33–34) may be the faithful of the book of Daniel (Daniel 3 and 6), who stood firm for their beliefs amid the pressures and persecutions of a foreign empire.
  • Finally, verse 35b seems to refer to martyrs of the Maccabean era, freedom fighters in Judah in the second century bc.

So Hebrews 11 sweeps through the whole of Israel’s story, from creation almost to the writer’s own time. It recalls an astonishing history of courage and perseverance. Then, at the very end, it reminds the readers of the privileged moment in which they live. Without the coming of Jesus, the ancient heroes and heroines would never have been brought to God’s ‘perfection’ (v. 40). Clear access to God and confident faith are possible now. Only in Jesus have God’s truth and wholeness become fully known.

Week 3 Day 4: Looking to Jesus read Hebrews 12:1–13

These verses are full of physical energy. The image is of athletes getting ready to run. Lay aside the burdens; carry no excess weight; do not be slowed down by sin (v. 1). Pump your arms; set a firm and determined stride (v. 12). Grow strong through running hard and straight (v. 13). Serious commitment to the Christian way will have its own life-giving and wholesome power.

For ‘we are surrounded by… a cloud of witnesses’ (v. 1). The saints of chapter 11 are ‘witnesses’ to God’s grace and power in the life of faith. Their example testifies to us, and shows that God can be trusted. Now it is our turn to prove his power. As in a relay race, the efforts of those who have already run are a spur to the team members now on the track. They urge us and stir us by what they have done.

Yet the one we aim to please and follow above all is Jesus. He is at the centre of this great procession of faith (v. 2). His own faithfulness was shown supremely when he bore the shame of crucifixion, and now he sits in God’s presence, risen and ascended. He is the priest at God’s right hand (Psalm 110:1), and the leader of faith whom heaven affirms and honours.

So as Hebrews moves towards its ending, there are echoes and connections with the early part of the letter. The ‘pioneer and perfecter of our faith’ (v. 2) is the ‘pioneer of our salvation’ who was himself ‘perfected through sufferings’ (2:10). His own intimate relationship with God led him to identify in love with God’s people, to travel with us, to share our life and death (2:11–18), and to grow in service through his pains (5:8–9). Christians too are called to a costly and demanding service, a life of discipline and difficulty (vv. 3–11). Pressure, pain, persecution—all are experiences that God can use to shape us and strengthen us. Misery, mischief, malice—even these can be times to learn that God is equal to the worst of human unpleasantness, that beyond the cross is the resurrection, and that in the crucible there is Christ.

Week 3 Day 5: Awe and grace read Hebrews 12:14–29

The first half of Hebrews 12 was about the practical business of Christian living. How do we tackle it, how do we face troubles and trials, and who encourages us? The verses were filled with energy and challenge, stretching us forward along the road. In this second half of the chapter, the accent is much more thoughtful, dwelling on the solemn and awesome nature of life with God. As ever in Hebrews, there are examples and texts from the Old Testament.

‘Pursue peace’ (v. 14) is a ‘horizontal’ virtue: it concerns how we deal with our neighbour. But we are also called to cultivate the ‘vertical’—to ‘pursue holiness’ and take seriously our life with God. The ‘root of bitterness’ (v. 15) is an echo of Deuteronomy 29:18—a concern lest some in the church sit light to God’s grace—for Esau (vv. 16–17) was born to privilege as the older son of the patriarch Isaac. God’s blessing, and the birthright of the line of grace, should have been his, but his younger brother Jacob lured him into a deal (Genesis 25:29–34), and when his time came to seek the blessing, only a back-handed sort of hope remained, all distance and hate (Genesis 27:30–40). ‘Pursue the blessing’ is the message of Hebrews. Cherish the grace God has given, and value this above all else.

The Christian pilgrimage does not lead to the fierceness, fear and fire of Mount Sinai (vv. 19–21; Exodus 19), but it brings Christians into a community that binds earth and heaven and links those who still travel with those already ‘perfected’ (v. 23). This is the communion of saints, finding its life in the new covenant that Jesus forged by his sacrificial death—a death as fresh, innocent and faithful as that of Abel (v. 24; 11:4; Genesis 4). This is a vision to beckon rather than deter, a meeting with God that invites, includes and attracts.

All the more reason, then, to heed and hear God’s word (v. 25). And here the letter comes full circle: ‘God spoke’ in Old Testament times, and ‘God has spoken’ in Jesus (1:1, 2). The word given through Jesus is even weightier and more significant than the awesome words of former days (v. 25). When all the world is shaken by God’s judgment, his kingdom in Jesus will stand firm and sure (vv. 27–29). The quotation in verse 26 is from Haggai 2:6, but the way the quotation develops in Hebrews may reflect the last few verses of Psalm 96: worship with awe and joy, for God’s kingdom is coming. His rule will be known on earth, sure and right and glad.

Week 3 Day 6: Keep the faith read Hebrews 13

The long theological explanation is complete. Scripture, priesthood, covenant, sacrifice, pilgrimage—all these themes have been explored at length. The last verses of chapter 12 came full circle back to notes heard in chapter 1. Now the writer moves towards signing off, and in chapter 13 the mood and style have changed.

There are still serious concerns and important issues to mention, but there is less formality than before. The manner of writing is more conversational, and many practical issues are mentioned briefly and directly. There is more reference to the readers’ own circumstances, and the writer’s too, than we have been used to. The advice is compact and crisp.

Care for one another, especially for those who suffer (vv. 1–3). Be con-tent with your marriage, your wealth and the company of your God (vv. 4–6). Follow the good example of leaders you have trusted in the past. Jesus is as sure now as he was then (vv. 7–8). Do not be distracted by the dietary laws of Judaism (v. 9); instead, focus on Jesus and his sacrifice (v. 10). But remember that this will carry a cost: neighbours may not welcome your faith (vv. 11–13). Be confident in your Christian hope, and praise God (vv. 14–15). Be generous (v. 16). Trust your leaders (v. 17).

The request for prayer (vv. 18–19) lets us glimpse the bond of personal friendship between writer and readers, and there are some more personal details in the very last paragraph (vv. 22–25). They give little by way of hard information, however. We have no very clear idea how Timothy’s recent release (v. 23) connects with other references to Timothy in the New Testament. Nor do we know how ‘the people from Italy’ fit in (v. 24). Was the letter written to Italy, or from Italy? Possibly neither: first-century Christians were a well-travelled lot.

The best-known portion of this chapter is the magnificent blessing in verses 20–21. The God of cross and resurrection shapes lives for good and for his glory. The shepherd cares; the covenant sustains; God’s peace guards; and God’s touch of love and power works within us. In language of deep theology the writer speaks of God’s living power—as he has done throughout the letter, and as God has done in Jesus, God’s word to the world.

Week 3: Guidelines

Hebrews is not an easy book. To read it is often like looking through bifocal glasses, with images at different distances, in the Old Testament and in the letter itself. But it was what the readers needed—talk about God that did not take the Old Testament seriously would have been little help to them—and Hebrews continues to help the church today.

  • It reminds us how deeply our gospel is rooted in God’s older work among the people of Israel. Our Bible has two testaments, and they depend on one another.
  • It hitches theology to practice. We study God’s work in order to follow his ways.
  • It keeps us looking to Jesus as the Saviour who died for us and the Lord who leads us.
  • It invites us to walk forward with faith and without fear.


For further reading

F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Eerdmans, New International Commentary on the New Testament, revised edition 1990. A very full and careful commentary, with plenty of explanation of difficult details.

Barnabas Lindars, The Theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Cambridge University Press, New Testament Theology Series, 1991. A learned and readable dis-cussion of what was troubling the readers of the letter, and how the writer aimed to help them.

Joy Tetley, A Way into Hebrews, Grove Books, Biblical Series, 1998. A specialist on Hebrews compresses her knowledge and love of the epistle into 24 accessible pages.

Tom Wright, Hebrews for Everyone, SPCK, 2004. Learned, lively and pastoral—one of a series on the whole New Testament from the Anglican Bishop of Durham.

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