It's All About Him: Hebrews-- Lesson 12

To start at the beginning of this series, click here.

It's Time to Take Notice

To continue a bit with last lesson's theme, I want to re-visit some verses and add one more:

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; (Hebrews 2:17-3:1, NASB 95)

A priest is one who intercedes with God on behalf of others--and the Writer will have much to say about this later. For now, however, I want you to look at these verses relating the reaction of the children of Israel to the arrival of God on Mt. Sinai:

All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die."

Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin."

So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. (Exodus 20:18-21)

Here is the start of the Old Covenant and before Jesus made propitiation for sin. At that point in time, to see God was to become aware of personal sin and a perceived lack of remedy. In other words, the presence of God seemed like a harbinger of death. Moses, then, became like a priest shuttling between the people and God. Jesus, who took on our flesh and blood, has made a complete propitiation and by that we have inherited a great salvation. And now we see him as a "faithful and merciful high priest." And because He took on humanity, He really knows about our temptations and is able-because He still lives-to help us when we are tempted.

The Son, through all things were created, is also an Apostle and the High Priest of a new confession. The Writer, again, makes an appeal to his people to come to know this truth: "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus..." By "holy brethren" he means all the children of Israel, set apart by the calling of the patriarchs and all partakers of God's calling on His chosen people. The Writer asks them to "consider" Jesus. He wants them to look again at this man and what he means. In effect the Writer by this word "consider" is about to put Jesus on display and will compare Him to the great pillars of Judaism: Moses, the Priesthood, and the Covenant.

He begins with Moses:

He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. (Hebrews 3:2-4)

The full impact of what the Writer says here comes from understanding how great is the deserved esteem of Moses. Deuteronomy closes with this obituary:

Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12)

This prophet, like none other in Israel's history, has a glory like a grand house. Jesus' glory is now compared to the one who designed, built, and owns the house.

More next time.

Test everything. Cling to what is good.

It's All About Him: Hebrews -- Lesson 11

To start at the beginning of the series, click here.

A Little Lower

Having established the Son's superiority over the angels and having given warning that we should not neglect his work and message, the Writer now takes a surprising turn:

For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying,

What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands; You have put all things in subjection under his feet.

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:5-9, NASB 95)

Note the movement here. The world is subject to the Son, but not to the angels. Then he quotes from Psalm 8 and extracts from it a hint that the coming "son of man" would be "made for a little while lower than the angels." The Writer understands that the psalm speaks of a promise to all mankind--as we can discern by his qualifying comments, "but we do not yet see all things subjected to him" i.e. common man. But then he puts forth the Son, who now sits at the right hand of God, and says, "But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus." How fitting it is that the Writer now tells us the name by which we know the Son--the name taken on by the Son of God when he became "the Son of Man" and joined the race of men.

And now the Writer tells us the reason for the change:

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,

I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.

And again,

I will put My trust in Him.

And again,

Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:10-18)

It's all about kinship and family, "since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same." There is a Hebrew word, GOEL, that has these translations in our English Old Testament:

• Kinsman: A blood relative
• Redeemer: A blood relative responsible for buying his kinsman's freedom from slavery
• Avenger: A blood relative responsible for avenging his kinsman's spilled blood

As you can see being a blood relative carried responsibility. When Jesus took on our flesh and blood, He became our Kinsman. When he rendered "powerless him who had the power of death," He became our Avenger. When he freed "those who through fear of death were subject to slavery," He became our Redeemer. Jesus: Kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger, Priest, Brother -- Truly our salvation is great and not to be neglected. Here He is, in flesh and blood, able to understand our weakness and come to our aid and intercede with God on our behalf.

If the Book of Hebrews ended here, it would be a great book. But the Writer has much more ground to cover. From his fellow Jews come the questions, "What about Moses?" "What about the priests and the temple service?" and more. Because he cares about his people, the Writer will now move to answer these questions. Remember that the backdrop of this book is the rejection of the Son by many Jews--and this book moves to correct that. Indeed, if today you have Jewish friends who are showing an interest in the gospel, I would recommend that this book in the New Testament be their starting point. Herein, they will find the gospel in their language.

Test everything. Cling to what is good.

It's All About Him: Hebrews -- Lesson 10

To start at the beginning of this series, click here.

KAL V'CHOMER

The Writer devoted the first section of his letter to establishing the superiority of the Son over the "angels," and, as the title of this blog series suggests, the superiority of the Son will continue to be the focus of this letter. Before moving on, it is worth reminding you that the Writer has not yet identified the Son by his earthly name of Jesus. This is deliberate, as will be apparent when the name, Jesus, suddenly appears. But we are not there yet.

Here is what the Writer writes next:

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. (Hebrews 1:14-2:4, NASB 95)

According the first chapter God's message in these last days has come through His Son, who sits at His right hand, and whom the angels should worship. They are created and the Son is the He through whom they were created. So the Son is king and the earlier messengers were "ministering spirits" in the service of "those who will inherit salvation." The Writer draws an important conclusion from this, "For this reason, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard." Indeed!

Of course, the angels have less significance than the Son, but look at the authority that backed up their message.

• Their words "proved unalterable." These early messengers spoke for God and presented His unalterable truths. It is the overwhelming greatness of the Son that demands our closer attention, not a lack of greatness in the angels.
• Disobeying the messages and commands of the angels "received a just penalty." This says again that the angels communicated the truth of God and had authority to carry out the consequences.

From this, the writer makes his first critical application, "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" The Writer is using a rabbinic KAL V'CHOMER argument form. KAL V'CHOMER means "light and heavy." and such an argument says, "If this light or small thing, how much more this heavy or great thing." Only here, the argument goes, "If this great thing, how much more this greater and superior thing." Speaking as a Jew to fellow Jews, the Writer says, "We received the commandments of God and disobeyed them. Our disobedience brought the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. It led to the current scattering of our people among the nations. Now the Son has brought a message and has made 'purification for our sins.' What will be the result if we ignore this?" You need to feel the pain and desperation behind these remarks. The first century believing Jews watched as most of their brethren spurn the message, and it was hard for them. About this Paul wrote, "I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, (Romans 9:1-3)" So the writer is pleading to his fellow Jews that they stop and listen to this new and better message that has come from the Son.

This message of salvation was "first spoken through the Lord." Here is another reference to the Son speaking as God Himself. The Jews do not speak the name of God, YHWH. When the name appears in the Biblical and liturgical texts, the Jews say "ADONAI" instead. Here the Writer says the message was "first spoken through the Lord." When the Son spoke, God spoke. Furthermore, the message, "confirmed by those who heard." Multiple first hand witnesses have more than corroborated the words and works of the Son on earth. The teachings of these witnesses also had backup, "God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

The introduction is almost complete. What remains is to connect the Son of God with mankind--and, in doing so, reveal His name. I will pick that up in the next lesson.

Test everything. Cling to what is good.