Hebrews 4, Entering God's Rest

The picture from Exodus, begun in the previous chapter, is of an Israelite nation on the verge of the promised land, stalling for 40 years across the Jordan River, unable to enter their promise because of their (deliberate) "unbelief".  The writer of Hebrews continues this metaphor, with a warning.

Hebrews 4:1-2, Listen!
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.  For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 

What is the rest?  In this metaphor, it is the "promised land".  Is it Heaven?  Eternal salvation? Confidence with God?  Commentators differ.  I think it is overly simplistic to call it "(eternal) salvation."  It is most likely a stable place of steady confidence in God.

Hebrews 4:3-5, Rest complete
Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, `They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.  For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."  And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."

The author quotes from Psalm 95:11, continuing the study of the last half of that psalm.  In that psalm, David (or another psalmist) praises God for all of creation, ending with a warning about the importance of moving forward in trust and obedience, not turning back like the nation of Israel did in events named Meribah ("quarreling") and Massah ("testing".)

The author then reminds his/her listeners of the creation story, where "somewhere" it was written that God rested on the seventh day.  Clearly the author and the readers know where that was written!  The phrase "somewhere" is not one of ignorance but one of intimacy, an expression along the lines of "as we all know..."

A reading of Psalm 95 would make one naturally turn to the opening chapters of Genesis, as the psalm emphasizes God's creation.

Hebrews 4:6-10, Today

It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.  Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.  There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;  for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

The quote in verse 7 ("Today") is again from Psalm 95, verses 7 and 8. The word "Today" is being used here as a way to emphasize the urgency of this message.  The readers need to respond to this message now.

The Greek word Yeshua appears 14 times in the book of Hebrews.  It is the Greek name for Jesus, but here, in verse 8, it surely means Joshua, the Old Testament hero.  The names Jesus and Joshua are the same!

A basic interpretative question here is, "What is God's rest?  What is this 'Sabbath-rest' for the people of God?"

Hebrews 4:11-13, Naked and transparent before God
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

In Christian cultural circles (in the US) it seems common to use "word of God" as a phrase for the Bible.  But the Bible has a number of different, related meanings for this phrase occurring in verse 12.  In Genesis 1, Jeremiah 23:29, Isaiah 55:11 (& 1 Thess 2:13) and other Old Testament places, the "word of God" is simply God-in-action.  When God acts, God's Word acts.

In John 1:1, we see Jesus identified as "The Word [Logos] of God".  This is not especially surprising.  If God's "Word" is God-in-action, and if Jesus is the "exact representation" of God in human form then, yes, Jesus represents God in action.

Occasionally, the "word of God" means the scriptures, as described throughout Psalm 119:9-11.  So there are three meanings of "word" in the Bible:  (1) God's commands, (2) Jesus, the embodiments of God's action, (3) Scripture.

Which is meant here?  Surely some combinations of meanings 1 & 2.

How is "the word" living and active?

Hebrews 4:14-16, Sympathetic high priest

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

What does it mean to have "gone through the heavens"?

How is Jesus described here?  Why are we to have confidence?

The high priest both comforts us and stands for us.   This repeats the theme of 2:18: our high priest is sympathetic to us.

Hebrews 3, One Greater Than Moses

In the first two chapters of this letter, our author emphasizes that Jesus is God, far above the angels. Now the author compares Jesus with that ancient Jewish hero, Moses.

3:1-4, Jesus is greater than Moses
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.  He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house.   Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.  For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

What is the house here?  How does the metaphor of house & house-builder fit into the Jewish point of view?  What role does Jesus have?  What is he called here?  Note how the roles & titles of Jesus seem to morph; the author is not consistent; his metaphor is fluid.

3:5-6, Son vs. servant
Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future.  But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Jesus is the architect/owner of "God's house"; Moses is the butler who welcomes you in.

"God's house" is equivalent to God's kingdom, or (in New Testament language) the universal Church.

3:7-11, A lesson from the Exodus
So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.  That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, `Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'  So I declared on oath in my anger, `They shall never enter my rest.'"

The writer is quoting from Psalm 95 (verses 7-11) here.  Note the new metaphor, from ancient Jewish history.  What is the "rest" implied here? How is Jesus involved in that rest? Moses?

3:12-15, Hear his voice!
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.  As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."

There are more quotations from Psalm 95.  The nation of Israel, as recorded in the book of Exodus, saw dramatic displays of God at work, yet backed off at the last moment, unable to enter the Promised Land.

What is the meaning of the phrase, "as long as it is called Today"?  What is the real concern here?

3:16-19, The danger of disobedience
Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?  And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert?  And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?  So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

The action that kept the Jewish people out of the promised land was (active) unbelief, an active refusal to acknowledge God's plan.  The writer of Hebrews is concerned here that his/her readers may also back away at the last moment, snatching defeat from victory.

Compare the ending of this passage with the beginning.  The overall comparison is of Moses and Jesus; what Moses began, Jesus completes.  So, the message is, "Move on and don't get left behind!"

Hebrews 2, Our Suffering Brother

The writer of Hebrews has spent the first chapter emphasizing that the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, is the exact imprint of God, having created the universe.  This Jesus is greater than the angels.  Why is this important?  Jewish tradition (and the Septuagint translation) has the angels giving the law to Moses. So the angels are the agents through which the Law was passed down.  But if Jesus is even greater... then we must take Jesus very seriously!

2:1-4, A great salvation
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.  For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,  how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.  God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

The salvation offered by Jesus has been passed on by those followers who personally saw and heard Him.  Unlike Paul, the writer of Hebrews appears to have received this message from one of those followers.

Like the miracles of the Exodus, this message has been confirmed by similar miracles in Jesus's day, including the gifts and confirmation of the Holy Spirit.

2:5-8a, The Son of Man over all things
It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.  But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor  and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him.

"It is said somewhere".  The writer knows the passage (from Psalms 8:4-6) and knows that his (her?) readers know the passage also.  There is no need to mention David.  The Davidic passage appears to be talking about mankind but the writer interprets it as speaking of the Son of Man, the Messiah.

Here we are reminded that although Jesus is superior to all angels, he stooped to become a man, for just a time lower even than the angels.

2:8b-10, Exalted by death
Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.  In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

The suffering Messiah (of Isaiah 53) was, just for a time, lower than the angels, in order to lift mankind up.  So we too are (eventually) even superior to angels, as we are lifted up by the Messiah.

In the next passage, we are told that Jesus is both "brother" and "high priest".

2:11-13, Our brother
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.  He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." 

These passages are from the messianic Psalm 22 (verse 22) and from Isaiah 8:17-18.

2:14-18, Brother and high priest!
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.  For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

This passage has a theme we will hear a number of times.  Jesus, the exact imprint of God (verse 1:3, at the beginning of this letter) was also human, so that he might be a sympathetic representative for us.

Note that final verse, Hebrews 2:18.  Don't pass it by.  We have a "brother" who has been tempted and suffered as we have.  As his brothers and sisters, we have One who wants to help.

In the next passage, the writer will move away from angels and compare Jesus to Moses, that ancient hero who brought the divine Law to the people of Israel.

Hebrews 1, Jesus, Angels, Representation Theory

The letter to the Hebrews opens with an eloquent statement for the Jewish readers.

Hebrews 1:1-3, The Final Representation of God.  
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 

This is a clear statement claiming that "the Son" is the fulfillment of the Judaic plan of God ... and that this has been part of that plan from the beginning.   Jesus is both an heir at the end of history and the creator of the universe at the beginning of history.

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. 

In my mathematical research area, a representation is a mapping that takes an abstract idea, one complicated and difficult to understand, and creates a concrete example of the idea, an example where one can do precise mathematical computations, where one's understanding is achieved by "concreteness."  (Yes, there is a whole mathematical theory of this -- I have books on "representation theory" in my office!)  A representation is "faithful" if it carries all the properties of that difficult abstract idea.

When we humans ask about the abstract, strange, scary idea of "God" and want to understand who God is, we have been offered the "exact representation" of God, that is, God in human form (Jesus), as a concrete example.  If you wish to understand God, look at Jesus.

After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

The first two verses could be understood by Greek philosophers.  But this concluding sentence returns to God's work in the Jewish nation, for "the Son" is indeed the Jewish Messiah, the Jewish sacrificial Lamb, the Savior of all mankind.

Hebrews 1:4, Better than angels  

So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 

After a strong thematic opening on the identity of "the Son", we have a transition to a lengthy passage about angels.  Of course, if "the Son" is the exact representation of God and was involved in Creation then this Messiah is above all created things, including angels.  But the author wants to dwell on that a bit... and that will be the next half of chapter 1.

The author of Hebrews ends our first chapter with a flurry of Old Testament references to prove that the Jewish Messiah is greater than angels.

Hebrews 1:5-9, Jesus greater than the angels
For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"?  Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?  

These two quotes are from Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:13-14, part of God's promise to David and his descendants.  (A passage parallel to 2 Samuel 7:13-14 is 1 Chronicles 17:13.)

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

This quotation is an interesting one, for it is from the Pentateuch, from Deuteronomy 32:43.  Modern translations like the NIV, based on the Masoretic text, don't mention angels, but the Septuagint does, and the Septuagint was the Greek version of the Old Testament available for Greek readers of that day.  The Jewish readers would have been familiar with this quotation.

In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire."

But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

These two quotations are from the psalms, first Psalm 104:4 and then Psalm 45:6-7.

Hebrews 1:10-12, Jesus -- from the beginning
He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

This beautiful cosmological scene is from Psalm 102:25-27. 

Hebrews 1:13-14, Angels are different
To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

The final Old Testament quote in this passage is from Psalm 110:1.  Clearly the psalter and the book of Moses were well known to the readers.  The psalms will be used as references throughout the letter.

Why, suddenly, this essay on angels?  There are two reasons the writer pauses to compare Jesus and the angels.  

First, the Jewish reader of that time would believe (of course) that there is only one God.  But he/she might also believe in other divine beings between God and man, that is, spirits or "angels" or "sons of God" (such as those who showed up in Old Testament episodes with Abraham or Daniel.)  Jewish followers of Jesus might be tempted to believe that Jesus was a spiritual hero, a divine spirit, therefore relegating Him to angelic status.  The author of Hebrews wants the readers to understand that this demotion is unacceptable.  Jesus is far above the angels!  This is intended (with verse 3) to be a clear statement about Jesus's divinity: Jesus IS God.

There is a second reason the author of this letter want to compare Jesus with angels.  That will become clear in the next chapter of the letter.

Mark 16, Easter Sunday

Jesus has been crucified and buried in a tomb.  After a Sabbath (Saturday) day of rest, his grieving followers arrive to show their respect for their rabbi, the one who claimed to be their Messiah.

Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, `He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

"Go tell his disciples ... and Peter."  Why is Peter singled out?  

The remainder of the gospel of Mark does not appear in the most ancient manuscripts.  The original ending was probably been lost and a conclusion later added.  It seems clear that the gospel was not intended to end here.

Mark 16:9-13
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

Luke records Jesus appearing on the Emmaus road to two disciples, while they were walking "in the country".

Mark 16: 14-20
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

This passage has some standard statements that appear in the other gospels and then some weirder ones that probably are an attempt to explain some events that happened later.  Especially interesting is verse 18, on handling snakes and drinking poison.  

Now that we have finished the gospel of Mark, the recollections of the devout Jew, Peter, it is appropriate that we move on to an interesting New Testament letter that describes how Jesus fits the role of the Jewish Messiah and the Jewish Passover Lamb.  We will look next at the book of Hebrews.

Mark 15: 21-47, Road to Golgotha

Jesus has endured a trial before religious leaders and then a trial before the Roman ruler, Pilate. Pilate, somewhat reluctantly, has just sentenced Jesus to be crucified.

Mark 15: 21-32
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!"

In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." 

Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The third hour would have been sometime in the midmorning.

Note the reference to Simon "of Cyrene", as the father of two named individuals, as if maybe the readers know of Alexander and Rufus?

Some manuscripts add to verse 27 an explanatory phrase, "and the scripture was fulfilled which says, 'He was counted with the lawless ones'."  (The quote there is from Isaiah 53:12.)

The crowd hanging out at the cross (other than frightened family members and friends) are probably people who like to watch Roman executions. (Their descendants are today's internet trolls?)  So these execution-watchers are prepared to insult the dying. But some of them know enough about Jesus to mock his statements about the temple.

Mark 15: 33-39
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, <"Eloi, Eloi, lama> "--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

The sixth hour is noon.

Jesus's cry on the cross is the beginning of the Messianic psalm, Psalm 22. The Aramaic/Hebrew begins with Eloi, a name for God, but the listeners mishear this as a call for Elijah.

Mark 15: 40-47
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.

Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Pilate is surprised that Jesus is dead. Crucifixion was designed to be a lengthy painful death.

The writer presumes that the readers knows who "Mary, mother of Joses" is.

Some followers -- women are especially named here -- remember the location of the burial site so that they can give honor and respect to the dead after the Sabbath is over.  It is good that they do this....

The Epistle to the Hebrews

Towards the end of the New Testament one finds a fascinating little book often called "The Epistle to the Hebrews".  It consists of 13 short chapters.  It is absent an "addressee" and it is absent a claim of authorship.  Indeed, like the book of James (which follows it in the English Bible), it reads more like a sermon.

Its authorship is a mystery.  But the audience is most like Jewish Christians in the first century who, probably under persecution, were beginning to drift back to Judaism and away from following the teachings of this Messiah named Jesus.

The book gives some of the clearest statements about the role of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, as the both the perfect Lamb of God and as a High Priest serving mankind.  The letter has some strong statements about commitment to Christ and about thinking longterm about our pilgrimage as Christians.  It also includes some strange passages, emphasizing Melchizedek (who is he?!) and a number of passages about "falling away" and what that might mean.

It has a "boot camp" emphasis about getting back on track and being serious about being Jesus's disciple.  That theme got the letter in trouble with Martin Luther, who did not like its emphasis on "works".  Luther was uncomfortable with this "works" emphasis in both the letter to the Hebrews and the letter of James.  I understand Luther's frustration with the letter of James but the beauty of Hebrews, as it describes Jesus's priesthood, gives us important insight to the Jewish-ness of the gospel.  Every Christian should spend some time meditating on this book!

(In the fall semester of 2015, I led a Bible study in the Epistle to the Hebrews at Elkins Lake Baptist Church on Wednesday nights.)

It is fitting, as we finish our study of the Gospel of Mark, that we move on to a book that describes how Jesus met the Old Testament expectations about the servant Messiah.  We will begin a study of Hebrews next week.