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!

The book quotes use the Septuagint for its quotes from Psalm 2, Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 102, etc. The Septuagint was a Greek translation of the Old Testament, more widely available to the Greek world.

(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 this week.