Week 49 Hebrews
It’s pretty safe to say that the Letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish people who were following Jesus. But one of the knotty concerns the writer had to deal with was that – now that Jesus had actually come – OT religious views had to be reformulated to take him into consideration.
The writer was pretty straightforward about where things stood now. Jesus is the Greatest. He made-no-bones-about-it:
Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses
Moses was faithful as a servant…but Christ is faithful as the Son…
...Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant
As a high priest [Jesus]…is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners…Unlike other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day
…the covenant of which (Jesus) is mediator is superior to the old one
Christ is the mediator of a new covenant
We…enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…a new and living way.
If I was a Jewish convert to Christ and I heard this kind of messaging I think I’d be experiencing some anxiety. Uncertainty. Perplexity. Skepticism.
A better way?
Superior to Moses?
Superior to high priests?
A covenant that replaces the existing one?
It was a hard-pill-to-swallow and a real sticking-point for Jewish people who a) wanted to follow Jesus but b) were disinclined to let go of their traditional faith.
Note: quotes from Hebrews 3:3 3:5-6 7:22 7:26-28 8:6 9:15 10:19-20 (NIV)