SUMBER KRISTEN: KOTBAH BAHASA INGGRIS
melayani jemaat dan hamba Tuhan
melayani jemaat dan hamba Tuhan
1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 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. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The epistle to the Hebrews begins as dramatically as a rocket
shot to the moon. In one paragraph, the writer breathtakingly
transports his readers from the familiar ground of Old Testament
prophetic writings, through the incarnation of the Son (who is
at once creator, heir and sustainer of all things and the fullest
possible manifestation of deity), past the purifying sacrifice
of the cross to the exaltation of Jesus on the ultimate seat of
power in the universe. It is a paragraph daring in its claims
and clearly designed to arrest the reader's attention and compel
a further hearing.
These introductory verses present a sharp departure from the usual
first-century epistolary practice, as seen so regularly in Paul's
epistles. There are no opening greetings, no indication of the
writer's name and no expression of good wishes. For this reason
some have viewed Hebrews as a formal address, perhaps even a sermon.
This idea finds some support in 13:22, "my word of exhortation."
But the treatise clearly ends like a letter, with the writer asking
his readers to pray for him as he looks forward to seeing them.
He also gives them news of Timothy and brings greetings from others.
The Author's Purpose. The author intends to present
a series of arguments for the superiority of Jesus over all rival
claims to allegiance which his readers were feeling and hearing.
Their attention was easily diverted off in other directions, just
as our attention is easily distracted today. They, like us, were
being tempted, frightened or pressured into following other voices
and serving other masters. In chapters 1-7, he examines these
rival authorities and reveals their inadequacies. None was, in
itself, a false or fraudulent voice. Each was ordained by God
and proper in its intended place. Each had served the people of
God well in the past, and no teaching or expectation was wrong
at the time it was given. But now the final word, the ultimate
revelation from God toward which all the other voices had pointed,
had come. To this supreme voice the author directs his readers'
attention, and ours, by contrasting this final word with the past
utterances.
First, there were the prophets, God's ancient spokesmen (1:1-3);
then the angels, Israel's guardians (1:4-2:18); then Israel's
great leader, Moses (3:1-4:7); Israel's godly general, Joshua
(4:8-13); and finally the founder of Israel's priesthood, Aaron
(4:14-7:28). Each was a voice from Israel's past that needed to
be heard but that was woefully inadequate if followed alone. It
was clearly a case of the good being the enemy of the best. Eclipsing
all these, as the rising sun eclipses the light of the stars,
is the figure of Jesus, God's Son, creator and heir of all things.
The abrupt beginning here marks the intensity with which the author
writes. It parallels, in that respect, Paul's letter to the Galatians.
The writer sees clearly that any slippage in the view of Jesus
as supreme is fraught with the gravest danger and must be dealt
with forthrightly and thoroughly. Since the same danger is present
today, Christians must take special care that no obscuring mists
of doubt or unbelief should diminish the stature of Jesus in their
eyes. (1)
The Primacy of Jesus. Jesus' superiority to the
prophets is marked in six ways. First, he is the Son, and as such
speaks with greater authority and completeness than the prophets.
Through them God spoke at many times and in various ways,
but not always when men desired, nor as clearly as they might
have wished. The word spoken through the prophets and that spoken
by the Son is marked by three particulars: a contrast of method
(various ways), of time (various times), and of agency (in Son),
all marking the prophetic revelation as inferior to that which
comes through the Son. 'What is communicated in parts, sections,
fragments, must of necessity be imperfect; and so also a representation
which is made in many modes cannot be other than provisional"
(Westcott 1889:3-4). F. F. Bruce puts the matter well: "Priest
and prophet, sage and singer were in their several ways His spokesmen;
yet all the successive acts and varying modes of revelation in
the ages before Christ came did not add up to the fullness of
what God wanted to say" (1964:3).
God's word through the Son is final and complete. The apostles
are but additional spokesmen for Christ, for in their letters
they only expand his subject matter and do not add any new teachings
or insights. Jesus affirms this superior status himself when he
says to his disciples, "Blessed are your eyes because they
see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth,
many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but
did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it"
(Mt 13:16-17).
The phrase these last days means more than merely the present
time. It looks on to the second appearing of Jesus (9:28) which
brings the last days of the present age to an end, to be followed
by the new age of the kingdom referred to in 6:5. The appearance
of the Son on earth to reveal truth "kept secret from the
foundation of the world," also marks the beginning of the
last days which continue until he comes again.
Second, the Son's superior greatness to the prophets springs from
his position as both creator and heir of all things. Here Paul's
argument in Colossians 1:15-17 is perhaps reflected. Creation's
beginning and end form the boundaries of time. Jesus stands both
at the end of the future and at the beginning of the past. He
made this claim himself to the astonishment of the Jews, "Before
Abraham was born, I am!" (Jn 8:58). Jesus is also the heir
of all creation. The prophets were God's spokesmen, living out
their allotted span of time, circumscribed by the events of earth---but
Jesus is the eternal Son, who creates, and therefore owns, all
things. Westcott sees the absence of the article before Son
as significant (by his Son is simply "in Son"
in the Greek text). He expresses that significance by saying,
" [it] fixes attention upon the nature and not upon the personality
of the Mediator of the new revelation. God spake to us in one
who has this character that He is Son" (1889:7). Though Jesus
is clearly superior to the prophets, he does not replace their
revelation. The Old Testament remains as valid Scripture for the
followers of Jesus, as the author will bring out many times. The
prophets were used by God as spokesmen, but the Son, by contrast,
"stands" (appointed) as heir of all things. Those
all things refer to the material universe and all forces
within it, seated by the Son in partnership with the Father and
the Spirit. (2)
In the phrase translated through whom he made the universe
F. F. Bruce sees a trace of a primitive Christian hymn or creedal
confession of faith. One finds parallels in similar phrases in
John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16. The expressions the radiance
of God's glory and the exact representation of his being
also find a parallel in "the image of the invisible God"
in Colossians 1:15 and "being in very nature God" in
Philippians 2:6. There is no question but that important Christian
doctrines were formulated in hymnic style and used widely in early
church worship services. Indeed, when a modem congregation sings
"Fairest Lord Jesus," they are responding to the same
urge that moved the early Christians to praise their Lord.
Third, the Son shares fully in the divine nature. Though our author
will argue later that Jesus is also fully man, as other men are,
here he unmistakably asserts his deity. The Son is the radiance
of God's glory. Radiance is light that streams forth from
a source of light. As no one can separate the sun's light from
the sun itself, so also no one can separate the nature of Christ
from that of his Father. Whether the radiance is seen as reflected
brightness or inherent brightness, the thought is clear: in Jesus
we see the essence of God. He is, therefore, the exact representation
of his [God's] being. As a coin reflects the exact image of
the die, so the Son reproduces the precise character (Gk: charakter---used
only here) of the Father. Thus Jesus could say to Philip, "Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9). No more powerful
expression of the deity of Jesus is possible. Any attempt to place
Jesus as simply the highest product of creation will fail because
the evidence is decisive for the contrary. Many sects have tried
to teach that Jesus is only human, but they have no scriptural
basis to do so.
This full statement leads naturally to the fourth aspect of the
Son's work as the master of the universe: sustaining all things
by his powerful word. This statement of Hebrews is a direct
challenge to modern scientific humanism as well as to the older
Deism. F. W. Grant states, "There is thus no thought in Scripture
of a creation which shall be sufficient for itself, a perfect
machine made to run eternally without the Hand that made it"
(1903:15). As scientists probe the nature of the universe they
increasingly confront the mystery of an unweighable, invisible
force which literally holds all things together. This force is
identified here as the powerful word of "One who carries
all things forward on their appointed course" (Bruce 1964:6).
The thought includes more than mere sustaining (as an Atlas holds
the world on his shoulders), but expresses movement and progress
toward an appointed end. It results in what scientists call "laws
of predictability," and so technology becomes a source of
evidence for a God-ordered world. New objects discovered in space,
such as black holes, quasars and novas, present new problems for
astronomers and physicists. These new questions ought not to threaten
a Christian's faith. Rather, they can enhance it as God's power
and majesty is revealed more and more as our knowledge is increased.
Fifth, in sharp contrast to this image of universal power is the
sentence: After he had provided purification for sins.
This evokes all the agony and blood of the cross. In doing so,
the Savior accomplishes something which no prophet or sage of
the past nor philosopher or scientist of the present could ever
do. Mere power, even vast, creative power, cannot help here. "The
glory of God is not the glory of shattering power, but the glory
of suffering love" (Barclay 1957:5).
Certain manuscripts emphasize the uniqueness of this act by adding
the words by himself. This stresses the preciousness of
redemption. It was not something done through an impersonal provision;
it involved the very heart and soul of the Redeemer and the shedding
of his life's blood! Even if the phrase is omitted the thought
is retained by the middle form of the verb. The terrible problem
which human sin presents can be solved by one, and only one, remedy---the
death of Jesus. This is the central theme of the epistle, to which
the writer returns many times. It forms the ultimate and final
word to man, uttered by the Son and far more significant than
anything which has gone before or could ever follow. Creation
rests upon power, but redemption upon the sacrifice of one who
was "crucified in weakness." He rose and now is seated
at the right hand of our majestic God in heaven.
Sixth, Jesus sat down to give expression to his cry from the cross,
"It is finished!" The phrase sat down at the right
hand is meant symbolically, not literally, for God has no
right hand. It denotes the supreme honor accorded to the triumphant
Lord, who is risen from the dead. Surely it is a reference (the
first of five in Hebrews) to Psalm 110, "The LORD says to
my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool
for your feet.'" Of this Bruce says, "Ps. 110 is the
key text of this epistle" (1964:8). That Jesus saw himself
in the psalm is evident by his words to the Sanhedrin, "From
now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the
mighty God" (Lk 22:69). In Hebrews 10:11, our author will
contrast the seated Messiah with the Aaronic priests who must
stand as they offer sacrifices, because Jesus ended the need for
further sacrifice forever. That act of redemption reaches out
to include the material creation as well as man (Rom 8:20), so
that finally nothing remains untouched by its transforming grace.
Paul argues this eloquently in Colossians 1:19-20 and Ephesians
1:9-10.
Clearly the world we live in today is one which desperately needs
redemption. In this introductory paragraph Jesus has been portrayed
as the supreme Prophet, the unique Owner of all things, the uncreated
Creator, the exact Image of God's being, the Sustainer of the
universe, the Sacrificing Priest who cleanses sin, and the Conqueror
who occupies the place of honor above all his creation. From this
lofty beginning the writer will assert the supremacy of Jesus
above all other names of honor in Hebrew thought or practice.
He turns now, in 1:4-2:18, to consider the sharp contrast between
Jesus and the angels.
The nation was startled when Nancy Reagan was reported to be
influencing her husband's decisions on the basis of advice obtained
from her astrologer. Perhaps what is even more startling is to
realize that pastors preaching to evangelical congregations today
may very well be addressing some, if not many, in their audience
who are worshipping angels. There may well be a woman in the fifth
row who consulted her horoscope before coming to church. Some
teenagers may be involved with experiments with Ouija boards or
"channeling" to obtain guidance in important decisions.
Perhaps someone has already accepted the teaching of reincarnation
as the explanation of what happens to humans after death. As many
know, the New Age movement of the late twentieth century encourages
such teachings, calling fallen angels avatars or spirit-guides.
Their human devotees practice channeling or mediumistic activities,
offering to awaken hidden powers within men and women which will
help them fulfill their greatest possibilities. Every pastor must
ask, What does the writer of Hebrews say that will help those
who, knowingly or not, are drawn to such teaching?
Obviously the teaching is not new. It has been present in every
century since the earliest times. The writer sees his readers
as under attack from such ideas and understands that he must deal
with this first because these attacks threatened their view of
Jesus and his pre-eminence. Even angels could challenge this truth.
But why would angels pose a threat? Surely the Jewish background
of these readers would suffice to prevent them from honoring angels
above the Savior. The words of the First Commandment are clear:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me!" It is evident
from Paul's letter to the Colossians that those with a strong
Jewish background (Col 2:16-17) could also "delight in false
humility and the worship of angels" (2:18). The danger then
is apparent: "Those to whom this letter is sent were entertaining,
or being encouraged to entertain, teaching which elevated angels,
or particular angels, to a position which rivaled that of Christ
himself" (Hughes 1987:51-52). If we think this was only a
first-century phenomenon, we should remember the way humans have
always responded to manifestations of supernatural beings by treating
them as gods, or at least demigods, and giving obeisance to them.
Indeed, the apostle John twice falls at the feet of the angel
who was his guide and is rebuked for so doing (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).
But their difficulty only serves to underscore the nature of their
error. They were being pressured by their former Jewish leaders
and also by pagan contacts to view Jesus not as God but as merely
a man, and therefore less than the angels. Angels had played a
powerful role in Israel's past. There is no record in the Old
Testament of an angelic messenger whose message was rejected or
whose person was attacked or stoned. When an angel spoke, people
listened (Henrichsen 1979:24). The writer acknowledges this impressive
impact in his warning of 2:2.
This exaltation of angels above Jesus is intolerable to the writer
of Hebrews. He devotes a major passage to its answer, supporting
the infinite superiority of Jesus over angels with several reasons.
They are his superior name of Son (1:4-5); the command to angels
to worship him (1:6);the nature of angels versus the nature of
the Son(1:7-14);the great danger of ignoring the Son (2:1-4);
his glory as risen and enthroned man (2:5-9); his work as the
author of human salivation (2:10-13); and his unique ability to
help the recipients of grace (2:14-18). With these seven points,
the writer reveals Jesus as the worthy object of praise and worship
which not even the most glorious angel could claim.
4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 5 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" ?
The passage from 1:5 to 1:14 constitutes a marvelous choreography
of Old Testament passages which, like a well-programmed ballet,
catches immediate interest with a pas-de-deux of two Messianic
phrases: one from Psalm 2:7 and the other from 2 Samuel 7:14.
Both center on the name of Son which must belong properly
to Jesus and to no one else. These verses distinguish him from
the Father, but also place the Father's imprimatur on his brow.
(3)
It is true that angels are called "sons of God" in the
book of Job (1:6; 2:1; 38:7, KJV) because, like Adam, they are
direct creations from God's hand. This fact may seem to mark angels
as equal with Jesus and therefore proper objects of worship. But
Jesus is God's Son from ail eternity---the uncreated Son. Furthermore,
the quotation from Psalm 2 highlights Jesus' status as the exalted
Son of Man, as Paul declared in his sermon at Pisidian Antioch
(Acts 13:33) referring to his resurrection from the dead. Thus
he was both the eternal Son and the glorified human Son (Son of
God and Son of Man).
The writer here especially claims the superiority of Jesus over
the angels as the Son of Man. No angel could claim either eternity
or resurrection as the basis of his sonship, but Jesus had both.
Though the angels collectively were called sons of God, no individual
angel ever is given that title, or singled out as having a unique
status before God. So the writer demands rhetorically, To which
of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I
have become your Father."
Psalm 2 is specifically applied to Jesus in Revelation 12:5 and
19:15 and to those who share his kingdom reign in Revelation 2:27,
especially in conjunction with the words "you will rule them
with an iron scepter" (Ps 2:9). Several scholars have felt
that Psalm 2 represents a coronation liturgy which was included
in enthronement ceremonies of the Davidic dynasty. One of the
rabbis in Midrash Tehillim says of Psalm 2:7, "And
when the hour comes, the Holy One---blessed be He!---says to them,
I must create him a new creation, as it is said, 'This day have
I begotten thee.'" Of this F. F. Bruce says, "The implication
here seems to be that Psalm 2:7 refers to the time when Messiah,
after suffering and death, is brought back to the realm of the
living" (1964:13, fn. 63). This understanding would agree
with Paul's use of Psalm 2:7 in Acts 13:33 and clearly the word
today refers to the resurrection of Jesus rather than the
day of his birth in Bethlehem, or of his baptism in the Jordan.
The second source of support from the Old Testament draws on 2
Samuel 7:14. Historically the words "I will be his father,
and he will be my Son" were spoken to David concerning Solomon
when the prophet Nathan told David that Solomon will build a house
for God in Jerusalem. There is, however, a hint that David's power
would extend to his progeny, which would also include the Messiah.
The prophets in later times spoke often of a greater son of David
who would fulfill all the promises to David of an eternal reign.
Bruce quotes from the Dead Sea Scrolls where 2 Samuel 7:14 is
linked with an expectation of the imminent restoration of David's
house by the "shoot of David," the Messiah (1964:14).
Note again how the human nature of the Lord is underscored by
his title Son of David. As the risen Man, he claims the throne
of David, but as such the Father calls him "my Son."
By these two quotations, with their royal implications, the writer
of Hebrews claims that being related to God as a Son is a far
greater title than any angel could claim. This rests on the base
of a shared eternity and a resurrection, which is the "new
creation."
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
The angels were created, but the Son is begotten. His superiority
is now upheld by a verse from the Septuagint version of Deuteronomy
32 which commands all angels to worship the Son (v. 43 LXX). (4) The passage is the Song of Moses uttered
before the crossing of the Jordan. At that time Moses said to
the people: "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly
declared to you this day. . . . They are not just idle words for
you---they are your life" (Deut 32:46-47). Allusions to this
hymn are found in eleven books of the New Testament (twice in
Hebrews---1:6 and 10:30), which indicates its importance to early
Christians. In the Song of Moses, the angels are called to worship
Yahweh (Jehovah). New Testament writers apply such passages without
hesitation to Jesus. Many places in Scripture witness the obedience
of the angels, notably Job 38:7, Luke 2:13, and Revelation 5:11-12.
Mark 3:11 indicates that even the demons (fallen angels) fell
down before Jesus when they saw him and addressed him as the Son
of God.
Since the earliest times, Christian commentators have differed
on what the again refers to in verse 6. If it is taken
with the verb he says ("he says again"), as in
the NIV, it simply means another quotation that supports the superiority
of Jesus. If, however, it is linked with the verb brings
("he brings again"), it is a reference either to the
coming of Jesus at the Incarnation, his reappearance after the
resurrection, or his Second Coming at the end of the age. In view
of the connected character of these quotations, it seems best
to take it as a second support citation, "he says again."
Twice in Hebrews, Jesus is called firstborn (here and in
12:23). In this verse it seems to refer to his creative work.
Bruce rightly says, "He is called 'the firstborn' because
He exists before all creation, and because all creation is His
heritage" (1964:15). Paul's great assertion is recorded in
Colossians 1:15, "the firstborn over all creation."
The point of it all is: He whom the Hebrews thought to be subordinate
to angels is the very one whom the angels are commanded to worship
as their creator!
7 In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." 8 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. 9 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." 10 He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 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." 13 To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" ? 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
In 1:7-14 the author for the third time sweeps through the
Psalms to display a chorus of verses that praise the Son who has
a nature inherently superior to angels. In the Hebrew of Psalm
104:4 the natural elements of wind and fire are called the messengers
of God; in the Septuagint it is the angels who are made to be
these elements. Though they are as powerful as the wind and can
be as destructive as lightning, they are, nevertheless, only messengers
of the Son while Jesus is the Son of God himself.
This sharp contrast is sustained also by two verses coming from
Psalm 45:6-7. Their antiphonal character with verse 6 is clear
in the way they are introduced: In speaking of the angels he
says, . . . But about the Son he says . . . Psalm 45 is a
wedding song, originally describing a king of Israel, but later
understood by the rabbis as messianic. The contrast between a
royal personage and his servant-companions is the point of the
quotation. This king is addressed twice as God; possesses a throne,
a scepter and a kingdom; loves righteousness and hates wickedness;
has a special anointing of joy; and continues as king forever
and ever. No angel could claim these attributes. The cause of
the king's joy is traced to his love of righteousness and hatred
of wickedness. Here, by contrast, may be a hint of the moral defection
of the host of angels who fell with Satan. Angels could and did
sin, but the Son's love of righteousness kept him safe through
the most severe temptations. Even those unfallen angels who also,
presumably, love righteousness do so on the basis of choice, while
the Son's love of righteousness is inherent in his very nature.
For this reason (therefore) God has set him above his companions.
(5)
Once more our author displays the dazzling glory of the Creator,
who is infinitely superior to any angel, by summoning the words
of Psalm 102:25-27: In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your
hands.This is not simply a restatement of truth he has already
declared ("through whom he made the universe"---v. 2),
but the point he now twice asserts is the timeless endurance of
the Son: They will perish, but you remain; . . . they will
be changed. But you remain [Gk: "you are"] the same.
He will make the point again in 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday and today and forever." Psalm 102 is addressed
to Yahweh by a sorely afflicted suppliant who feels the brevity
of his own life in light of the heavens and the earth. But even
they shall pass away in due course, like garments that grow old
and are changed. This is a marvelous poetic description of what
scientists call the law of entropy, or the second law of thermodynamics,
which views the universe as running down. But the Creator is above
his own laws and remains unchanged forever. These words, applied
unhesitatingly to Jesus, place him as far beyond the angels.
As a finale for his presentation of Old Testament support for
the superiority of the nature of the Son over that of angels,
the author returns to his mildly scornful rhetorical question:
To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right
hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?
This second reference to Psalm 110 restates the thought of
1:2, "whom he appointed heir of all things." Even his
enemies will find their place at the Son's feet when God's purposes
are fulfilled. It reflects Paul's declaration in Colossians 2:15,
"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made
a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
The cross won the beginning of the ultimate triumph, but its fulfillment
awaits the return of Jesus as King.
Contrasted to this Supreme Conqueror, the writer asks, Are
not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will
inherit salvation? Even the mightiest angel is under orders
to the Son of God, and gladly helps in fulfilling his desire to
bring many sons to glory (2:10). Though the author does not enlarge
on the specifics of angelic ministry here, it only requires a
review of Bible stories to see that such ministry involves protection
(Ps 91:11), guidance(Gen 19:17), encouragement(Judg 6:12), deliverance
(Acts 12:7), supply (Ps 105:40), enlightenment (Mt 2:19-20) and
empowerment (Lk 22:43), as well as occasional rebuke (Num 22:32
) and discipline (Acts 12:23). Their service is rendered largely
unseen and often unrecognized, but a passage like this should
make us watchful for such help and grateful to the gracious Lord
who sends angels to our aid.
2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 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. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Having proved beyond all argument that angels cannot compare
in importance, power or glory to the Son of God, our author now
raises a warning voice against taking lightly what the Son has
said. This is the first of five major warning passages in Hebrews,
each designed to prevent a specific form of unbelief The five
warnings are found in 2:1-4, 3:12-19, 6:4-8,10:26-31 and 12:25-29.
Our author is deeply concerned lest his readers succumb to the
pressures they were feeling and either renounce the gospel outright
or gradually turn from public confession and lose its influence
entirely. The danger faced in this first warning is that of drifting
away from truth. A dramatic word is employed for "drift away,"
pararreo, which means "to flow by" or "slip
away from." It describes that carelessness of mind which,
perhaps occupied by other things, is not aware it is losing ground.
Plato used it of something slipping away from the memory, and
Plutarch of a ring slipping from a finger. Another figure often
suggested is that of a ship loose from its moorings. The danger
highlighted is that of a great loss occurring unnoticed.
The cause is not taking seriously the words spoken to them. Inattention
or apathy will rob them of their treasure. (6)
With these words, the writer reveals his shepherd's heart, since
he is not content with instructing the mind with intriguing doctrine.
He also longs to reach the heart and move the will to action.
The remedy urged is pay more careful attention to the things
heard (from the Son). This would suggest the frequent reading
or hearing of the four Gospels, which contain the actual words
of Jesus, and a repeated and careful reading of the further exposition
in the Epistles. To neglect or ignore these is to be in deadly
danger of drifting away from essential truth, and losing, by default,
the great salvation which the Son has brought. It is not
necessary to openly renounce the gospel. One can remain lost by
simply and quietly drifting away from hearing it, or hearing it
with no comprehension of the seriousness of its message.
The word salvation forms the link between chapters one
and two. The chapter division was not intended by the writer,
who moved immediately (dia touto, "therefore")
to draw a practical conclusion to the truth he has presented.
Soteria, "salvation," is found seven times in
Hebrews, more than in any other New Testament book. In Zechariah's
song concerning his son John the Baptist (Lk 1:67-79), he says
that the Baptist's ministry was "to give his people the knowledge
of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins" (Lk 1:77).
Salvation, then, begins with a moral cleansing and in later New
Testament development includes justification, sanctification and,
finally, glorification with Christ. As Brown astutely observes,
"The author is deeply persuaded that a personal relationship
with Christ expressed in repentance and faith determines the believer's
salvation. But in the teaching of the letter salvation is clearly
portrayed as an ongoing process" (1982:24). That Jesus, "the
author of their salvation" should have achieved it only by
being made "perfect through suffering" (2:10), makes
salvation an infinitely precious gift in the eyes of this author.
And that anyone should prefer the ministry of angels, who mediated
the giving of the law, to the salvation available in the Son was
almost incredible to him! "Come on," he seems to say,
"haven't you heard what I've been saying? You value highly
the law, though it was given only by angels, but you pass lightly
over the final word from God which came in the flesh and blood,
and through the death and resurrection, of the very Son of God
himself." Both Paul (Gal 3:19) and Stephen (Acts 7:53) acknowledge
the part angels played in the giving of the law, though the Old
Testament is almost silent about it. Deuteronomy 33:2 and Psalm
68:17 represent only vague references to angels present at Sinai.
But to ignore even the law's partial revelation carried with it
certain inevitable consequences (just punishment---2:2).
Even under the law the divine principle which Paul affirms ("God
cannot be mocked; a man reaps what he sows") was operating.
The Old Testament gives countless illustrations of this truth.
Yet, "if the breakers of the law did not go unpunished, certainly
despisers of the gospel cannot expect to do so" (Hughes 1977:73).
To ignore the great salvation found in Jesus is to find
oneself unable to escape the consequent wrath of God, and the
judgment of hell. There is no other offer of release!
How great this salvation was is seen in three measures. First,
its proclamation began with Jesus himself! This great fact astonished
the writer of Hebrews from the beginning of his letter. The incarnate
Son has himself announced the impact of his redemptive work upon
the cross, and even before that work was accomplished. Mark 1:15
records Jesus as saying, "The time has come. The kingdom
of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" "From
the moment of his public appearance to the day of his ascension,
Jesus unfolded the full redemptive revelation of God" (Kistemaker
1984:59). So much greater was this announcement than the help
which the law held forth that Jesus could say to his disciples:
"I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed
to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear
but did not hear it" (Mt 13:17).
Second, though verse 3 suggests that the writer of Hebrews did
not personally hear the good news from the lips of Jesus, he says,
it was confirmed to us by those who heard him. These were
surely the twelve apostles and perhaps others as well. This statement
rests the gospel securely on eyewitnesses who recorded accurately
what they both saw and heard (1 Jn 1:3; 2 Pet 1:16). But, as Hughes
observes, this apostolic witness "goes back not just to the
apostles, but through the apostles to the Lord" (1977:79).
It was he who sent them forth and promised them the Holy Spirit
to bring to their remembrance whatever he had said to them (Jn
14:26).
This implication of the writer that he had not personally heard
the Lord removes the twelve apostles as possible authors of this
letter---and also virtually rules out Paul (as Luther, Calvin
and others have pointed out) since Paul stoutly asserts in Galatians
1:1 and 1 Corinthians 15:3 that he had not obtained his gospel
from men but directly from the Lord. He must be included as one
of those who had heard the Lord, and the writer of Hebrews does
not claim this for himself.
But it is not simply on human memories that the authenticity of
the apostolic gospel rests, as the writer adduces a third confirmation
of great importance. God also testified to it by signs, wonders
and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed
according to his will. Just as the Father had borne witness
to the Son by signs and miracles (Jn 5:3637), so he worked with
(Gk: synepimartyrountos, "testifying with") the
apostles and others, confirming their word by similar signs and
wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The authority from which
the gospel flows include all three persons of the Godhead: Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. The Son makes the full announcement of it
and completes the basis for it through pain and blood; the Father
works with him to confirm his word with signs and wonders; and
the Spirit continues the confirmation by distribution of spiritual
gifts.
John, in his Gospel, tells us that the miracles were "signs,"
symbols whose meaning revealed the nature of God. John, Matthew
and Mark also call them "wonders," that awaken awe and
fear; the Synoptists frequently refer to "miracles,"
or more properly "powers." All three terms appear often
in Acts, especially the first fifteen chapters, and mark the validation
by the Father to the ministry of the early preachers of the gospel.
The phrase gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to
his will is a bit ambiguous. Taken objectively, it means "gifts
which the Holy Spirit distributes." Subjectively, it refers
to the imparting of the Holy Spirit himself, as distributed by
God. Paul, in his list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11,
says, "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit,
and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." The
last phrase would slant the decision on Hebrews 2:4 toward the
objective meaning, that spiritual gifts are given to each believer
by the Spirit as the continuing witness of the Spirit to the truth
of the gospel.
Do the signs, wonders and various miracles also continue
throughout the present age? It is impossible to set aside the
testimony of Christians through the centuries to the miracle-working
power of God in human lives. Many well-attested occurrences of
such miracles have been recorded throughout the church centuries,
including today. Missionaries and Christian workers of the most
sterling character have reported such miracles in widely separated
places and cultures so that it cannot be said that the age of
miracles ever ceased.
But it must also be remembered that both Jesus and Paul warn clearly
that as the age draws to its close there will be manifestations
of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, done through Satanic
agencies, which will deceive many (see Mt 24:24 and 2 Thess 2:9)!
It is the effect of these signs and wonders on the lives of those
involved which will reveal the genuine teachers from the false
("By their fruit you will recognize them"---Mt 7:15-16).
It must also be considered that the profound power of the mind
upon the body often produces dramatic improvements in health.
But these are not always, or even frequently, associated with
religious influence. They are scarcely to be equated with the
healings recorded in Scripture, which usually consist of the kind
Jesus described to John the Baptist's disciples: "The blind
receive sight, the lame walk those who have leprosy are cured,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised" (Mt 11:5).
But let us not lose our way at this point. The concern of Hebrews
is not to defend miracles but to warn against losing the so
great salvation by a careless inattention to its content or
its practice in daily life. An individual's response to these
great truths determines his destiny. Leon Morris well says, "This
Epistle leaves us in no doubt but that those who are saved are
saved from a sore and genuine peril. Christ's saving work is not
a piece of emotional pageantry rescuing men from nothing in particular"
(quoted in Brown 1982:52). Neglecting the word of angels brought
immediate earthly consequences; ignoring the salvation of the
Son, confirmed by decades of divine ministry through godly men
and women, results in eternal tragedy beyond description.
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 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? 7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor 8 and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9 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.
Still thinking of the supremacy of the Son over angels, our
author, in 2:5-9, approaches the theme from a different view.
In chapter 1 the deity of Jesus was primarily in the foreground;
in chapter 2 his perfect humanity means that he is the superior
of every angelic being. Verse 5 carries forward the subject of
verse 4, It is not to angels that he [God] has subjected the world
to come, about which we are speaking. (7)
Some fascinating themes are introduced by this observation. It
raises immediately the question, What is meant by the world
to come? It can mean (1) life after death, (2) the future
kingdom of Christ on earth (the millennium) or (3) the new heavens
and the new earth. Since almost nothing is said in Hebrews about
life after death (9:27), (1) can be dismissed without further
development for it is obviously not what he refers to in the phrase
about which we are speaking. That limiting phrase probably
looks back to 1:11-12 which emphasizes the changes which the material
creation will experience. Paul, in Ephesians 2:7, speaks of "coming
ages," indicating that at least two more ages lie ahead.
The two which Scripture continually name are the restored Davidic
kingdom (the millennium) and the new heavens and the new earth.
In several places Scripture describes the new heavens and earth
as lasting forever, intimating it would be the last age yet to
come. But the word world (Gk: oikoumene) in 2:5
refers not to the cosmos, but to the inhabited earth, and this
would strongly suggest the writer has in mind (2), the kingdom
of Christ on earth. Hughes calls the world to come, "the
age of the Messiah in which the messianic promises and prophecies
of old find their fulfillment" (1977:82). It is surely to
this that Jesus refers in Matthew 19:28, "Truly, I say to
you, in the new world [palingenesia, 'restoration'], when
the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have
followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel" (RSV). Several passages in Hebrews (6:5
and 12:22-24) suggest that this kingdom is in some sense already
available to those who live by faith. Perhaps, we should see this
new age to come as spiritually arrived, yet physically still to
come.
A reference to the new heavens and new earth seems unlikely in
view of the mention of judgment in Matthew 19:28, for sin will
have no place in the new creation. Also Israel will not play a
distinctive role among the nations, for then "the kingdoms
of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev 11:15
KJV).
If, as the writer claims, the world to come has not been subjected
to angels, it raises the possibility that the present age is subject
to angelic governance. F. F. Bruce supports this view, citing
the LXX rendering of Deuteronomy 32:8:
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance
When he separated the children of men,
He set the bounds of the peoples
According to the number of the angels of God.
He further quotes Daniel 10:20, which names angelic beings
as "the prince of Persia" and "the prince of Greece,"
and Daniel 10:21 and 12:1 speak of Michael as "the great
prince" who champions the people of Israel (1964:33). This
concept would explain why the fallen angel called Satan is referred
to as "the god of this world" and is permitted his control
until the Lord returns and the new age begins and the curse is
lifted from nature. Then, too, the devil will be bound and cast
into a bottomless pit for a thousand years (Rev 20:2-3).
This background serves to give special meaning to the quotation
from Psalm 8 which the writer of Hebrews now invokes. His vague
reference to his source (Gk: "Someone somewhere has testified")
is not due to uncertainty but to a desire to stress Scripture
as speaking, not a mere human author (Bruce, Kistemaker and Hughes).
David's psalm is a wondering reaction to the majesty of the night
sky as it reveals the power and wisdom of God and forces the question,
What part do puny human beings play in such a universe? The answer
is that we were made a little lower than the angels, but then
crowned with glory and honor, and everything has been put under
our feet. This is a direct reference to Genesis 1:26:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Here is glory and honor (made in the image and likeness of
God) and authority and power (ruling over all the earth). Some
commentators take the made a little lower than the angels
in a temporal sense, "made for a little while," to imply
that human existence in this space-time continuum is only for
a brief lifetime, and then we are freed to live the life of eternity.
Whichever way the phrase is read, it is clear that our intended
destiny was one of power and authority over all the conditions
and life of earth. If this was our commission from the moment
of creation, what light it sheds on our responsibility to care
for this planet and its creatures! We were not given dominion
so the earth and the animals should serve us; rather, we are given
authority to develop them to the fullest extent intended by the
fruitful mind of the Creator. We are to serve them by thorough
knowledge and loving care, in the form of servant-leadership which
the Lord himself manifested when he came.
Yet, says this writer in what must be the understatement of the
ages, we do not see everything subject to him. No, there
are many things fallen humans cannot control: the weather, the
seasons, the instincts of animals, the tides, our own passions,
international events, natural disasters, and on and on. The increasing
pollution of the planet, the spread of famines and wars, the toll
taken by drugs, accidents and disease, all tell the story of a
lost destiny.
But almost with a shout the author cries, But we see Jesus!
He is the last hope of a dying race. And that hope lies both in
his deity and his humanity. He alone, as a human being, managed
to fulfill what was intended for us from the beginning. When we
read the Gospels, we are forced to ask, Who is this man who stills
the winds and the waves with a single word; who multiplies food
at will; who walks on the waves; who summons fish to bring up
coins at his command; who dismisses disease with a touch; and
calls the dead back to life? Who is he? He is the Last Adam, living
and acting as God intended us to act when he made us in the beginning.
It was the First Adam who plunged the race into bondage and limitation;
it is the Last who sets us free in soul and spirit, so that we
may now learn how to live in the ages to come when the resurrection
gives us back a body fit for the conditions of that life.
The writer traces in terse phrases the steps Jesus took to solve
forever the problem of human sin. (1) He was made a little
lower than the angels. There is the whole wonder of the Incarnation;
in John's phrasing, "the Word became flesh and lived for
a while among us." Then (2) because he suffered death,
he was (3) crowned with glory and honor and thus he achieved
as a human being the position intended for us in the beginning:
the being who was to be closest to God, higher than any angel,
and in authority over all things! Then, lest we should forget
the cost, the writer adds (4) so that by the grace of God he
might taste death for everyone. To taste death does
not simply mean to die, but to experience death in its full horror
and humiliation. He comes under the penalty of sin in order that
he might remove it. The emphasis here is that what Jesus did through
his death and exaltation was for everyone. Salvation is
now open to all; no one who comes to Jesus will ever be refused.
His death was for everyone in the sense that everyone was thereby
rendered savable.
Ever since the death of Jesus the way to glory has always Included
a death which leads to life. Some forms of media-evangelism have
presented the Christian life as the way to fulfillment of great
possibilities without also making clear that it includes a death
to self-indulgence and learning obedience. We dare not extol the
incredible benefits of the Christian life without reminding ourselves
that they will also lead us to a cross.
To whom, then, is the world to come subject? Not to angels,
that is clear. It is to be subject to the human race---to the
human race as God intended us to be, redeemed and restored through
sharing the life of the Man in glory, seated at the right hand
of God. This is the theme of verses 10-13.
2:10 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. 11 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. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
Commentators on Hebrews have pointed out that there is no reference
to the love of God in this epistle. Though technically this is
true, a text such as 2:10 reveals that behind the suffering and
sacrifice of Jesus is the heart of a Father who longs to bring
many sons to glory. Though the Father was in full control
of all forces and events in the universe (for whom and through
whom everything exists), it was necessary that he subject his
beloved Son to a degree of agony and humiliation that could alone
fit him to carry out that purpose. This is clearly the meaning
of make . . . perfect through suffering. Jesus had always
had a perfect character since his birth; perfection of function
required the whole process of incarnation, ministry, death and
resurrection. But it was love for the lost human race that drove
both Father and Son to choose that process.
Thus did Jesus become the author of . . . salvation. Other
versions substitute "pioneer" (RSV), "captain"
(KJV) and "leader" (NEB), for "author." The
Greek word archegos implies someone who initiates or originates
a plan or program for others to follow. Every American knows that
in 1804-1806 two explorers, Captain George Clark and Captain Meriwether
Lewis, were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to find a way across
the old, trackless West from St. Louis to the Pacific Coast. Such
an exploration involved tremendous preparation, special provisions
and wise decisions. It was accomplished through great danger and
many hardships, as the Lewis and Clark journals make clear. When
the explorers returned the whole American West lay open to development.
This is the thought behind the word archegos Jesus, our
archegos, opened up a completely new spiritual country,
the realm of universal dominion for the human race, which was
originally intended for us but was lost by Adam. Those who follow
Jesus now are fitted and trained to live in that new world as
they walk in the footsteps of him who has gone before.
This concept fits well with the thought of verses 11-13. These
describe the Savior and his redeemed as belonging to one family
who share the same nature. The one who makes holy [sanctifies]
is Jesus who had, first, to solve the problem of sin before he
could apply it to those who are made holy, the redeemed.
The act of making holy implies the impartation of a new life,
the life of God himself since only God is holy. Those who by faith
become sons of God are made holy (sanctified) because they share
the life of the Son of God. John 1:12 declares, "To all who
received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right
to become children of God," and 1 John 5:11-12 adds, "God
has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son; he who
has the Son has life."
Because of this shared life the writer of Hebrews can say they
are, literally, "all of One" (ek henos pantes),
which refers to the Father. (The NIV's of the same family,
to my mind, somewhat weakens the force of this declaration.) Jesus,
who is of different rank and origin, still is not ashamed to
call them brothers. Since he has made them holy by imparting
his own life to them, he cannot deny the very holiness he has
given. Now the groundwork is laid for believers to learn to live
everyday on the basis of the new men and women they have become
rather than continuing to live on the old level of humanity they
had once been. It is Paul's constant exhortation: "Put off
the old man; put on the new." The writer of Hebrews urges
the same activity in 12:14. Holiness of nature is the possession
of all true Christians; holiness of behavior is to be their goal.
But even before that goal is attained to any appreciable degree,
it is still true that Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
The picture is that of an oldest son affirming to another his
pride in his younger siblings, even though they do not always
act in ways pleasing to him.
To support this wonderful fact, the writer summons three texts
from the Old Testament. (8) The first, verse
22, from the well-known Messianic hymn, Psalm 22, reflects the
praise of the resurrected Lord as he shares with his brothers
and sisters the glories of God's grace. He appears as their teacher,
opening their eyes continually to the wonders of the Father whose
family they have joined. They then join him in sharing those wonders
with the whole congregation. The quotation suggests that his reason
for not being ashamed of them is because they share with him the
endless adventure of discovering the full meaning of the name
of God.
The second text, from Isaiah 8:17, expresses the common sense
of dependence which children share toward God; and the third,
Isaiah 8:18, recognizes the relationship of children as all equally
under the care of one father. Isaiah 8, from which these verses
are taken, is the prophet's prediction of a great invasion of
Assyria into the land of Judea. Yet in the face of that terrible
threat the people are exhorted to continue to trust the Lord Almighty
and to wait for his deliverance, though it seem delayed. The Messiah
is seen as "a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock
that makes them fall," and it is of him that Isaiah cries,
"I will put my trust in him. Here am I, and the children
the LORD has given me."
It is easy to see how our author saw these verses as a description
of Jesus and his faith-siblings (Christians). That first-century
world was coming apart at the seams, just as Isaiah's world had
been. And just as Isaiah and his children looked to their invisible
Lord for help, so Jesus stands ready to support those who take
refuge in him from the threats of a crumbling world.
These two texts, in their original setting, were part of a prophecy
of an event yet 100 years in the future, and beyond this, reached
to the coming of the Messiah both in his first and second comings.
To apply fragments of such prophecies to the Hebrews' circumstances
may seem strange to us, but this is fully in line with the use
of the Old Testament by all the New Testament writers. The specific
verses quoted here are all found in a messianic context.
2:14 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-- 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 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. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Drawing on his use of Isaiah's quotation, the writer picks
up the word children and declares, Since the children
have flesh and blood, he too [Jesus] shared in their humanity.
This description of the Incarnation answers fully all docetic
notions that his humanity was simply a phantom appearance. The
purpose of Christ becoming a flesh-and-blood man was to enable
him to die: that is the startling claim of verse 14! In Charles
Wesley's great hymn "And Can It Be?" he begins a verse:
'Tis mystery all, the Immortal dies!
Who can explore that strange design?
In vain the first-born seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine!
How can one who is immortal die? That is a puzzle which even
the angels could not solve. But the Son of God solved it by becoming
flesh and blood. He took upon himself our humanity which, even
in perfection, was doomed to die (as happened to Adam and Eve).
Yet this must be balanced by the gospel's statement that Jesus
did not have to die (as all of us must), but gave up his life
voluntarily. And die he must if he was to deal with the great
enemy of all flesh and blood---death! Behind death the writer
sees the power of Satan, who uses God's righteous judgment against
sin to bring to death all human beings who sin. But when God's
Son willingly entered the dread realm of death on behalf of the
race, he could not be held there because he himself was sinless.
By his resurrection he broke the power of death over all who accept
his invitation to share his risen life. He rendered impotent (katargeo---"to
annul," "to make inoperative") the devil's power
to carry out the full effects of death---that is, spiritual separation
from God forever. Physical death remains for all, believers and
nonbelievers alike, the transition point between this life and
the next. But for believers the "sting of death" is
gone, the grave no longer has its victory (1 Cor 15:54-57)!
But this is not a blessing to be obtained only in the future.
It has an immediate effect as well, delivering the redeemed from
all fear of death, and so liberating them from a lifelong bondage.
Since death is the absence of life, spiritual death is already
present in human affairs, appearing as depression, fear, boredom,
despair, waste, limitation and defeat (Rom 8:6---"The mind
set on the flesh is death"). The devil's lie is to convince
many that they can avoid such experiences by amassing wealth,
maintaining youth by strenuous exercise or expensive treatments,
searching for adventure, falling in and out of love, gaining the
marks of success, indulging in widespread travel, satisfying every
whim, and so forth.
It is the fear of that kind of death which creates the frantic
restlessness found in so many. That unsatisfied restlessness,
that yearning for what cannot seem to be found, is at least partly
what the writer here means by slavery. Like a slave bound
to a cruel master human beings find themselves forced to keep
searching for what they never attain. They try everything, but
nothing satisfies. There is pleasure and fun---but seldom peace
and contentment. Soon everything palls and the search must begin
again. It is a lifelong bondage, for the quest never ends
till life itself does. No better example of this futile search
can be found than Howard Hughes. Bill Hybels recounts his quest
for more money, more fame, more sensual pleasure, more thrills,
more power, and concludes, in the end "he died a billionaire
junkie, insane by all reasonable standard."
But even on our deathbed the bondage is not over, for there again
lurks the dread question, What lies beyond?
Against all this stands the words of Jesus, "Whoever finds
his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake
will find it" (Mt 10:39). He came to free those who all
their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. His
method was first to impart a new life to all who come to him,
and join them to a great family of similarly reborn brothers and
sisters. Then, through his word, he instructs them in how that
new life should be lived and promises the Spirit himself who accompanies
the believer throughout his entire journey, teaching him how to
turn from the world's ways and Satanic wiles to loving relationships
and fruitful service until at last he grows old and steps, through
death, into glory and power that beggars description. "The
man or woman who lives by this principle will find that for them
the devil is impotent" (Stedman 1974:30). James writes, "Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you" (4:7). Thus freedom
from the lifelong bondage of self-serving is clearly included
in the victory of Jesus over death!
If it seems that the writer has drifted far from his intent to
show the superiority of Jesus over angels, verse 16 brings us
back directly to the point: For surely it is not angels he
helps, but Abraham's descendants. (9)
Only by living himself as a human being could he fully sympathize
with, and therefore help, those who struggle with great temptation
on their way to glory. The term Abraham's descendants clearly
envisions Paul's declaration, "If you belong to Christ, then
you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise"
(Gal 3:29). This help for Abraham's struggling spiritual descendants
is not offered to angels (who are neither redeemed nor Abraham's
seed), but it is constantly available to those who come to Jesus
as their merciful and faithful high priest. It is mercy
which he shows toward sinners; faithfulness is exhibited before
the Father. This is the first designation in Hebrews of Jesus
as high priest, and introduces a theme which will become a major
emphasis in chapters 7 through 10.
The record of the four Gospels gives us the details of how Jesus
was made like his brothers in every way. Everyday he felt
the perturbations caused by living in a sinful world; he knew
disappointments and sorrows, physical pains and frustrations of
spirit; he grew weary and sore and must often have longed for
home and comforts; he was lied to, falsely reproved, argued with,
disliked and cheated. The earthly temptations which he endured
in the wilderness and at other times (Lk 4:13) from the devil,
and daily from the "opposition from sinful men" (12:3),
including even his own disciples, made him a sympathetic priest.
By virtue of his atonement (propitiation) he can make effective
intercession before the Father for any who bring their burdens
to him. The fact that he made atonement for the sins of the
people lifts him to an incomparable level of priestly help.
No priest under the law could do that, except in a symbolic and
token fashion. But Jesus not only holds forth the hope of finding
forgiveness of sins, he has actually taken them away already!
To be able to be both merciful toward sinners and faithful to
a holy God is possible only because the offense of sin before
God has been removed.
The genuine humanity of Jesus reminds him continually of the way
temptation feels to us when we are under assault, and his atonement
overcomes any limitation of help caused by our sins, so that he
may uphold us with both sympathy and integrity before the Father.
"If anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father
in our defense---Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 Jn 2:1).
Bruce puts the case well: "A high priest who has actually,
and not merely in symbolism, removed His people's sins, and therewith
the barrier which their sins erected between themselves and God,
is a high priest worth having" (1964:53).
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer.
So the section concludes, and the writer completes his arguments. How can anyone, given the facts, continue to follow angelic guidance (be it from demigod, avatar, spirit guide, ancient master) when the Son of God himself has come, before whom all the angels, fallen or unfallen, are commanded to worship; for whom angels are but messengers committed to do his wishes; who has himself revealed a far greater message than the Law; and who has recaptured for all who come to him the lost heritage of creation; who has lifted, through the ultimate personal sacrifice, the terrible burden of sin and guilt which lies on us all; and who offers to us each day an inner supply of strength and wisdom for the journey through life? What angel can do all or any of that?
3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 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. 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 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.' 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, `They shall never enter my rest.'" 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." 16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Houses come in many sizes and designs. The first house my wife
and I lived in was a tiny building in Hawaii which served as a
parsonage for a church where I was not the pastor (they had none
at the time). It had only one bedroom, one bath, a tiny kitchen
and a small living room. It's long gone now, and over the years
we have lived in several houses. Our last one in California had
five bedrooms and three baths and was a virtual mansion compared
to the first. But all the houses we have lived in have had two
things in common: a preconceived design and a builder.
In Hebrews 3, the writer turns from the angels to compare Jesus
to Israel's greatest and most revered leader, Moses, whose primary
honor was that he was faithful as a servant in all God's house.
But, he immediately adds, Christ is faithful as a son over
God 's house. (10)
As in many chapter divisions in the New Testament, the opening
words could as well have been the closing words of the previous
chapter. The therefore ties them together and introduces
a fifth title for Jesus thus far in Hebrews: Son, Firstborn, Lord,
High Priest and now Apostle. We are encouraged to fix [our]
thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
The recipients of this encouragement are called holy brothers
and those who share in the heavenly calling. These phrases
represent a delicate shift from a well-known Jewish-Christian
description ("brothers") to that which is distinctively
Christian, and not Jewish ("heavenly calling"---Eph
1:3; 2:6). This explains his plea to look beyond Moses and Jewish
things to Jesus, who combines, in his divine-human person, both
functions which Moses exercised (apostle and high priest). However,
Jesus fulfilled these to a loftier and far greater level.
The reference to Moses' faithfulness in God's house looks back
to Numbers 12:7-8 where God describes to Aaron and Miriam how
he spoke to prophets in visions and dreams. He continues: "But
this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my
house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles."
Though several commentators take "God's house" to refer
to the nation of Israel, it is better to link it to the tabernacle.
Its precursor is the Tent of Meeting, where God spoke these words,
and the typology of which is developed more expansively in Hebrews
9. The tabernacle is called "the house of God" at least
six different times in the Old Testament, and its successor, the
temple, is so designated 43 times. Moses is especially connected
with the tabernacle as the one who received its design on Mount
Sinai and oversaw its building and ritual. If the tabernacle was
the symbol of the dwelling place of God in the midst of his people,
as will be seen more fully in 3:6, then we may view the phrase
God's house as referring both to Israel and the building
itself, each standing for the other.
At any rate, the meaning of verses 3-5 is clear: the builder of
a house is more worthy of honor than the house which he builds.
The house is only the product of the builder's skill and wisdom.
Overall conception and the design of infinite detail originates
in the mind of the architect-builder; the house simply makes it
visible. Thus, Jesus, as the agent of God in building all things,
is more worthy of honor than Moses, who was just a servant in
the house which the Son was building. This is support for the
argument of the existence of God. Cornell University astrophysicist
Carl Sagan and many others today insist that we are alone in the
cosmos; the cosmos is all there is. If every earthly house shows
the design and craft of a builder, how much more does the universe
reflect, in its complexity and interrelatedness, a Mind and Hand
that put it all together? This Mind and Hand belongs to Jesus
as John 1:3 and other Scriptures attest. As the builder of everything,
he outranks even a faithful servant like Moses, who served in
the house Jesus made.
The phrase testifying to what would be said in the future
supports the idea that the tabernacle, with its intensive typology,
would teach future generations much about human nature, God and
redemption. Stephen, in Acts 7:44, says, "Our forefathers
had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert.
It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern
he had seen." This is expanded in chapter 9 where we shall
learn much more about this idea of testifying about the future.
But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house, declares
verse 6. (11) And we are his house introduces
a theme which will become dominant throughout the rest of the
letter. The role of a servant and of a son in a house are worlds
apart. I recall in my high-school days in Montana a visit I made
to a large cattle ranch on the Missouri River as a friend of one
of the cowboy employees. We slept in the bunkhouse with the rest
of the help and had no access to the main quarters. We rode a
couple of rather scruffy horses, and I was involved in helping
him do certain assigned chores. Later I visited the same ranch
as a friend of the son of the ranch's owner. What a difference!
We had the run of the big house, ate in the main dining room,
rode the best horses on the ranch and could go anywhere at any
time. It made me forever aware of the difference between a son
and a servant. The author wants to make this difference clear
to his readers' minds also.
It will become readily apparent in chapter 9 that the reality
which the tabernacle pictures (and which harmonizes the two peoples
of God, Israel and the Church), are human beings themselves. The
writer declares: "We are his house!" It is redeemed
humanity who is to be the dwelling place of God (1 Cor 6:19; Eph
2:22; Rev 21:3). The writer has just presented Jesus (in chapter
2) as the Man who fulfills God's intent for the human race. That
ultimate intent is that we may be indwelt by God. This is surely
the meaning of Jesus in John 14:20, "On that day you will
realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in
you."
Again, in John 17:22-23, he prays to the Father, "I have
given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as
we are one: I in them and you in me."
These concepts are revolutionary to the Jewish mind, as Jesus
himself understood in trying to teach them to his disciples, and
as the writer of Hebrews realizes as he seeks to lift his readers
to views of themselves which they had only grasped dimly, if at
all. At this point he ventures to use for the first time the Greek
term for the Messiah (Christ---literally, "anointed")
and so help turn their minds from Jewish hopes to the "better
things" of which the Jewish shadows spoke.
We [believers] are his [Christ's] house, he asserts, if
we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
This if has troubled many people for it seems to imply
that being a member of Christ's house can be lost after it is
gained by wavering in our courage or hope. But the statement is
more likely descriptive rather than conditional
It tells us that courage (parresian) or boldness, and the
demonstration of hope in word and deed is the continuing mark
of those who belong to Christ. It does not rule out periods of
weak faith and struggle. Bruce comments, "Nowhere in the
New Testament more than here do we find such repeated insistence
on the fact that continuance in the Christian life is the test
of reality." The true members of Christ's house are those
who show the reality of their faith by holding on to courage and
hope, even though they may waver at times. He further adds that
stumbling from faith "is precisely what our author fears
may happen with his readers; hence his constant emphasis on the
necessity of their maintaining fearless confession and joyful
hope" (1964:59).
To show his grave concern the author reminds them, in the second
major warning passage of the letter, chapters 7-15, of the possibility
of that apostasy which left thousands of Israelites dead in the
wilderness. And this had even been under the leadership of Moses.
Once again the writer draws from the treasury of the Psalms
to support his warning. The beginning of Psalm 95 describes worship
which is acceptable to God but closes with a flashback to the
false worship of Israel in the wilderness. They had outwardly
seen themselves as God's flock, but in their hearts they were
hard against him and complained to Moses about their lack of water.
The incident is recorded in Exodus 17:1-7. After God miraculously
met their thirst by ordering Moses to strike the rock and bring
forth water, Moses named the place Meribah (which means "quarreling,")
and Massah (which means "testing"). Unfortunately, their
attitude was not one of quiet trust in God, but one of fretful
complaint and querulous challenge. This outlook was repeated many
times (ten times, according to Num 14:22) throughout the wilderness
wanderings until at last God said, "They are a people whose
hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways. So I declared
on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest' " (Ps
95:10-11). (12)
God's anger is not lightly aroused. Their grumblings and murmurings
were patiently endured over a span of forty years. On occasion
God sought to make them aware of their ingratitude and rebellion
by visiting them with deserved punishment (fire, plagues, quails
and poisonous serpents). But he always offered repentance and
recovery. Still, their complaints continued and their hearts gradually
hardened until, at Kadesh-Barnea, when God commanded them to enter
the land of Canaan and take it for their own, they rebelled and
refused to go up. Finally, God spoke in anger and 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.'"
Note the reasons for his solemn oath: (1) They continually went
astray in their heart Their inward life was askew. Rather than
having a grateful spirit for astounding deliverances and limitless
blessings, there was a settled attitude of complaint because everything
did not go exactly as they desired each day. They saw themselves
as deserving more than they were getting, and they resented it,
not with an occasional outburst of displeasure, but with a constant
harping that wore down everyone's nerves. (2) They had not learned
God's ways. Over forty years, their real knowledge of God had
not increased because their grumbling hearts blinded their spiritual
eyes. A teachable spirit sustains a grateful heart. Centuries
later Jesus would pray: "Now this is eternal life: that they
may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have
sent" (In 17:23). This failure to grow in knowledge of God's
ways is the very danger our author sees as a possibility for his
own readers. He reminds them of this episode in Israel's history
so they might heed its warning. Full apostasy is present when
God says of anyone, They shall never enter my rest.
This is the first use of the word rest in Hebrews. This
word describes the end of wandering and restlessness, and promises
calmness and tranquillity. Here it clearly refers to the land
of Canaan and the promise of a settled state of peace and full
supply. But, as we shall see, this Canaan rest was a symbol, a
shadow, of a greater rest available to the people of God in the
future. The failure to correct a habit of grumbling and murmuring
against God led over a million Israelites to such a hardened state
of heart that they were unable to lay hold of the opportunity
to enter the land of promise when they came to its borders. They
perished at an average of almost ninety deaths a day, until the
generation that left Egypt (except for Joshua and Caleb) had died
out.
In verses 12-13, this example is now applied to all who read
Hebrews. The writer's argument is: If unbelief kept Israelites
out of the land of Canaan (a picture of God's rest), how much
more serious is it today to give way to unbelief and thus miss
the greater rest (the rest of justification and salvation). The
warning is addressed to the whole assembly (See to it, brothers,
. . . encourage one another daily). These phrases recognize
individual responsibility to act (that none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart, . . . none of you may be hardened by sin's
deceitfulness) and describe accurately the terrible result
of sin's hardening (turns away from the living God). Bruce puts
it powerfully, "a relapse from Christianity into Judaism
would be comparable to the action of the Israelites when they
'turned back in their hearts unto Egypt' (Acts 7:39); it would
not be a mere return to a position previously occupied, but a
gesture of outright apostasy, a complete break with God"
(1964:66).
We who read this may not be battling with pressures to return
to a previously held faith, but many church members today are
content to live lives that are essentially no different than the
lives of non-Christians around them. They easily forget Paul's
plea, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2).
Also, "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord,
that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility
of their thinking" (Eph 4:17). All who ignore these words
today are in great danger of repeating the ancient error of Israel.
For the first time in Hebrews the power of corporate faith is
recognized with the words encourage one another daily, as long
as it is called Today. (13) It will
be highlighted again in 10:24-25. Those who profess to share life
in Christ are urged both to caution and encourage one another.
This is done whenever it is needed (Today used eight times
in Hebrews) and consists, not of stem rebuke, but loving admonition
against a complaining spirit, and helpful illumination of sin's
deceptive approach. "Sin is an extremely dangerous power
confronting the believer. It always attacks the individual, much
as wolves stalk a single sheep" (Kistemaker 1984:95). Its
terrible danger lies in the deceptive ease by which it gradually
hardens the heart, as it lessens the will's power to resist evil.
As the first warning passage (2:1-4) dealt with the danger of
drifting past truth, this one warns of the danger of failing to
deal with a grumbling and complaining spirit.
Verses 14-19 recapitulate the warning from Psalm 95 and support
the declaration of verse 14, We have come to share in Christ
if we hold firm till the end the confidence we had at first. This
verse looks back to verse 6, "we are his [Christ's] house."
Believers share in Christ (metokoi, "become partakers
of") through a dual relationship: "You in me, and I
in you," that is, Christ dwelling in us as a Son in his own
house; and believers dwelling in Christ, as sharers of his divine-human
life. But this is made evident only by persevering as a Christian
until the end of life itself! (See John 10:28 where Jesus says,
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish").
Once again the if is descriptive, not conditional. If
we hold firmly . . . the confidence we had at first envisages
deliberate efforts made to renew faith and trust on a daily basis.
As we read the Scriptures thoughtfully and closely every day,
or when we pray regularly with and for one another, or when we
worship with other believers in a shared experience of God's wonder
and glory, when we serve people's needs out of love for Christ,
we are doing the things that cause us to bold firmly to the end
the confidence we had at first.
The rhetorical questions of verses 16-18 show how an outward facade
of belief can be maintained while the heart is still unrepentant,
and therefore unredeemed. (14) It is possible
to participate in and benefit from the great miracles of God,
as the Israelites did who came out of Egypt with Moses (v. 16).
Yet, despite such evidence, the heart can remain unchanged for
a lifetime. God sees that inner hardness and warns continually
against it until he is forced to judge it (v. 17). Now the growing
stages of unbelief: general rebellion (v. 16); sin, punished by
physical death (v. 17); and disobedience (Gk: "being unpersuadable"---v.
18). The cause of this recalcitrance lies deeper than a wrong
attitude or wrong behavior; it lies in a disobedient will. Therefore,
the loss of promised blessing is traceable only and solely to
long-continued unbelief (v. 19). This word apistian, "disbelief")
is the platform upon which the writer's more positive explanation
of rest is founded He gives us the other side of disbelief in
chapter 4.
4:1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 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. 7 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." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. 12 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. 13 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.
Dreams of Utopia have haunted human minds for millennia. When
Sir Thomas More, in 1516, wrote the book Utopia, he chose
the name because in Greek it means "no place." Many
attempts have been made in history to find or create such a place
where life approaches perfection, but none has succeeded. Yet
the dream has not faded, probably because it represents a vestigial
human memory of something we once had and still yearn for, a greater
Sabbath. On the seventh day of creation (Sabbath means
"seven") God was said to have "rested from all
his work" (Gen 2:2). This was not total inactivity, for God
has been active throughout all history. It is probably best described
as a rest of a perfectly functioning creation, as a mechanic rests
from his work when his machine runs perfectly. That is what men
have dreamed Utopia would be: a properly functioning society.
In Hebrews 4:1 we are given the first hint that the promise
of rest given to Israel envisaged more than entering the Promised
land. It is, he says, a promise which still stands that
is, was not satisfied by entering Canaan, but still exists at
the time of his writing. Furthermore, his readers stand in danger
of missing it unless they are careful. The Greek construction
of the phrase that none of you be found to have fallen short
of it indicates that wrong behavior, such as disobedience
or long-continued grumbling, suggests the heart is unchanged and
unbelieving. Be found refers to God's knowledge of the heart and
his actions based on that knowledge.
In verse 2, we are given the reason for the Israelites' unbelief
in the wilderness. Even though the gospel of God's deliverance
from an evil heart was proclaimed clearly through the sacrifices,
the tabernacle ritual and the preaching of Moses, it met with
a lack of faith among those who perished. The writer will declare
in 11:6 that "without faith it is impossible to please God."
Without a personal response to the promise of salvation, no one
may be saved. Declared many times in Scripture, this fact invalidates
completely the teaching of universalism that everyone is already
saved by virtue of Christ's death and that God will reveal that
to them at the end, no matter how they lived. This teaching ignores
the need for repentance: turning from ungrateful rebellion to
a thankful acceptance of God's provision. Romans 10:17 indicates
that the gospel ("the word of Christ") has power to
awaken belief in is hearers; if that belief is acted upon by a
willing response (faith), it results in salvation (divine life
imparted). (15)
In verses 3-10, we learn the full meaning of the word rest.
First, it is a rest which believers of the first century (and
today) can actually experience (v. 3). The writer uses the present,
but not the future, tense, we. . . enter that rest. Jesus
had declared, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28). That is the same promise
of rest which the writer, in verse 1, has declared still stands.
If believed, it requires a response, for though the promise is
still valid, so is the threat that follows: Just as God has
said, "So l declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never
enter my rest. '" Now is the time to enter it (today---
v. 7), and now is the time to lose it, if one test God's patience
too long. (16)
Second, this true rest has been available since creation (vv.
3-4), and some who may not have entered Canaan could have entered
God's rest still. God calls this rest my rest. This means
not only does he give it, but he himself also enjoys it! He experienced
rest when he ceased the work of creation, as recounted in Genesis
2:2-3. As we have seen, this does not imply subsequent idleness,
for God continues to maintain his creation, as 1:3 attests. He
is endlessly active in the work of redemption too, as Jesus declared
in John 5:17. It does mean he ceased creating; he has rested from
that work since time began. What that means for God's people will
be made clear in verse 10. The third factor the writer stresses
is that entering this rest must not be delayed. Again, he quotes
Psalm 95:7, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your
hearts.
Delay hardens the heart, especially when we are fully aware that
we have heard the voice of God in the inner soul. Every shrug
of the shoulder that pus off acting on God's urging for change,
every toss of the head that says, "I know I should, but I
don't care," every attempt at outward conformity without
inner commitment produces a hardening of the heart that makes
repentance harder and harder to do. The witness of the Spirit
must not be ignored, for the opportunity to believe does not last
forever. Playing games with the living God is not only impertinent,
but also dangerous.
There is a line, by us unseen,
That crosses every path.
The hidden boundary between
God's patience and His wrath.
Today is a word of hope. All is not lost while today
lasts. Though there has been some hardening, it can yet be reversed
if prompt repentance is made. The situation is serious, though,
for Today is never more than twenty-four hours long and
that's all anyone is given at a time!
Though Jesus is not compared here with Joshua in terms of relative
greatness, it is apparent from verses 8-10 that the work of Joshua
in leading Israel into the rest symbolized by the Promised Land
was far inferior to the work of Jesus. He provides eternal rest
to all who believe in him. The fact that God repeats his promise
of rest through David in Psalm 95, centuries after Israel had
entered Canaan, is used to indicate that Sabbath-rest is the substance
and Canaan-rest but a shadow. There was an experience of rest
for Israel in Canaan (from armed invasion, natural disasters,
failure of crops) when they were faithful to God. But even at
best that rest was outward and essentially physical, and could
not satisfy the promise of rest to the human race which was intended
from the beginning. The author specifically states, There remains,
then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.
In verse 10, we learn at last the nature of that rest. It means
to cease from one's own work, and so, by implication, to trust
in the working of God instead. In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul asserts,
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works,
[we are to rest from our own works!] so that no one can boast."
The use of the term sabbatismos ("Sabbath-rest")
suggests that the weekly sabbath given to Israel is only a shadow
of the true rest of God. Paul also declares in Colossians 2:16-17
where he lumps religious festivals, New Moon celebrations and
sabbath days together as "a shadow of the things that were
to come, the reality, however, is found in Christ." Thus
rest has three meanings: (1) the Promised Land; (2) the weekly
sabbath; and (3) that which these two prefigure, that cessation
from labor which God enjoys and which he invites believes to share.
This third rest not only describes the introduction of believers
into eternal life, but also depicts the process by which we will
continue to work and live, namely, dependence on God to be at
work through us. "It is God who works in you to will and
to act according to his good purpose" (Phil 2:13). (17)
This is in many ways the lost secret of Christianity. Along with
seeking to do things for God, we are also encouraged to expect
God to be at work through us. It is the key to the apostle's labors:
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength"
(Phil 4:13). Also, "I have been crucified with Christ and
I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the
body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me" (Gal 2:20). Note, "I no longer live"---that
is, I do not look for any achievement by my own efforts. Rather
"Christ lives in me" and the life I live and the things
that I do are "by faith"---that is, done in dependence
on the Son of God working in and through me.
This makes clear that truly keeping the sabbath is not observing
a special day (that is but the shadow of the real sabbath), but
sabbath-keeping is achieved when the heart rests on the great
promise of God to be working through a believer in the normal
affairs of living. We cannot depend on our efforts to please God,
though we do make decisions and exert efforts. We cease from our
own works and look to his working within us to achieve the results
that please him. As Jesus put it to the apostles, "Apart
from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). They must learn to
work but always with the thought that he is working with them,
adding his power to their effort. That is keeping the sabbath
as it was meant to be kept!
Learning to function from a position of rest is the way to avoid
burnout in ministry or any other labor. We are to become "co-laborers
with God," to use Paul's wonderful phrase. This does not
mean that we cannot learn many helpful lessons on rest by studying
the regulations for keeping the sabbath day found in the Old Testament.
Nor that we no longer need time for quiet meditation and cessation
from physical labor. Our bodies are yet unredeemed and need rest
and restoration at frequent intervals. But we are no longer bound
by heavy limitations to keep a precise day of the week.
Paradoxically, we read in verse 11 the exhortation to make
every effort to enter that [sabbath] rest. Of course, effort
is needed to resist self-dependence. If we think that we have
what it takes in ourselves to do all that needs to be done, we
shall find ourselves rest-less and ultimately ineffective. Yet
decision is still required of us and exertion is needed; but results
can only be expected from the realization that God is also working
and he will accomplish the needed ends. This is also the clear
teaching of Psalm 127:1, "Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain." Human effort is still
needed, but human effort is never enough.
Failure to expect God to act caused the disobedience of Israel
in the wilderness, and a similar failure destroys thousands today.
It is called overachieving now, but it is the cause for most of
the breakdown of Christians under the pressure of stress or responsibility.
Pastors and teachers particularly have often been taught that
they are personally responsible to meet the emotional needs and
to solve the relational problems of all in their congregations.
Many sincerely attempt this but soon find themselves overwhelmed
with unending demands and a growing sense of their own failure.
Relief can come only by learning to operate out of rest and by
sharing responsibility with others in the congregation whom God
has also equipped with gifts of ministry.
The subtlety of the temptation to self-dependence is highlighted
by verses 12-13. The opening For strongly ties them to
verse 11 since they explain what the Israelites who fell in the
wilderness failed to heed. David asks, in Psalm 19:12, "Who
can discern his errors?" The answer he gives in the psalm
and that of the writer of Hebrews is the same. Only the Word of
God, which is living and active and sharper than any double-edged
sword, is capable of exposing the thoughts and attitudes of a
single human heart! We do not know ourselves. We do not even know
how to distinguish, by feelings or rationale, between that which
comes from our souls (psyches) and from our spirits (pneumas).
Even our bodily functions (symbolized here by joints and marrow)
are beyond our full knowledge. Only the all-seeing eye of God
knows us thoroughly and totally (Ps 139:1-18), and before him
we will stand and ultimately give account.
The images the author employs in this marvelous passage are effective
ones. Like a sharp sword which can lay open the human body with
one slashing blow, so the sword of the Scripture can open our
inner life and expose it to ourselves and others. Once the ugly
thoughts and hidden rebellions are out in the open, we stand like
criminals before a judge, ineffectually trying to explain what
we have done. Yet such honest revelation is what we need to humble
our stubborn pride and render us willing to look to God for forgiveness
and his gracious supply.
Plainly, Scripture is the only reliable guide we have to function
properly as a human in a broken world. Philosophy and psychology
give partial insights, based on human experience, but they fall
far short of what the Word of God can do. It is not intended to
replace human knowledge or effort, but is designed to supplement
and correct them. Surely the most hurtful thing pastors and leaders
of churches can do to their people is to deprive them of firsthand
knowledge of the Bible. The exposition of both Old and New Testaments
from the pulpit, in classrooms and small group meetings is the
first responsibility of church leaders. They are "stewards
of the mysteries of God" and must be found faithful to the
task of distribution. This uniqueness of Scripture is the reason
that all true human discovery in any dimension must fit within
the limits of divine disclosure. Human knowledge can never outstrip
divine revelation.
The remaining verses of chapter 4 (vv. 14-16) properly belong
with the subject of chapter 5 and will be considered there. Thus
far we have seen that Jesus is far greater than any angel, eclipses
Moses as the spokesman of God, and leads believers into a far
superior rest than Joshua led Israel into. In chapter 5, we are
introduced to the major theme of Hebrews: the high priesthood
of Jesus. He is superior in every respect to the priesthood of
Aaron, and encompasses a ministry which the Old Testament only
faintly shadowed in the mysterious ministry of Melchizedek to
Abraham.
14 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. 15 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. 16 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.
As I was writing this chapter, I was concerned about a young
man whom I wanted to help grow in Christ. At the moment his Christian
life was on hold, and though he listened patiently to what I told
him, he seemed unwilling to make any changes or to take seriously
what I was saying. I found myself feeling frustrated and uncertain
how to proceed. There was much truth I was anxious to impart to
him and I longed particularly to open his eyes to the enormous
resources for help in times of temptation and pressure that were
available to him from the daily presence of Christ in his life.
But he seemed to be dull of hearing and unable to grasp the excitement
and vitality of what I was portraying. I began to realize how
the writer of Hebrews must have felt as he tried to help his readers
grasp the full import of the high priestly ministry of Jesus.
In 4:14 he begins an extended discussion of that ministry, which
will conclude at 7:28. The therefore which opens the discussion
looks back to the previous verse (4:13), where the whole human
race is viewed as totally vulnerable before the all-seeing eyes
of God. Our writer probably has in mind Adam and Eve, when they
suddenly became aware of their nakedness and sought to hide from
God in the Garden. But believers in Jesus, though naked before
God, do not need to hide, for they have an Advocate before the
Father, even the Son of God himself. Now they can, in the words
of 4:16, approach the throne of grace with confidence.
Jesus, as high priest, is both great and has gone through
the heavens. This last phrase denotes his completed work of
redemption and transcendent availability. The practical result
of that availability is that there is no necessity for anyone
to give up faith under the pressure of peril or persecution, for
the help needed to stand is both sympathetically offered and fully
effective. This offer of help from on high to any who struggle
with the pressures and problems of life on earth is undoubtedly
the most widely neglected resource for Christians. It proposes
simply and clearly to meet every situation, not with human wisdom
but divine---and not with merely human strength, but God's inexhaustive
strength! History provides many examples of those who have tried
this offer and found it eminently true. Yet despite this encouragement
from the past and present, many believers look only for human
help, and if it is not available, succumb quickly to discouragement,
defeat, despair and even suicide. These verses are often quoted
as part of a Christian's defense provision, but too often forgotten
when actual times of trouble arrive.
The basis for our great high priest's sympathy is that he has
fully shared our plight. The writer has already (2:17) reminded
his readers that Jesus was "made like his brothers in every
way" and that this was done "through suffering"
(2:10). Now we are told that he has been tempted in every way,
just as we are. As Adam and Eve before the Fall could be tempted
even in their innocent state, so Jesus could feel the force of
temptation to the full, though he remained without sin.
He exceeds us in his awareness of the power of temptation. "Such
endurance involves more, not less, than ordinary human suffering"
(Bruce 1964:86). Only the sinless can experience the full intensity
of temptation, for the sinful yield before the limit of temptation
is reached. We may count on his sympathy for our feelings of pressure
and constraint to evil, and be assured, as the psalmist says,
"he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust"
(Ps 103:14).
For centuries, Christians have debated the question, Was Jesus
not able to sin because of his deity, or was he simply
able not to sin even though he fully shared our humanity?
This question is, in my judgment, one of those issues about which
no final answer can be given due to the limitations of human knowledge
and the reticence of Scripture to speak. If unduly pressed, it
falls under Paul's warning against quarreling about words, for
such quarreling "is of no value, and only ruins those who
listen" (2 Tim 2:14). What Scripture does reveal in several
places (7:14) is that Jesus was without sin. With that
statement we should be content. Luther once observed, "When
the angels want a good laugh, they read the commentaries!"
Let us not add to their laughter by quarrels over things beyond
our knowledge.
The throne of grace to which we come for help is pictured
by the mercy seat in the old tabernacle. That mercy seat, where
God could meet with sinful humans because of the blood of sacrifice
sprinkled upon it, is the throne of power in the universe from
which grace constantly flows to needy suppliants. Mercy is the
remission of deserved judgment, while grace is the supply of undeserved
blessing. Both are needed by sinful believers such as we all are,
and both are available to us when we come with confidence. We
are loved as children and cherished as recipients of the great
salvation won by the blood of our great high priest!
5:1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. " 6 And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Chapter 5 continues the priestly theme by looking first, in
verses 1-4, at the necessary qualifications to serve as a priest.
(18) They are fourfold:
1. He must be human, "selected from among men" since
he "is appointed to represent them" before God (v. 1).
2. His ministry consists of offering "gifts and sacrifices
for sins," as his major work solves the alienation created
by human sin (v. 1).
3. He must "deal gently with those who are ignorant and going
astray," and he can do so because of his own sense of weakness
and sin (vv. 2-3).
4. He must be appointed to his priestly office by God. No one
can make himself a priest (v. 4).
All these Aaron fulfilled, as did, with varying degrees of accomplishment,
many of his successors in the priestly office. We tend to think
of the Levitical priests as engaged, only in rituals and sacrifices
which were often virtually meaningless to the people. But if we
read Leviticus and Deuteronomy carefully, we will see that such
priests served in the place of modern psychologists and psychiatrists
today. In explaining to the people the purpose of each offering,
they would be dealing with problems of fear, insecurity, anxiety,
guilt and shame. Thus they fulfilled an extremely important role
in the nation's life.
The writer now shows that Jesus, as a high priest, fulfills
each of those qualifications, though he is of a different order
than that of Aaron. The fourth qualification is mentioned first---the
need to be appointed by God. That divine appointment was found
in the words of Psalm 2, quoted once before in 1:5, You are
my Son; today I have become your Father. This precisely identifies
the one who will be made a priest (my Son), and is immediately
linked with the words of Psalm 110:4, You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek. This first of eight mentions
of Melchizedek in Hebrews stresses the right of Jesus to serve
because his appointment came directly from God and is confirmed
by Psalms 2 and 110.
The second qualification (to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins)
is not mentioned of Jesus here, possibly because it has been described
already in 2:17. This will be dealt with extensively in chapters
8 and 9, particularly in 8:3. That Jesus met this credential in
full is the major theme of Hebrews and is, therefore, taken for
granted in this demonstration of his priestly qualifications.
But Jesus' fulfillment of the third qualification (to feel his
own weakness and sins) is described in the words of verses 7-8.
These strange verses explain how a sinless person could nevertheless
feel his own weakness and sins. The major commentators agree that
they describe the experience of Jesus in the dark shadows of Gethsemane.
There---with only Peter, James and John nearby---he experienced
a protracted period of excruciating torment of spirit which found
expression in groanings ("If it be possible, Father, let
this cup pass") and streaming tears, and ended in a terrible
sweat, almost like blood.
There is a great mystery here. Jesus seems to face the experience
with puzzlement and deep unrest of heart. For the first time in
his ministry, he appeals to his own disciples for help, asking
them to watch and pray for him. He confesses being deeply troubled
in his spirit. Each of his three prayers questions the necessity
for this experience and each is addressed to the one who could
save him from death. Luke tells us that before the third prayer
an angel was sent to strengthen him. Perhaps this is what the
words of 5:7 refer to, he was heard because of his reverent
submission. His cry to the Father was one of such desperate
need that the Father answered by strengthening him through an
angel. But when the angel had finished, the third and most terrible
experience began.
The author implies that Jesus faced the emotional misery which
sin produces: its shame, guilt and despair. He felt the iron bands
of sin's enslaving power. He was oppressed by a sense of hopelessness,
total discouragement and utter defeat. He is anticipating the
moment on the cross when he would be forsaken of the Father, since
he would then be bearing the sin of the world as though it
were his own. The very thought of it crushed his heart as
in a winepress. No sinner on earth has ever felt the stain and
shame of sin as he did. He understood exactly the same feeling
we have (in much lesser degree) when we are angry with ourselves
and so filled with shame and self-loathing that we cannot believe
that God can do anything but hate us for our evil. Jesus knows
what that is like. He went the whole way and took the full brunt.
We will never pass through a Gethsemane as torturous as he did.
He saw our sins as his own, and thus fulfilled beyond any other
priest's experience the ability to deal gently with other's sins
since he was so fully aware of the sense of personal defilement
sin leaves.
This also explains the unusual words of 5:8, Although he was
a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. There in
Gethsemane he learned how it feels to obey when such obedience
only promises further pain. He could and did add to his prayers,
"yet not my will, but yours be done." Thus Jesus learned
obedience when every fiber of his being longed to escape. He had
gladly been obedient to the Father all his life. In Gethsemane
it was hard, excruciatingly hard, for him to accept God's will,
just as it often seems hard to us to obey it. But this is because
we are impure, not pure. Nevertheless, even though he was a son
who loved to obey his Father, yet he learned obedience
the hard way through his experience in Gethsemane.
Verses 9-10 take us to the cross. Having learned obedience in
Gethsemane, Jesus is now perfectly qualified to become at once
the sin offering and the high priest who offers it. This anticipates
the clause of 9:14, "through the eternal Spirit [he] offered
himself unblemished to God." This perfect sacrifice,
offered by the perfect priest, entirely supersedes the Aaronic
priesthood and is again designated by God as of the order of
Melchizedek. The phrase appears five times in Hebrews and
becomes the subject of the epistle from 5:6 to 7:28. It is the
Melchizedek priesthood that is described by 2:18: "Because
he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those
who are being tempted." In view of this help so easily available,
why do we insist so strenuously on obtaining only human help?
The mutual assistance of others like ourselves is scripturally
valid and often helpful, but it was never intended to replace
the help available from our great "Melchizedek." Let
us go boldly and much more frequently to our high priest who sits
on the throne of grace, ready and able to help.
Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded heart, here tell your anguish,
Earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot heal!
The paragraph from 5:11 to 6:3 turns aside for the moment to
examine the spiritual condition of the readers of this epistle.
Verses 11-13 describe their immature state; verse 14 shows them
what they should be; and 6:1-3 tells them how to get there. There
will follow, in 6:4-8, the third major warning passage of Hebrews,
and in 6:9-20, the writer lifts his readers to a new level of
hope based upon the oath and promise of God given to Abraham.
He then will resume the discussion of the Melchizedek priesthood
in chapter 7.
It has been quite evident thus far in Hebrews that the pastor's
heart of the author has been deeply troubled over the spiritual
state of some of his readers. Twice he has warned them at some
length that they are in danger of repeating the unbelief of the
Israelites in the wilderness and failing, therefore, to enter
into the spiritual rest which they had been promised. Once again
he confronts them with their perilous state. (19)
They are slow to learn, he declares, and because of this
dullness, he has difficulty in explaining to them the extraordinary
advantages of the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus. If they had
been growing as they should, they ought by now to be able to pass
the great truths of the faith along to others. They would no longer
be learning elementary truths of God's word for themselves
but could be teachers of those coming after them. The high
priestly ministry which Jesus wants them to learn represents an
advance on the introductory truths of the Christian faith. But
instead of responding to his exhortations they seem to require
those basic truths to be explained to them again. At best, they
are spiritual infants who need to be taught over and over the
elementary truths as a baby needs to be fed milk and is not ready
for solid food. At worst, they are not Christians at all, but
are like many of the Israelites in the wilderness. They also are
in danger of failing to act in faith on the teaching they have
received. Fear that this may be their condition is what leads
the author to issue the solemn warning of 6:4-8, though in 6:9,
he indicates that he does not yet believe they are all in such
a fearful state.
The cause of their immaturity is clearly described in 5:13. They
are not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
Commentators differ as to whether righteousness here refers to
conduct or imputed worth. Hughes opts for the latter view, describing
it as "the teaching about righteousness which is fundamental
to the Christian faith, namely, the insistence on Christ as our
righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30, 2 Cor. 5:21) as opposed to self-righteousness
or works-righteousness" (1977:191). Ignorance of having a
righteous position in God's eyes already through faith in Christ
has been the cause of much useless laboring to earn righteousness
through the centuries. It invariably produces a form of legalism
which tries to earn "brownie points" with God to gain
his acceptance. The dullness which does not understand the divine
program that leads to right conduct manifests its ignorance by
being unable to "distinguish good from evil." But those
who, by persistent obedience to the truth, are able to grasp such
solid food will give evidence of it in wise and wholesome
conduct. They will identify evil as evil, even when it looks good,
and follow good because it is good, even when it looks evil.
How do Christians train themselves to be able to understand the
teaching about righteousness? The steps are the same in any age.
(1) Begin with truth you already know but have not been obeying.
Does God want you to stop some activity you know to be wrong?
Does Scripture exhort you to change your attitude, forgive someone,
reach out with help to another? No further light will be given
until you begin to obey the light you already have. (2) Review
the promises of God for help from on high to obey his word, for
example, Hebrews 2:18; 4:14-16; 2 Timothy 2:7. (3) Claim those
promises for yourself, do whatever you need to do, and count on
God's grace to see you through the consequences. (4) Follow this
procedure whenever you become aware of areas of your life and
thinking that need to be changed. This is the constant use
which will enable one to grow and to handle the solid food
of the teaching about righteousness. Paul, in Ephesians 4:14,
says, "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and
forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of
teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful
scheming."
Since understanding and practicing the truth of the high priestly
ministry of Jesus leads believers to such maturity, it is obvious
that it is one of the most important truths of Scripture and also
one which every Christian should seek diligently to grasp and
practice.
6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. 9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case --things that accompany salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Life presents a thousand examples of the need to act on knowledge
before any benefit is received. It is not enough to know a telephone
number; if you want to talk to someone, you must dial the number.
It is not enough to know the price of an object; if you want it,
you must pay that price. It is not enough to know where India
is; if you want to see it, you must go there. So it should not
seem strange that the writer of Hebrews insists that to know Jesus
you must receive him by faith and obey his teaching.
The unfortunate chapter division at this point tends to minimize
the opening Therefore of chapter 6. Our author does not
propose to teach his readers again the elementary truths of
God's word though he has told them their dullness seems to
require it. They already know the teaching; what they need now
is personal commitment to it. This can only be achieved by going
on to those actions of faith that produce maturity. For this reason
he urges them to leave the elementary teachings about Christ
and go on from words to applications. Elementary teachings
is not a reference to regeneration, but means introductory information
that could lead to regeneration.
The rudiments he asks them to leave consist of six matters
under two heads: (1) the foundation of repentance from acts
that lead to death, and of faith in God; and (2) instruction
about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the
dead, and eternal judgment. These transitional truths lead
from Jewish beliefs and practices to a full sharing in Christ.
Though Bruce takes them as a Jewish list and others as Christian,
the truth is they are both, as Bruce concedes that each "acquires
a new significance in a Christian context" (1964:112).The
point is that they do not represent anything but the barest beginnings
of Christian faith. It is necessary to go from the knowledge of
these initial truths to experiences which actually draw upon the
priestly ministry of Jesus for this is what would lead them from
head knowledge to heart response.
This rudimentary foundation is easily recognizable as the same
one which Jesus and the apostles preached, namely, "repent
and believe." Repentance is a permanent change of mind which
results in right behavior ("Produce fruit in keeping with
repentance"---Mt 3:8). The change they needed was to cease
trusting in acts that lead to death (a phrase which is
repeated in 9:14) or useless rituals, as the NIV alternatively
translates. RSV. Tasker describes the result as "an abandonment
of the attempt to obtain righteousness by seeking to obey the
precepts of a lifeless moral code" (quoted by Bruce 1964:113).
After turning from lifeless works (repentance), a positive action
of faith in God must be taken. This recalls for us Paul's
word to believers in Thessalonica: "You turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God." Repentance and faith
are two sides of the same coin. They form the essential foundation
upon which one may enter the Christian life.
Still, certain instruction in important doctrines was carried
over from Old Testament teachings. This instruction falls into
two sets: baptisms and laying on of hands, and resurrection
of the dead and eternal judgment. The first set touches
upon the beginning of the Christian life; the second set speaks
of its final events. Together they bracket Christian doctrine,
involving both impartation of life and accountability of experience.
It is evident from the ministry of John the Baptist that Christian
baptism emerged from the Jewish practice of ritual ablutions or
washings. This would explain the unusual plural here (from baptismos
used of Jewish ablutions, rather than from the more common baptisma
which is employed for Christian baptisms). It may, however, be
an oblique reference to John's teaching in 1 John 5:7-8, "For
there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood;
and the three are in agreement" which does tie water baptism
with the Christian teachings of Spirit and blood. The point the
writer wishes to make is that baptism is an initiatory rite and
must not be regarded as fulfilling all that a Christian is expected
to know or do.
The laying on of hands was widely practiced in the early
church, sometimes for the imparting of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17),
sometimes for healing (Acts 28:8), sometimes for ordaining or
commissioning (Acts 13:3). Though borrowed from Judaism, its Christian
usage would need to be explained to the new convert. It is an
act of identification, tying the individual to either the activity
of God or that of the body of Christ. This, too, represents a
beginning and not an end.
The doctrine of resurrection is central to Christianity
though not to Judaism. It was taught in the Old Testament (Is
26:19; Dan 12:2) and was important to the Pharisees (Acts 23:6),
but its central position in the New Testament demanded further
instruction and repeated exposure to the testimony of apostles
and other eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Since his
resurrection is an essential element of the Melchizedek priesthood,
it would be especially important that Christian converts be fully
informed on this matter. The Pharisaic view of a resurrection
at the end of time was nothing more than a mere introduction to
this great theme.
The theme of judgment to come is also clearly taught in the Old
Testament (Is 33:22; Gen 18:25). The figure of the Son of Man,
who approaches the Ancient of Days to receive authority to judge
(Dan 7:914), would most certainly be identified as Jesus to any
scribe from a Jewish background. The author will refer to such
judgment in 9:27, but the full development of this theme awaits
the recognition of Jesus as the one who speaks from heaven (12:25)
before the terrible shaking of the heavens and the earth.
This foundation and accompanying instruction could, if appropriated
by faith, bring a Jew to new life in Christ. This would not be
difficult to accept since it was based upon truth already taught
in the Law and the Prophets. But though some among these Hebrews
knew these truths intellectually, they gave little indication
in their behavior that they had combined them with personal faith
(4:2). The combination of the word about Christ with individual
faith should have produced a Spirit-born vitality and enthusiasm
which would make it delightfully easy to instruct them in the
wonders of the Melchizedek priesthood. But since this élan
is so visibly absent the writer must warn them that something
is seriously lacking. It is dangerous to stay forever on the foundation;
in fact, it is impossible. If they are not willing or able to
move on to more mature understanding, they are in grave peril
of losing what they already have, and that irretrievably! Growth
in truth is something all Christians (note the we in v.
3) must do, God permitting.
Surely God would permit all of us to go on to maturity in the
Christian life whenever we wished to do so! Or would he? This
is the very question raised by the words God permitting.
It seems to parallel the quotation in 3:11, "So I declared
on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" The
unbelieving Israelites in the desert wanted to enter into Canaan,
and, presumably, into the spiritual rest which Canaan symbolized.
But they could not, for God would not permit it! Hence they must
continue to wander in the wilderness till all were dead. Far from
being a polite cliché or pious wish, these words God permitting
form the fulcrum on which the warning of verses 4-8 turns.
This solemn warning marks one of the great theological battlefields
of Scripture. Here the clashing proponents of Calvinism and Arminianism
have wheeled and charged, unleashing thunderous volleys of acrimony
against one another, only to generate much heat and little profit.
The Calvinists, mindful of the doctrine of the perseverance of
the saints (eternal security), seize upon the words It is impossible
. . . if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance.
"These cannot," they say, "be truly regenerated
Christians, no matter how strongly the descriptive phrases of
verses 4-5 seem to imply they are, for otherwise they would not
fall away into irremediable apostasy."
On the other hand, the Arminians focus on the descriptive phrases
and say, "It is impossible to portray true Christians any
more powerfully and accurately than is done here; therefore, since
they are said to fall away it is clear that regeneration can be
lost after it has been obtained." A third group of interpreters
insist that the question of eternal salvation is not in question
here at all, since it is only a matter of urging new Christians
on to further understanding of their fellowship with Christ.
As in the case of many clashes over Scripture, there is truth
in different views. (20) We are helped here
by viewing the readers not as a homogenous group who must all
be classified in one category or another. Rather, they are a mixed
assembly, among whom were many genuine believers needing a degree
of prodding to go on in their experience of truth. There were
also some who professed faith in Christ but who gave no evidence
in their behavior or attitudes that they were truly regenerate.
This is the case in many churches today and has been so in every
generation of believers from the first century on. No matter what
careful expedients are employed to make sure that all church members
are born again, it is almost certain that there is no congregation
which is not just such a mixed multitude as the writer of Hebrews
addresses. The ratio of true believers to apparent believers may
vary widely, but since we cannot distinguish these by observation
(or even careful testing), we must view these warnings as applying
to us all.
Just how far religious experience can go and yet still fall short
of regeneration is described by five phrases in verses 4-5. Let
us look at them one by one. First is, those who have once been
enlightened. Some of the early church Fathers linked this
enlightenment with baptism, but that only identifies the effect
with the cause. It plainly means an intellectual understanding
of God's redemptive actions. The light of the gospel can be received
without leading to baptism, but those who were baptized normally
did so because they understood the truth about Jesus and his atonement
and wished to avail themselves of its privileges. The once
likely means "once for all" (Gk: hapax), indicating
that enlightenment cannot be repeated since a full understanding
admits of no improvement. One sees this in the epignosin,
"full knowledge," of 10:26. But though knowledge is
prerequisite to faith, it does not always indicate that saving
faith is present.
The second description is that they have tasted the heavenly
gift. The gift can be the Holy Spirit (2:4) or Jesus himself
(In 4:10; 2 Cor 9:15), since both come from heaven. The mention
of the Spirit in the next phrase seems to indicate the gift here
is Jesus. Some commentators see this "tasting" as referring
to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which identifies its elements
as the body and blood of Jesus. Those who do have saving faith
would surely observe this sacrament, yet it is quite possible
to participate in baptism and the Lord's Supper without actual
faith. Even if the reference is not to the Eucharist, it is still
true that one can have much knowledge of Jesus and even have "tasted"
of his blessings, without personal commitment to him (Jn 2:23-25).
The third distinctive, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
seems at first glance almost conclusive that these are true Christians.
Paul's admonition "If anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, he does not belong to Christ" marks the presence
of the Spirit as the seal of a regenerated life. But there are
other ministries of the Spirit that precede those of indwelling.
One can become a sharer in or partaker of the Spirit by responding
for a time to his drawing power intended to lead one ultimately
to Christ. The translation "shared" implies something
done in company with others, and may well be linked with the "laying
on of hands" referred to in 6:2 (Kistemaker 1984:159). This
would envision a group response to the gospel, as we see in many
evangelistic rallies today, but it does not mean that all who
so respond exercise saving faith. Since enlightenment and tasting
are also ministries of the Spirit, they join the others as true
of those who have traveled for a ways on their journey to faith,
but who have not necessarily arrived.
A fourth mark of spiritual progress is to have tasted the goodness
of the word of God. Since it is by the "living and enduring
word of God" that men and women are born again (1 Pet 1:23),
it is necessary to hear it first, and then "taste" its
goodness. The readers of this epistle had done this, but there
is no indication in this phrase that they have responded with
personal faith. Some very likely have, but others have stopped
short of the goal. And this arouses the concern of the writer.
The last, and fifth, advantage possessed by these Hebrews is that
they have tasted the powers of the coming age. Hughes rightly
says, "These powers may confidently be identified with the
signs, wonders, and miracles mentioned earlier in 2:4 as accompaniments
of the preaching of the gospel" (1977:211). These miracles
were predicted in Isaiah 35:56 as accompanying the appearance
of God among his people:
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Jesus plainly saw himself fulfilling these words (Lk 7:22).
It is apparent from these words in Hebrews that, eventually, in
the divine program they would be manifest at both the first and
second comings of Jesus. They belong primarily to the coming age,
which is clearly not the new heavens and earth; these miracles
of restoration will not be needed in that perfect day. They will
be seen, finally, in the kingdom age when the prophet's picture
finds its complete fulfillment. But the "taste" which
many of these readers had had in the time of Jesus and the apostles
was unconvincing evidence even to their own eyes. Like the Israelites
who murmured in the wilderness, despite the miracles of supply
they witnessed, these also failed to "share in the faith
of those who obeyed" the word they heard.
Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-24) serves to illustrate the possibility
that some who experience such convincing proofs can nevertheless
fall short of saving faith and turn away into apostasy. He professed
belief in Jesus, was baptized and yet was severely rebuked by
Peter because his "heart was not right before God."
He was still a "captive to sin." Even more to the point
is Judas, who walked and talked daily with the Lord, heard his
superb teaching, witnessed many miracles and was himself sent
out to minister in the power of God. But Jesus called him "the
son of perdition" and "a devil" (Jn 6:70). Judas
did not receive salvation and then lose it. Despite his enormous
exposure to truth and grace, it is plain that he resisted personal
conversion and at last turned away from eternal life to a sad
and eternal death.
Verse 6 describes the grim result of turning back to unbelief
after receiving the full enlightenment provided. Repentance is
the gateway to eternal life, as many Scriptures make clear. (21) After being brought by the Spirit-given
blessings of verses 4-5 to the very edge of repentance, those
who fall back into unbelief cannot be brought to that same place
again, since nothing more could be added to that which proved
insufficient before. Their state is now hopeless. As Bruce cogently
observes, "God has pledged Himself to pardon all who truly
repent, but Scripture and experience alike suggest that it is
possible for human beings to arrive at a state of heart and life
where they can no longer repent" (1964:124).
What blocks their way of return is that they have put themselves
into the position of those who deliberately refused Jesus' claim
to be the Son of God and forced him to the shame and humiliation
of the cross. The NIV because to their loss does not translate
the Greek heautois well. "To themselves" (KJV)
or "on their own account" (RSV) is better. That is,
they fall away deliberately, unwilling to separate themselves
from those who actually condemned Jesus to be crucified. Their
hearts are hardened in flintlike determination to have things
their own rebellious way.
Verses 7-8 illustrate their situation exactly. The rain that falls
from heaven corresponds to the enlightening blessings of verses
4-5. If the seed of the word of God is truly present in the soil
(the hearts of men and women), the rain causes fruitful crops
to grow, fulfilling the blessing intended by God. But where the
word of truth, though heard, has been rejected, the rain can only
quicken that which is already in the soil (thorns and thistles),
and continued rain will only make matters worse, not better. Such
fruitless land will merit the ultimate cursing of God and be finally
given over to burning. Such a scenario parallels the condition
Jesus describes of certain branches of the true vine which do
not abide in him, and are therefore cut off and gathered into
the fire and burned (Jn 15:2, 6).
Consistently throughout Scripture those who are genuinely Christ's
do not fall away into apostasy. Thus Paul reminds the Philippians
that the God who began a good work in them would complete it on
the day of Christ. What our author fears is that there may be
among his readers many who claimed to be Christians, perhaps witnessed
for him, participated in the church, yet have refused to repent.
Turning back from the light they have perceived, they prove to
be enemies of Christ and not a part of the people of God at all!
Having issued this warning, the pastor's heart of the writer
expresses reassurance and encouragement in verses 9-12. Though
some among them deserve his sobering caution, nevertheless he
does not see them all in this dangerous state. It is clear that
he sincerely believes that the larger part of his readers are
truly saved and only need exhortation to diligence and patience.
Their works of love and support to other believers strongly testify
to their genuine faith, for as James declares, a faith that does
not result in works is dead! (Jas 2:26).
Verse 11 states again the truth found everywhere in Scripture:
The only reliable sign of regeneration is a faith that does not
fail and continues to the end of life. It may at times falter
and grow dim as it faces various trials and pressures, but it
cannot be wholly abandoned, for Jesus has promised, "I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch
them out of my hand" (Jn 10:28).
One wag has observed, "If your faith fizzles before you finish,
it's because it was faulty from the first!" I recall once
receiving a phone call from a young new Christian who said, "I've
decided to give up being a Christian; I can't handle it anymore."
Knowing him well, I said, "I agree. That's probably what
you ought to do." There was silence on the line for a moment,
and then he said, "You know I can't do that!" And I
said, "No, I know you can't." And he couldn't---and
he didn't!
True faith by nature awakens hope. In verses 11-12, the author
urges the Hebrews to learn how to nurture faith and make their
hope sure. The role models for this nurturing are the patriarchs,
notably Abraham. Abraham's faith flourished because it fastened
upon two facets of God's dealings with him: God's promise and
his oath. A promise of many descendants was given to Abraham while
he was still in Haran, recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. It was repeated
when he arrived at Shechem (Gen 12:6-7) and reiterated on several
occasions after that. Supported by these renewed promises, Abraham
waited for twenty-five years until he was one hundred years old
when Isaac was finally born. When Isaac had grown into young manhood,
God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah,
now called the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. At the last moment,
God stopped Abraham's hand. And after this dramatic act of Abraham's
faith, God renewed his promise of many descendants and confirmed
it with an oath (Gen 22:17). Since this oath appears in verse
14 and then is followed by Abraham waiting patiently to receive
what was promised, it seems to refer, not to the birth of Isaac
which had occurred many years before, but to the birth of Jacob
who would be the father of the twelve tribes from which Israel
sprang. Abraham was still living when Jacob and Esau were born
to Isaac and Rebekah. So Abraham's faith, grown through the years
of waiting, led at last to the fulfillment of his hope that he
would have a line of descendants through whom all nations would
be blessed. That hope found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus,
who said of Abraham, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the
thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad" (Jn 8:56).
The author now applies this to his readers, in verses 16-20,
by declaring that God, in his eagerness to convey to men and women
of faith the total trustworthiness of his word, condescended to
the human practice of adding a solemn oath to the promise he had
given. Perhaps many today have had the experience of being put
under oath in a courtroom or before a notary public. It is sobering
to realize that any attempt at lying after the oath has been taken
will result in punishment. Before the law, a mere promise to tell
the truth is not enough---an oath must be taken. With God, of
course, his promise is just as reliable as his oath---he cannot
lie because his whole nature is truthful. But because he wanted
to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to
any who seek his help, he condescended to add to his promise a
solemn oath. So by these two unchangeable things in which it
is impossible for God to lie, the readers of this letter,
and we who share it with them, are greatly encouraged to take
hold of the hope offered. Since God cannot lie to us, and actually
confirmed his promise with an oath, let us, as the writer says,
be greatly encouraged.
What, specifically, is that hope? It is the Melchizedek ministry
of Jesus, as verses 19-20 make clear. He has already entered heaven
on our behalf and stands ready as a great high priest to impart
comfort, strength, forgiveness, love, joy and peace to any who
flee to him for refuge in time of trouble. Like an anchor which
holds a boat steady in the midst of a storm, he can sustain and
steady us when we are battered and beaten by life. He can do this
forever since he is not an Aaronic priest who can only
minister for one lifetime, but a priest after the order of Melchizedek
who ministers in the power of an endless life! An old hymn catches
the thought well:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll.
Anchored to the rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.
The author of Hebrews pictures our faith entering the sanctuary in heaven where Jesus sits upon the throne. There it lays hold of his mercy and grace so fully that we are held fast, as though by a great anchor, against the beating waves of trouble and doubt. Held steady in the midst of trying circumstances, we grow in the certainty of our hope of glory. With these encouraging words of hope, he introduces the grand theme of his epistle: the new priesthood which operates on the basis of a new covenant and makes possible a fruitful life of faith in a faithless and hostile world.
7:1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. 4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people --that is, their brothers --even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. 11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come --one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: `You are a priest forever.'" 22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest meets our need --one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Imagine this scenario. You are working as a junior executive
in a large, well-known and prosperous firm. Your boss calls you
in one day and commends you highly for the quality of your work
and suggests you are being considered for a prestigious new position
that will involve a handsome salary increase. But, he suggests,
there is one possible hindrance. Your Christian convictions are
well known and have been generally respected. But the new work
will require a more liberal attitude toward certain ethical decisions
you will need to make. You will be asked to overlook certain legal
requirements and shade the truth somewhat in working out various
business deals. The job is yours if you are willing to flex a
bit, but it will go to someone else if you refuse. What will you
do? Who will help you make a decision that will maintain your
integrity in this pressure of temptation?
Transfer this scene from the twentieth century A. D. to the twentieth
century B.C., the time of Abraham. Abraham has accomplished a
remarkable and widely effective feat---with only 318 followers
he successfully repelled an invasion of Palestine by a great coalition
of the superpowers of that day. He has released many prominent
citizens whom the invaders had captured and was returning home
with wagons loaded with the treasures of Sodom which he had recovered.
The grateful king of Sodom wishes to reward him by making him
rich and giving him a position of honor in the lascivious lifestyle
of Sodom. What would Abraham say? To whom should he turn for counsel?
Before he arrives at Sodom, Abraham is met at Salem (now Jerusalem)
by its king and priest, Melchizedek. There he is refreshed physically
and morally by the ministry of Melchizedek who greatly strengthens
Abraham to resist the subtle appeal of the king of Sodom. In gratitude
for this timely help, Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of the
plunder he has won, and when the king of Sodom makes his offer,
Abraham is fully prepared to say no! It is this incident that
forms the historic basis for the commission of God, given centuries
later through David in Psalm 110 to the Messiah, "You are
a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
The unfolding of the meaning of the Melchizedek priesthood of
Jesus is the goal toward which the author has been aiming ever
since 2:17, where he first uses the term high priest with
reference to Jesus. This mysterious Melchizedek is mentioned in
the Old Testament only twice, yet our author sees him prefiguring
the most important ministry of Christ to his people today. The
chapter establishes Melchizedek's historic identity; his precedence
and superiority to the Levitical priesthood; the consequent need
for a radical replacement of the Law; and the remarkable advantages
which the Melchizedek ministry affords. These themes are little
noted or understood in the average church today but desperately
needed if the church (or the individual Christian) is to confront
the world with power and grace.
The typology of the event recorded in Genesis 14:18-20, where
Abraham returns from his conquest of four invading kings and is
met by Melchizedek at the Valley of Shaveh (probably the valley
of the Kidron at Jerusalem), is explained by the writer in verses
1-3. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, and so is Jesus!
Melchizedek blessed Abraham, refreshing and strengthening him
with bread and wine. So Jesus strengthens and refreshes those
who come to his throne of grace for help (4:16). Abraham paid
a tithe (ten per cent) of all his goods to Melchizedek as an acknowledgment
of his position as priest of the Most High God. So believers are
to acknowledge Jesus as the one who has bought us with a price,
and to recognize we are no longer owners of ourselves or all we
possess (1 Cor 6:19-20)!
Melchizedek was both king of righteousness (the meaning of his
name) and king of peace (Salem means peace). So Jesus is the sovereign
possessor of both righteousness and peace, and can dispense them
to his own as gifts which they may continually have but can never
earn! Finally, as Melchizedek appears in the record of Scripture
with no mention of his parents or his children (though he was
a normal human being, certainly with parents and probably with
children)---nor does the Genesis account mention his birth or
his death---so the risen Jesus has neither beginning nor end,
nor a human parentage to his resurrected life. Therefore, he can
serve as a merciful and faithful high priest forever (7:23-25)!
Though some commentators have viewed Melchizedek as a preincarnate
appearance of Christ, the phrase like the Son of God seems
to militate against that. "Melchizedek thus was the facsimile
of which Christ is the reality" (Howley 1969:552). To a modem
congregation, this passage should be presented as a vivid picture
of the help which is available for believers today from our great
high priest who can give us righteousness and peace from within
if we "come to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need." (22)
This focus on Melchizedek in Hebrews is intended to bring out
the inherent superiority of the priesthood of Jesus to that of
the Aaronic line, the descendants of Levi, who had ministered
in the tabernacle and temple throughout Jewish history until the
Hasmonean line was established. Verses 4-10 argue this superiority
further. The author argues that Melchizedek is greater than Abraham,
the great-grandfather of Levi, for four reasons:
1. Though the Levitical priests also received tithes from their
Israelite brethren, their descent from Abraham marked their priesthood
as less important than that of the one to whom Abraham tithed,
namely Melchizedek (vv. 5-6).
2. Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek at the time of their encounter,
and normally the lesser is blessed by the greater (v. 7).
3. Levitical priests all eventually die but, as Psalm 110:4 declares,
the One who ministers in the order of Melchizedek lives forever
(v. 8).
4. In some genetic sense, Levi, great-grandson of Abraham, actually
also paid tithes to Melchizedek since he was at the time a part
of Abraham's reproductive system which would produce Isaac, then
Jacob and, ultimately, Levi (vv. 9-10). This line of argument
may seem strange to our Western, individualistic mentality, but
it reflects the more accurate realization of the links between
generations, and the fact that we are governed more by our ancestry
than we often believe. The same line of argument is found in Romans
5:12, where Paul declares that the whole human race has sinned
in Adam, and that death is therefore universal because of Adam's
sin. He sees the whole human race as potentially present in Adam
when Adam sinned, and therefore participating with him in the
aftermath of that sin.
The argument of verses 11-19 constitutes a bold, and even radical,
declaration by the writer. This section asserts unequivocally
that the death and resurrection of Jesus has introduced a new
and permanent priesthood that brings the Levitical priesthood
to an end and, with it, the demise of the law of Moses. It is
important to note in verses 11-12 that the law was originally
given to support the priesthood, not the other way around. The
priesthood and the tabernacle with its sacrifices were the means
God employed to render the sinful people acceptable to himself
They constituted the shadow of Jesus in the Old Testament. Then
the law was given with its sharp demands to awaken the people
to their true condition so that they might avail themselves of
the sacrifices. This agrees fully with Paul's statement in Romans
5:20 and Galatians 3:19-23 that the law was a teacher to lead
to Christ (represented in Israel by the tabernacle and its priesthood).
To suggest that either of these venerable institutions (the priesthood
and the law) were inadequate and needed change was to assault
Judaism in its most sacred and revered precincts. But that this
was the teaching of Christians from the beginning is seen in the
savage charges hurled at Stephen, and later Paul, when they engaged
certain Jewish leaders in religious dialog. See, for instance,
Acts 6:14, where Stephen's opponents testified, "We have
heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place
[the temple] and change the customs Moses handed down to us."
If (as some Jews thought) perfection could be achieved by means
of the law and priesthood, the author asks in verses 11-14 what
need would there be for God to announce a new priesthood as he
did through David in Psalm 110? He clearly implies that the Melchizedek
priesthood of Jesus was in the mind of God centuries before the
Levitical priesthood and the law. These latter could never have
produced the perfection of character which God required. His argument
is that if the priesthood of Jesus has now replaced that of Levi,
then the law of Moses must also be replaced because it is the
natural accompaniment of the Levitical priesthood. Sacrifices
and offerings would no longer be useful for covering sins, and
the law which awakened sin must pass as well. It is a powerful
declaration which would arouse immediate antagonism among certain
Jews, as indeed history has shown. He further indicates Jesus'
priesthood as being different from the Aaronic in that those priests
all belonged to the tribe of Levi while Jesus came from the tribe
of Judah. Since Moses said nothing about that tribe serving as
priests, it is plain that the present priesthood of Jesus does
not rest on Moses or his law. It is the ultimate provision for
dealing with human sin and weakness toward which the Levitical
priesthood and law pointed.
One reason the law and the priesthood could not accomplish the
perfection God requires is given in verses 15-18. Levitical priests
were ordained only if they could prove their ancestry from Levi,
and must be replaced at death by another of the same line. By
contrast, Jesus holds the Melchizedek priesthood forever because
he possesses an indestructible life. It is not merely endless;
by its very nature it cannot be ended! As Psalm 110:4 declares,
it is "forever." Nor does it require specific ancestral
descent. Any man who fit the qualifications could serve and, as
we have seen, Jesus is the only man who fulfills all the qualifications.
So for the fourth time, Psalm 110:4 is quoted, You are a priest
forever, in the order of Melchizedek. All the limitations
created by sinful humanity are removed and a perfect priest now
serves who works effectually and lives forever.
The glorious result of this is stated in verse 18: the former
regulation (the priesthood and the law) is set aside as weak
and useless since it cannot cleanse from sin or provide power
to obey. A better hope is brought in to replace it which
will do what the law and the priesthood could not do---enable
us to draw near to God. In 10:22 the writer will exhort
his readers to do this very thing, since it is now fully possible
because of the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus.
The Levitical priesthood was ended because its purpose was fulfilled.
It is, and always has been, weak and useless to go further
and actually remove sin. That was done and perfectly done in the
sacrifice of Jesus. But removal of sin is not the only thing sinners
need---they also need a continuing supply of refreshment, strength
and wisdom to enable them to live in a hostile world. This is
now supplied through the Melchizedek priesthood. Kistemaker states
the truth well: "Through his unique sacrifice he [Jesus]
fulfilled the responsibilities of the Aaronic priesthood, and
through his endless life he assumes the priesthood in the order
of Melchizedek" (1984:196). The "picture" of the
Old Testament is fulfilled accurately and the better hope
of the new covenant is introduced. (23)
Many items on the market today carry with them a warranty or
guarantee. It constitutes the manufacturer's promise that the
item sold will fulfill the buyer's expectations. Our author now
sees God's oath, uttered in a fifth reference to Psalm 110:4,
as the guarantee that the better hope available from the new Melchizedek
will be delivered as promised. No such oath was given in establishing
the Levitical priesthood. As in 6:17, where God's oath to Abraham
is said "to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very
clear to the heirs of what was promised," so again God's
oath in Psalm 110:4 reassures believers today that God has provided
a merciful, faithful, faultless, competent and sympathetic high
priest. He will meet their needs for cleansing, courage, wisdom,
and personal support in danger or sorrow. This "stress-management
program" is fully and continuously available. Also he will
not change his mind about it, for, indeed, he offers no other
alternative! The old covenant will no longer work and no secular
or pagan solution to the problem of sin and spiritual immaturity
is acceptable.
This thought introduces the word covenant for the first
time in Hebrews. In verse 22 the new covenant promised in Jeremiah
31:31-34 is linked directly with the Melchizedek priesthood of
Jesus. The word enguos ("guarantee"), used only
here in the New Testament, describes Jesus' relationship to that
new covenant. Verses 23-25 point out the way he guarantees, not
merely mediates, the covenant. A mediator would offer the covenant,
but it would be up to the believer to receive it. A guarantor,
however, sees to it that the covenant is fulfilled, even though
the believer resists and stumbles at times. It is because Jesus
lives forever that he can guarantee ultimate results. No Levitical
priest could compete in that aspect of priesthood since their
personal death ended their ministrations. But Jesus has a permanent
priestly office and the conclusion naturally follows: he can save
totally, completely, all who come to God through him. As Jude
24 declares, they shall be presented before his glorious presence
without fault and with great joy! He does this by continually
interceding in prayer for them before the Father. Paul likewise
recognizes this in Romans 8:34, "Christ Jesus, who died---more
than that, who was raised to life---is at the right hand of God
and is also interceding for us."
Bruce (1964:155) suggests we have a sample of that intercession
in our Lord's prayer for Peter (Lk 22:32) and in his high priestly
prayer of John 17. In answer to those prayers, all believers are
being shaped and polished by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ
(2 Cor 3:18). That perfect likeness is gradually growing within
us, along with the daily manifestations of imperfection and evil
which come from the "old man" still resident in our
fleshly bodies. But at the resurrection all that old life ends
forever and only the perfection of Christ remains, formed in us
by the Spirit. We are saved completely by the work and
prayers of Jesus.
In the closing words of the chapter, verses 26-28, the author
summarizes the qualities which make Jesus, our Melchizedek the
perfect fulfillment of the needs of sinful humans living in a
confused and God-ignoring age.
1. As to his person, he was and is holy---that is, morally flawless,
perfectly balanced, without impurity or lack.
2. He also was, and is, blameless, as perfect outwardly as he
is holy inwardly.
3. In his dealings with others, he was, and is, pure; for he is
without stain, untouched by the defilement around him.
4. He is set apart from sinners, though not in any isolative sense,
for he kept company with the disreputable as well as with the
respected. He came to call sinners, not the (self) righteous,
to repentance. But he is eternally the Son of God, while we are
sons of God only by redemption. Peter instinctively recognized
this separation when he cried out to Jesus upon seeing the miraculous
catch of fishes, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
(Lk 5:8).
5. Jesus' final personal qualification is that he is exalted above
the heavens. This is confirmed by the statement of 1:3, "He
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." No
higher authority can be found in all the universe. He is, in the
words of Paul, "far above all rule and authority, power and
dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present
age but also in the one to come" (Eph 1:21).
As to his work his sinlessness means he does not need to sacrifice
for his own sins, but nevertheless he offered himself as a sacrifice,
which he did once for all. It is of continuing and eternal
merit. The Levitical system of animal sacrifices is ended, and
with it, the regulations for priesthood. The oath of God, found
in Psalm 110:4, now establishes the Son of God as high priest
forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Such then is our Melchizedek, God's provision for help in our
daily life, incomparable in greatness, inexhaustible in resource,
infinite in patience, infallible in wisdom and interested in all
that concerns us. We can now understand much more clearly why
the writer of Hebrews longed to impart information about the Melchizedek
priesthood of Jesus to his readers and bewailed their dullness
and slowness to learn (5:11-12). But it leaves us with the question,
Are we any more alert than they? Do we actually avail ourselves
in this modem world of the provision for the help which this chapter
describes? Let us each answer as best we can!
8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." 6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." 13 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took a cup of
wine, passed it to his disciples and said: "Drink from it,
all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:27-28).
With those words and that symbolic action, he borrowed the phrase
used by Moses when he took the blood of an animal, sprinkled it
on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words"
(Ex 24:8). The contrast was deliberate. Moses used the blood of
an animal; Jesus used wine as a symbol of his own blood. Moses
spoke of the covenant of the law; Jesus alluded to the new covenant
of grace. Moses spoke of God's words which provided for the partial
covering of sins so God could remain with his people; Jesus promised
the actual remission of sins so God could live within his people
forever. It is that excellent new covenant which chapters 8-10
of Hebrews now expounds.
We have already seen that a covenant rests upon a priesthood,
not the other way around. It is the priesthood that makes the
covenant effective. Just as the old covenant of law could never
be more effective than the priesthood it represented, so the new
covenant of grace can never do more than the high priest from
whom it flows. So, in 8:1-2, the writer turns his spotlight on
the central figure again: The point of what we are saying is
this: We do have such a high priest. He is not only a priest
but a king, and he sits on the throne of universal authority.
Doubtless, this refers again to Psalm 110. His priesthood is a
royal one which gives him, as Jesus himself declared, "all
authority in heaven and on earth" (Mt 28:18). Furthermore,
it is exercised not in a tabernacle or temple on earth, but in
what might well be called the "control room" of the
universe, the heavenly sanctuary, the true tabernacle.
The mention of a true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by
man refers back to 3:5-6, where Christ as Son serves in a
greater house than Moses served in. As we saw there, "we
[believers] are his house" of which the tabernacle erected
in the wilderness is but a picture or type. True is not
used in contrast to something false, but means "original,"
in contrast to that which was a copy. Here the symbols of God's
throne and a true sanctuary are combined to describe the supremacy
of the new covenant over the old. Both symbols are located in
heaven and identified in some way with Christ's house. These
relationships will become clearer as the author moves into the
next two chapters.
Verses 3-6 declare again that the offering of gifts and sacrifices
is essential to the work of a priest (5:1), but the sacrifice
Jesus offered went far beyond anything being offered in the temple
on earth. His was not that of a mere animal but of a living person
as the writer has just declared in 7:27. Note that he ties the
priestly ministry then going on in the temple with that prescribed
for the tabernacle of old, and speaks of both as a copy and
shadow of what is in heaven. (24)
Stress is laid on the instruction which God gave to Moses about
building the tabernacle in the wilderness exactly to the pattern
given him on Mount Sinai. This temporary tabernacle was only a
copy of something eternal and central to all things, a heavenly
tabernacle which Moses saw. In Revelation 8:3-5 and 11:19, this
heavenly sanctuary appears again, but there it is called a temple.
This lends justification to the view of many that the writer of
Hebrews saw the temple in Jerusalem as the legitimate successor
to the tabernacle in the wilderness. The tabernacle/temple passed
away, as it was intended to do, but the truth it was meant to
teach abides forever. That truth will be developed further in
Hebrews 9, but here it introduces the extensive quote from Jeremiah
31 which describes the new arrangement for living which our great
high priest both mediates and guarantees. It is called the new
covenant. This new provision of God for his people is twice described
in verse 6 as superior (kreittosin, "better"),
because it is built on better promises. Those promises are listed
by Jeremiah as threefold: an inner understanding of truth, an
intimate relationship with God and an absolute forgiveness of
all sins.
The quotation itself is found in Jeremiah 31:31-34. So important
does the writer consider this that he partially quotes it again
in 10:16-17. As he has done before (4:8; 7:11; 8:4), he argues
from a logical consequence: if there had been nothing wrong
with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for
another. Two things were found wrong with the covenant of
the law. First, the people did not fulfill its conditions, despite
their initial avowal to do so (Ex 24:3). Second, it was not sufficiently
powerful to motivate them to obedience since it was not written
on their minds or hearts (Calvin 1949:187). Israel's failure is
reflected in the phrases God found fault with the people and
they did not remain faithful to my covenant. This new covenant
is declared to involve a different relationship between God and
his people from that under the old covenant, precisely because
the old covenant did not keep the people from failure and God
had to turn away from them.
Therefore, in verses 10-12, the gracious provisions of the new
covenant are detailed. It must not be ignored that in both the
original passage from Jeremiah and here, it is clearly stated
that the new covenant is to be made with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah. Both verse 8 and verse 10 refer
to a time when this occurs. Since the two divisions of the kingdom
(Israel-Judah) are distinguished, this is clearly a literal promise.
Such a time will indeed come when the ancient divisions will be
forgotten and Israel shall be one nation living in the land promised
them. Ezekiel confirms this in Ezekiel 37:15-23. At that time,
he states, God promises to cleanse them, and "they will be
my people, and I will be their God," the very words used
by Jeremiah as the main provision of the new covenant. This, too,
is the substance of Isaiah's awed prophecy:
Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children. (Is 66:8)
New Testament support for a time when Israel will be saved
is found in Paul's words, paraphrasing Isaiah 59:20-21: "The
deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from
Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their
sins" (Rom 11:26-27).
Though the writer of Hebrews undoubtedly applies this new covenant
to the church, those commentators who deny its future application
to the nation of Israel ignore great areas of Old and New Testament
prophecy. (25) The basis for applying this
passage to the church, though it is not stated in Hebrews, is
Paul's declaration in Romans 15:4 that "everything that was
written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance
and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
And again, "These things happened to them [Israel] as examples
[Gk: typikos, as 'types'] and were written down as warnings
for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" (1
Cor 10:11).
But whatever or whenever the application, the terms of the new
covenant are exciting. First, I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts. Every true Christian knows
that when he or she was regenerated, a change occurred in their
motivation. They found they wanted to do things they formerly
did not want to do; for example, reading the Bible, or attending
church, or praying and meditating. They found their reaction to
evil in their own life was also different. What they once enjoyed
without qualm, they began to be disturbed about and even to hate.
They experienced at least something of the struggle which Paul
so eloquently describes in Romans 7:15-19. This is the practical
experience of the promise of the new covenant, to give a new and
inner understanding of both good and evil. The laws of godly behavior
are written on their hearts.
The second provision is equally remarkable: I will be their
God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his
neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord, "
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Every true Christian also knows the inner sense of belonging to
God in a new way. God is no longer seen as a stern Judge, but
a loving Father. Believers are no longer outside the community
of faith as aliens or exiles. They are now members of a family.
They discover that whenever other members of the family are met,
they too know the Father just as they know him. This new intimacy
with God and his children becomes the bedrock of emotional stability
in the Christian's experience. Notice how John develops this in
1 John 2:9-14.
The new covenant's third provision is: I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more. This is,
perhaps, the most difficult aspect for us to believe, for it forces
us to do two difficult things: recognize that we do wicked things,
and believe that God has already made ample provision to set aside
that wickedness and continue treating us as his beloved children.
Any sin called to our attention by our conscience needs only to
be acknowledged to be set aside. Provision for God to do so justly
rests on the death of Christ on our behalf, not on our sense of
regret or our promise to do better. As Paul states in Romans 8:31,
God is always for us, he is never against us. He does not ignore
iniquity in us, but is merciful toward us. When we acknowledge
it, there is no reproach---or replay---from him! We can live with
a daily sense of cleansing by the precious blood of Jesus. That
will do wonders for our sense of guilt or inadequacy.
The author's point in verse 13 is simply that when the new covenant
takes effect, there no longer is any reason to rely upon the old
one. This does not mean the law of Moses (the Ten Commandments)
is done away with, for Jesus himself teaches that it will last
as long as the heavens and the earth (Mt 5:18). (26)
What these words in verse 13 mean is that the law's work is finished
when men and women come to Christ. It could not make them perfect,
but they have now come to One who can! Since the Aaronic priesthood
under which the law was given has now been replaced by the Melchizedek
priesthood of Jesus, there is no longer any need for the law to
work its condemning work in a believer's life. "Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"
(Rom 8:1). Awareness of sin is now the work of the indwelling
Spirit, not to condemn, but to restore us, when we repent, to
useful and fruitful service.
Many commentators have pointed out that historically the phrase
in verse 13 what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear
may well point to an awareness on the author's part that the
priesthood of Israel, the temple in which they served, and all
the rituals and sacrifices of the law which they performed, were
about to be ended by the overthrow of Jerusalem as Jesus had predicted.
This seems to be additional evidence that the letter to the Hebrews
predates A D. 70.
In chapter 9, we will return to the tabernacle and its ritual
that we may more clearly grasp the realities of the new covenant
and the freedom it gives us to live in a pressure-filled, baffling
and bewildered world by the power that flows from our high priest
today.
9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings --external regulations applying until the time of the new order. 11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance --now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
In C. S. Lewis' well-known Chronicles of Narnia, he describes
how several quite ordinary English children, while playing hide-and-seek
enter a quite ordinary English wardrobe. Pressing deeper into
the familiar garments, they suddenly find themselves in a strange
and mysterious land. Some such phenomenon occurs to those who
think deeply about what Scripture says about that humble structure
of skins and panels called the tabernacle. At first, all is factual,
measurable and straightforward. But as we press deeper the walls
silently move back the commonplace begins to glow, and soon we
find ourselves before the awesome throne of God in a heavenly
temple, surrounded by myriads of worshipping angels, and watching
the ritual of redemption through wholly transformed eyes.
This could well have been the experience of the apostle John which
he records vividly in Revelation 4 and 5. Until A. D. 70, the
rituals of the law were performed daily, weekly and yearly in
the temple at Jerusalem. Yet the writer of Hebrews only obliquely
refers to the temple. Rather, he centers his thought on the tabernacle
which was set up by Moses in the wilderness according to the pattern
shown him on Mount Sinai. As we have already noted, the writer
sees the temple as a continuation of the tabernacle. That tabernacle
was intended to hold such a central place in the life of Israel
that Moses was warned not to deviate one iota from the pattern
given him when he had it constructed. Everything about the building
and its furniture was meant as a teaching tool by which supremely
important truth could be conveyed.
As the author points out in verses 1-10, the typology of the
tabernacle has great meaning for believers today since it depicts
the eternal verities which Moses saw and which were associated
with the new covenant and its priesthood. If we wish to understand
that new priesthood and covenant, we must carefully study the
tabernacle, both its structure and its rituals. This teaching
would be readily acceptable to the readers of this treatise who
came from Jewish backgrounds. The writer builds on this knowledge
to unfold the great advantages of the new ministry.
The tabernacle had three main parts: an outer court, which was
entered through a single gate and in which stood the brazen altar
of sacrifice; the brass basin, or laver, used for the cleansing
of the priests; and the skin-covered, rectangular building of
the tabernacle proper. That building was divided into two rooms
and separated by a curtain. The first room was called the Holy
Place and contained the seven-branched lampstand (the Menorah),
the table of showbread and the golden altar of incense. In verse
4, the writer places the altar of incense within the second room,
the Most Holy Place (more literally in Hebrew idiom the
"Holy of Holies"), because it was closely associated
in worship with the ark of the covenant and its mercy seat. But
the ark of the covenant actually stood alone behind the second
curtain. In this Most Holy Place the ark of the covenant represented
the dwelling place of God, visible in the Shekinah, or glowing
light, which rested between the cherubim atop the mercy seat.
Within the ark were Israel's most treasured possessions: the jar
of manna which never spoiled (Ex 16:32); Aaron's staff which had
sprouted and borne fruit when Aaron's priesthood had been challenged
by the heads of the other tribes (Num 17:8-10); and the actual
tables of the law which Moses had brought down from the mountain,
written on by the finger of God (Ex 32:15). (27)
Verses 6-7 remind readers that there was a special sanctity
about the Most Holy Place and the ark of the covenant. No ordinary
Israelite could ever enter the Holy Place where the Menorah, table
of showbread and altar of incense stood, but the priests went
in there daily to perform their ministrations. But even the priests
could not enter the Most Holy Place and stand before the ark of
the covenant. Only the high priest could do so, and then only
once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). He must take
with him a basin of blood from the goat which had been sacrificed
on that day and sprinkle that blood on the mercy seat for his
own sins and the sins of the people (Lev 16). The question which
must come before us in reading this is, What did all this carefully
prepared building, furniture and ritual represent? What was the
reality of which all this was only a copy? Or, to put it most
simply, What did Moses see on the holy mountain which he faithfully
reproduced in a symbolic copy, the tabernacle? The answer to this
is suggested by certain statements that follow, notably verses
8, 11, and 23-24. But the writer now states he does not want to
be tied up with the details of the tabernacle's meaning but hastens
to stress a most important point.
The Levitical offerings had to be repeated continually---even
the offering of the high priest on the Day of Atonement when he
entered the Holy of Holies once a year. This endless repetition
meant that nothing permanent was ever accomplished by the Aaronic
priesthood. The central statement is verse 8 which declares what
the Holy Spirit meant to say by this repeated sacrifice. Unfortunately,
the verse is almost always badly translated. Most versions, like
the NIV, take the last phrase as suggesting that while the tabernacle/temple
was still existing, the way into the true sanctuary was not yet
revealed. But that would be tantamount to saying that until A
D. 70, when the temple would be destroyed, there was no way of
understanding how the death of Jesus had opened a new and living
way into the true sanctuary, the presence of God. If taken in
this way, it would give no meaning at all to the rent veil at
the time of the crucifixion and no hope that anyone, before A
D. 70, had found salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus!
A better translation makes it all clear. (28)
The Greek phrase eti tes protes skenes echouses stasin should
not be rendered, "while the first tabernacle is still standing,"
but "while the first tabernacle still has any standing!"
That indicates the writer is saying that the repeated sacrifices
of the old covenant were meant by the Holy Spirit to predict a
perfect sacrifice that was yet to come, but it could not be apprehended
while still relying on the old way of access to God! In other
words, the truth of the reality could not be grasped while one
was yet clinging to the shadows. The first tabernacle had to lose
its standing before the reality it prefigured could be apprehended
This meaning is confirmed by the opening words of verse 9, This
is an illustration for the present time. The old arrangement
pictured the new, but the old proved ineffective, for it could
not touch the inner, but only the outer, life. The veil that stood
before the Most Holy Place constituted a barrier to the presence
of God. All Israelites, who knew of that barrier, must have felt
a continuing deep sense of personal uncleanness until the next
year's Day of Atonement. Their consciences would know no relief,
for they must feel separated from God until the yearly sacrifice
could be repeated.
The tabernacle worship, with all the provisions of bread, incense,
offerings---even the ornate building itself with its altars---was
all a kind of religious play. It was meant to teach the people
what was going on in their inner life and what was still needed
to truly free them from sin's burden and give them unfettered
and continuing access to the Living God. Their bodies could be
rendered temporarily clean before God by the various ceremonial
washings (v. 10), but their consciences remained defiled. Since
they could find no heart-rest in the tabernacle ritual, they were
being encouraged to look beyond the outward drama to what was
important. But when Christ died and the veil of the temple was
tom from top to bottom God was saying: "The time has come;
the way of access is fully open; the need for pictures is over."
This has been the argument of Hebrews all along. To cling to the
shadows of the past and not to move on to the clear light of the
great reality in Christ is to put our whole eternal destiny at
stake and, in fact, to be in danger of drifting into a total apostasy.
Let the tabernacle and its ritual lose its standing in our eyes.
Go on to the reality to which the Holy Spirit is pointing---the
full forgiveness of sins of the new covenant and the resulting
intimacy with God.
Those who today try to earn a sense of being pleasing to God by
good behavior need to hear this lesson. Never knowing when they
have done enough, they feel troubled and restive without any heart-peace
and thus are often driven to extreme measures of self-punishment
and despair. They need to cease from their efforts and trust in
Christ's completed work.
The section from verses 11-14 confronts us anew with the question
raised above, What is the reality of which the tabernacle was
a copy? Verse 11 says it was a greater and more perfect tabernacle
. . . not man-made, . . . not a part of this creation. Verse
24 adds, he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in
God's presence. We have already been given a clue to the meaning
of this in 3:6, "For Christ is faithful as a son over God's
house. And we are his house." He dwells within us
as he said he would (Jn 14:23) and as Paul affirms (Eph 3:16-17).
The fact that this house is also termed heaven is difficult for
us to grasp, since we tend to think of heaven spatially. It is
"up there" or "out there" or even in some
distant part of outer space. If we would eliminate spatial terms
from our thinking, we could come to think of heaven as simply
another dimension of existence, as another realm of invisible
realities just beyond our senses---in other words, the spiritual
kingdom in which God, angels and even demons, function. (29)
What the Bible seeks to teach us, and what is difficult for us
to apprehend, is that we too can function in this dimension. It
is the dimension of our spirits. Thus, Paul can say, "And
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:6). Jesus tells us, "God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth"
(Jn 4:24), and Paul adds, "He who unites himself with the
Lord is one with him in spirit" (1 Cor 6:17).
All of this strongly suggests that what Moses saw on the mountain
was the human person as we are meant to be, the dwelling place
of God---the Holy of Holies. John tells us in Revelation, "Now
the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They
will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their
God." If that language sounds reminiscent of the promises
of the new covenant described in Hebrews 8, it is no accident.
God had this in mind from the very beginning, as David declares
in Psalm 8: "You made him [human beings] a little lower than
the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor."
These words, as we have seen, were quoted by the writer in 2:58
and to this, he appended: "Yet at present we do not see everything
subject to him. But we see Jesus . . ." Jesus, as high
priest of the good things that are already here, has found
a way to repossess the human spirit and cleanse it with the "better
sacrifice" of himself (9:23), and to dwell within forever
by means of the eternal Spirit (9:14).
This view of the true tabernacle as the human person is also supported
by Paul in his description of what awaits believers at death.
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,
we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built
by human hands" (2 Cor 5:1). Here the phrase "not built
by human hands" is the same as that in Hebrews 9:11 translated
"not man-made." It is clearly a reference to the resurrection
of the body. This would also explain the phrase not a part
of this creation in Hebrews. Our humanity was not created
as glorified already. A glorified body is an additional step which
Adam did not know in his earthly existence and which would, therefore,
be "not of this creation." (30)
The point our author makes in 9:11-14 is that if the blood of
goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer offered in the tabernacle
of old sufficed to cleanse the sins of those ceremonially unclean
and to forgive the rebellions of the past so that the people were
temporarily acceptable to God, how much more does the blood of
Christ cleanse our consciences from sin's defilement today? They
had only animals to offer in sacrifice, and it was necessary to
repeat them again and again. But Christ offered only one sacrifice,
not an animal but himself, and he did it once for all.
This indicated its continuing, unbroken efficacy, which obtained
not merely a temporary and outward cleansing, but eternal redemption.
As we have seen, it is the conscience within which acts as a barrier
to God's presence. Like Adam after the Fall, we tend to hide ourselves
from God, fearing his judgment. Conscience cannot be rendered
inactive by our will, though its voice can be muffled. It is only
silenced when we see that God is not unhappy or angry with us.
But since Jesus offered himself unblemished to God in our
place, God's justice no longer makes demands upon us. We may,
therefore, set aside useless rituals and so feel ourselves free
in his presence to serve the Living God.
The passage from 9:15 through 9:28 takes a slightly different
slant. Though the same term covenant is used as in verses
1-14, it is now treated more as a bequest being administered by
a living executor after the death of the will-maker. However,
Christ is seen both as the will-maker who dies, and the executor
who administers the estate, just as he was both the offering for
sin and the high priest who offered it. The phrase For this
reason, which introduces verse 15, looks back to the close
of verse 14, that we may serve the living God. The promised
Messiah administers the new covenant to those who are called
in order that they may be equipped to serve the living and true
God. That equipping capability of the new covenant is called the
promised eternal inheritance. We have already seen that it
consists of an inner understanding of the nature of both good
and evil; an intimate, Father-child relationship with God; and
a total and continuing forgiveness of sins. This is the inheritance
which our Mediator offers to us whenever we come to the throne
of grace (4:16) to receive it by faith. Just as the heir of a
fortune may draw from its resources at any time, so we are expected
to draw from this great bequest, as it is now available to us
after the death of the testator.
The last clause of verse 15 introduces the author's emphasis on
the bequest, or promised eternal inheritance, flowing from
the death of Jesus. Verses 16-17 argue that the covenant (viewed
as a will) cannot take effect apart from the death of the will-maker.
This principle is seen even in the first covenant (v. 18-22) since
Moses, having read the law to the people, took the blood of animals
and sprinkled the scroll of the law, the people and everything
connected with the service of the tabernacle (Lev 8:10, 19, 30).
He thus indicated that the old covenant was based upon death---the
death of animals. Without such a death, even the limited forgiveness
provided for in the first covenant could not take effect, for
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
A striking scene is described in Exodus 24:8 when Moses sprinkled
the blood upon the people. It was meant to impress on them that
sin cannot be set aside, even by a loving God, without a death
occurring. His judicial sentence, "the soul who sins is the
one who will die" (Ezek 18:4), must be carried out. By sprinkling
the blood of an animal on the people, Moses is saying that God
would accept that substitution as a temporary reprieve until the
true Substitute should come. The people must realize that sin
is serious, since only death can relieve it. When the new covenant
replaces the old, it not only removes sin through the death of
Jesus but provides a new understanding and a new intimacy that
make the service of God a delight and an enriching experience.
By contrast, the author stresses again the value of the death
of Jesus. Verses 23-26 speak of the blood of Jesus as an infinitely
better sacrifice than the animal deaths that purified the
copies of the heavenly things contained in the tabernacle.
Though the imagery here is drawn from the Day of Atonement, we
must not think of Jesus as bearing a basin of his own blood into
heaven to present it before the throne of God at his ascension,
as some commentators have concluded. The rending of the curtain
in the temple at the time of the crucifixion is ample evidence
to indicate that the blood shed in the death of Jesus was the
moment when full atonement for sin was accomplished. (31)
The writer lays great stress on the contrast between the repeated
offerings of the high priest in the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement
and the one offering of Jesus upon the cross. Because of the infinitely
superior nature of Christ's sacrifice, founded on his deity and
sinless humanity, his one offering was enough for all time. He
need not suffer many times since the creation of the world
to do away with sin, but the one sacrifice of himself was
sufficient.
As we have already noted, the entrance, by faith, of Jesus into
the spirit of a believer gives this person access to the heavenly
reality which corresponds to the earthly Holy of Holies. That
is where God now dwells (Jn 14:20, 23), and where our great high
priest makes intercession for his own. He has no need to suffer
and die again since his perfect sacrifice of himself completely
satisfied every demand of divine justice. He can now sustain and
support his people without any limitation on himself arising from
their sins, since that has been settled forever in the once-for-all
sacrifice of the cross. The phrase the end of the ages
designates the present age as the last of a series. It marks the
end of human history as we now
know it and will terminate in the events which Jesus foretold
would occur "at the end of the age" (Mt 24-25). Throughout
this section the emphasis of the writer has been on the uniqueness
of Christ's death. Again and again he has called it "once-for-all"
(hapax or ephapax). That thought comes to the fore
again in verses 27-28. Just as any fallen human being is destined
to die once for all time, with judgment awaiting beyond death,
so Christ also died once for all time to deal with sin. For the
many who trust in him, it is not judgment that awaits beyond their
personal death. This judgment has been forever removed by the
sacrifice of Christ. Instead, they may confidently expect that
he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation
to those who are waiting for him.
This salvation points to the resurrection of the body. For them,
the spirit has been regenerated already and the soul is being
saved as Christlikeness is formed in that believer (2 Cor
3:18). What yet awaits is the raising of the body so that the
whole person becomes a dwelling place of God forever. This is
the only place in the New Testament where the return of Christ
is called a second coming. During his first coming, he
dealt with the problem of human sin on the cross; at his second
coming the full effect of that sacrifice will be manifested in
the resurrection (or "transformation"---1 Cor 15:51-52)
of the bodies of those who wait for him.
In these closing verses of chapter 9, the writer returns briefly
to the thought of 2:5-9 and his view of Jesus as God's ideal human
being, who rules over the world to come. That view of the final
triumph of Jesus will appear again at the end of chapter 10, as
the author concludes his survey of the privileges and possibilities
of the new covenant. As always, the thought of the return of Christ
raises the question Peter asked in light of such events, "What
kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly
lives as you look forward to the day of God" (2 Pet 3 12).
End of Part I.
(1). 1:1. See Wescott for a thorough treatment
of verse one, discussing the meaning of polymeros ("at
many times"), and polytropos ("in many ways")
and especially the contrast of the Old Covenant with the New.
(2). l:2. The vastness of the created universe
has become more mind-boggling as scientists receive information
transmitted back to earth by interplanetary machines. New objects
discovered in space, such as black holes, quasars, novas and so
forth challenge astronomers and physicists to solve ever more
complex riddles. Rather than finding answers to old questions,
science is finding more and more questions. This in no way threatens
Christian faith in Jesus as Lord in his universe. Rather, it enhances
his majesty immeasurably and should cause us to believe in marvel
and wonder at the thought that such a Being should consent to
redeem us at the infinite price of the cross.
1:3. On the relationships among the persons of the Trinity, I
would recommend Wood 1978. Eschewing such feeble illustrations
of the Trinity as an egg or the three forms of water, Wood shows
how the truth of the Trinity is stamped on all the universe in
the basic structure of Time, Space and Matter, revealing clearly
how the Son manifests the exact character of the Father.
The use of the Greek charakter ("exact representation")
is a strong argument against the claim of groups like Jehovah's
Witnesses who present Jesus as the highest of God's creation,
but not himself sharing the nature of God. To support this claim
the Jehovah's Witnesses publish their own edition of the Scriptures
which mistranslates Greek texts such as John 1:1 and Colossians
1:15-17 to support their position. The claim that Jesus represents
in human form the exact character of God is astonishing but too
well supported by the Scriptures to deny.
(3). 1:4-5. Hughes (1987:52-53) ties this
passage with the expectations of the Qumran community rather than
with Paul's warning in Colossians 2:18. But in either case Jesus
was being subordinated to an angel or angels, and this constituted
the danger which is faced in Hebrews.
l:6. The angel Gabriel told Mary at the annunciation that the
child to be born would be called "the Son of the Most High"
(Lk 1:32) Also at Jesus' baptism the Father's voice proclaimed,
"You are my Son whom I love" (Mk 1:11), and again at
the transfiguration, "This is my Son" (Lk 9:35).
(4). 1:6. Kistemaker (1984:40) has a helpful
note for those who might be troubled by the failure to find any
reference to the worship of angels in the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy
32:43 or in English versions based on that text He says:
The writer of Hebrews quotes from the Hymn of Moses as it was rendered in the Septuagint. The Greek translation of Deuteronomy 32 was well known to him and his audience because in the dispersion the Jews used the Septuagint in the synagogues. The early Christians adopted the liturgy with variations to express the Christian emphasis.
The author's use of a quote from the Septuagint that is without an exact equivalent in the Hebrew text in our possession does not mean that the doctrine of inspiration has been undermined. The Holy Spirit, who is the primary author of Scripture and inspired every human writer, directed the author of Hebrews to select a quote from the Hymn of Moses in the Greek. When the author incorporated the line into his epistle, that line became inspired Scripture.
For a thorough study of the meaning of prototokos ("firstborn")
in Hebrews, see Helyer 1976. Jehovah's Witnesses in their New
World Translation claim that the title "firstborn of all
creation" means that Jesus is the first created being, based
on the analogy of a human family where the first-born child is
younger than his parents. To suppose this they must insert the
word other into Col 1:16: "For by him ail other things
were created." But there is no support for this in the Greek
text. They also ignore the fact that in the Old Testament there
are several instances where the son designated the firstborn was
not the one born first. Ishmael was thirteen years older than
Isaac, but it is Isaac who is the firstborn. Though Esau was born
first, Jacob becomes the firstborn. Even with Joseph's sons, Mannaseh
and Ephraim, a transference of the right of firstborn is made
by Jacob when he prays for the two, making Ephraim, the younger,
the firstborn.
(5). 1:9. Bruce, Morris, Kistemaker and others
see the "companions" of the King as the Christians described
in Heb 3:14 and called his "brothers" in 2:11. Hughes
does not agree with this. Since Jesus is often seen in Scripture
as accompanied by great hosts of angels (Mt 25:31; 2 Thess 1:7,
Jude 14) and since the context of Hebrews 1:4-14 is clearly a
contrast between the Lord and angels. it seems most probable that
angels are the companions referred to in the psalm.
(6). 2:1-3. It is a great mistake to set the
law and the gospel in opposition to one another. Westcott is right
when he remarks: "Throughout the Epistle the law is regarded
as a gracious manifestation of the divine will, and not as a code
of stem discipline" (1889:37). Similarly, Bruce observes,
"In this epistle, moreover, the law is not a principle set
in opposition to the grace manifested in Christ's saving work,
but rather an anticipatory sketch of that saving work" (1964:28
29).
2:3. If the writer had himself heard Jesus he would have undoubtedly
said so. Instead he speaks gratefully of the confirming ministry
of those who did hear him. It is noteworthy that he does not quote
the word of Jesus anywhere in this epistle.
(7). 2:5-18. This section affords an excellent
basis for a sermon or sermons on the work of Christ. In this brief
paragraph we learn that Jesus' death and resurrection accomplished
at least four great transactions on our behalf:
1. He recaptured our lost destiny (vv. 5-9).
2. He recovered our lost unity (vv. 10-13).
3. He released us from Satanic bondage (vv. 14-15).
4. He restores us in times of failure (vv. 16-18).
(8). 2:12-13. Hughes has a helpful note concerning
New Testament use of Old Testament quotations. He says, "A
noteworthy aspect of the New Testament is the manner in which
it shows that Christ and his apostles, when they cited passages
from the Old Testament, did not flourish them in isolation as
proof-texts uprooted from their environment (something Satan is
adept at doing, Mt. 4:6) but had careful regard to the context
from which they were taken. The full significance of a statement
can be appreciated only against the background of its total context"
(1977:107).
(9). 2:16. Hughes (l977:115-18) questions
the NIV translation it is not the angels he helps. The
Greek epilambano is frequently translated "to take
hold of' or "to appropriate," and the KJV reflects this,
translating the phrase "he took not on him the nature of
angels." scholars through the Reformation took the phrase
in that sense and not until the seventeenth century and later
did the thought "it is not to angels that he gives help"
become accepted. Both thoughts are consistent with the immediate
context. He took upon himself, not the nature of angels, but of
humanity in order that he might help, not angels, but the seed
of Abraham.
(10). 3:1. Though it was Moses' brother Aaron
who was high priest of Israel by title, it was Moses and not Aaron
who interceded for the people before God (Ex 32:11-14). (Exodus
4:14-16) indicates that God permitted Aaron to share the ministry
which was originally intended only for Moses.
(11). 3:6. The KJV adds the words "firm
unto the end" which NIV, RSV and NEB regard as an insertion
from verse 14. The thought of continuance is still there is omitted.
(12). 3:7. Note again how concerned the writer
is to identify Scripture as originating not with human beings
but with God. The formula as the Holy Spirit says underscores
the solemnity of the warning which marks the writer's conviction
that the Psalms are the very voice of God.
(13). 3:14. Kistemaker writes, "The
parallel between Hebrews 3:6 and Hebrews 3:14 is striking. The
imagery in verse 6 is of the house of God over which Christ has
been placed as son and of which we are part. In verse 14 the same
relationship is described as a sharing in Christ. And the courage
and hope that we should 'hold on to' (v. 6) are identified as
'the confidence we had al first' (v. 14)" (1984:96).
(14). 3:18. Paul draws this same parallel
in I Corinthians 10:1-5. In Egypt the Israelites all killed the
passover lamb (foreshadowing the Cross of Christ). They all passed
through the Red Sea (which Paul says corresponds to baptism).
They all enjoyed the protection and guidance of the cloud and
the fire in the wilderness (picturing the fatherly care of God
today). And they all were fed by the manna and drank of the Rock
(both symbols of Christ). But despite these outward signs, they
never had really believed God but only sought to use him to avoid
danger or unpleasantness. This is, sadly, the state of many today.
(15). 4:2. Many find it difficult to believe
that the same gospel which is preached today (that is, the gospel
of Christ) was also proclaimed to Israel in the wilderness. But
note the two phrases we have had the gospel preached to us
(v. 2) and those who formerly had the gospel preached to
them (v. 6). No distinction is made in these uses of gospel.
Also Paul states in I Corinthians 10:3, "They drank from
the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ
" This implies an understanding on the part of some at least
that the events they experienced, the sacrifices they offered,
the ritual they fulfilled, were ail designed to teach them truth
about a Redeemer who was, to the eyes of faith, their ground of
atonement with God, though he had not yet appeared in history.
Of course these same elements could be experienced mechanically,
without faith, and were thus meaningless as far as personal salvation
was concerned.
(16). 4:3-4. Did all those who died in the
wilderness also perish eternally? Clearly not, since Moses, Aaron
and Miriam are included in their number. Some, then, died before
Canaan because they were unbelieving in relation to the picture
of rest (Canaan) but did not perish eternally. But the majority
were not only unbelieving about Canaan but also unbelieving about
the redemptive provisions that pointed to Christ, and these we
must presume to have been lost eternally.
(17). 4:10. I highly recommend Heschel 1975
for an insightful study on the sabbath from a Jewish viewpoint.
Also Peterson 1987 has a most helpful chapter on a Christian pastor's
observance of "sabbath" once a week.
(18). 5:4 The Mormons claim that their male
members are priests of the order of Melchizedek and that their
prophet, Joseph Smith, held both the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods.
But this is a wholly gratuitous claim since it rests on no objective
appointment by God but only on a subjective assertion in which
they take this honor upon themselves.
(19). 5:12. A similar condition existed in
Corinth where, in I Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul calls his readers
"mere infants in Christ." He sees them as true believers
(as the "in Christ" indicates) but says they are acting
as "men of the flesh." It is difficult to tell the difference
when their behavior is worldly and their learning listless.
(20). 6:3. A possible harmonizing of the
Calvinist and Arminian views surrounding this passage may be found
in the appendix. Henrichsen argues that the passage is not about
eternal salvation at ail, "In summary, the writer is saying
that when a Christian fails into sin, it is impossible for him
to be renewed through another conversion experience, because that
would be equivalent to 'crucifying the Son of God all over again
and subjecting him to public disgrace' " (1979:78). This
interpretation would mean that it is impossible to treat the Savior
so disgracefully, but that is just what the writer of Hebrews
is warning his readers against doing. The passage, in this view,
becomes only a hypothetical case which has no basis in reality.
6:4 Some have made the point that Jesus' tasting of death (2:9)
clearly describes a full and complete death. Therefore, they argue,
tasting the heavenly gift must mean an actual participation
in the life of Jesus. But "taste" (Gk: geuomai)
is not always used in this way. In Matthew 27:34 it refers to
Jesus' tasting the wine that was offered him on the cross but
refusing to drink it. Thus here and in 6:5 "tasting"
may indicate something only partial.
(21). 6:6. Hughes states, "The tenses
of the Greek participles are significant: the aorist participle
parapesontas indicates a decisive moment of commitment
to apostasy, the point of no return; the present participles anastaurountas
and paradeigmatizontas indicate the continuing state of
those who have once lapsed into apostasy: they keep on crucifying
the Son of God and holding him up to contempt" (1977:218).
Some have understood the latter part of this verse to be a temporal
statement ("It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance
while or so long as they crucify to themselves the
Son of God") rather than a causal one ("It is impossible
to renew them again unto repentance because they crucify . . .").
Bruce says of this, "To say that they cannot be brought to
repentance so long as they persist in their renunciation of Christ
would be a truism hardly worth putting into words" (1964:124).
(22). 7:3. Resurrection is the visible manifestation
of eternal life, and John declares, "This life is in his
Son" (I Jn 5:11). Eternal life is apart from time, having
no beginning or ending, and thus Jesus is properly described as
without beginning of days or end of life.
For those interested in alternative views of the identity of Melchizedek,
Hughes (1977:237-45) supplies a survey of Jewish and Christian
thought on this subject through the centuries. Early Jewish thought
regarded Melchizedek as a heavenly being, but the rabbis of the
first century sought to identify him with Shem, the oldest son
of Noah, to counteract the Christian view of him as a type of
Christ. The early Christian writers for the most part objected
to this as invalidating the claim of Hebrews that Melchizedek
vas "without genealogy since the genealogy of Shem was well
known.
Certain Gnostic cults taught that Melchizeciek was a theophany
of the Holy Spirit, while a later sect saw him as a preincamate
appearance of the Son of God. But Epiphanius (d. 403) responded
to that suggestion, saying, "If Melchizedek resembles the
Son of God, he cannot at the same time be the same as the Son
of God; for how can a servant be the same as his master?"
Scrolls found in Cave 11 at Qumran speak of Melchizedek as the
coming great Deliverer of the Jewish remnant and equate him with
the archangel Michael. If the readers of Hebrews were being attracted
to the teachings of the Dead Sea sect, the author's treatment
of Melchizedek would go far to correct misunderstanding of his
importance. The Latin father Jerome states that the reliable church
authors he had consulted on the identification of Melchizedek
included Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Eusebius of Caesarea and Apollinaris,
who all viewed Melchizedek as a human being. Most of the Reformers
followed this view, though modem commentators have occasionally
made other identifications. (23). 7:18-19.
A problem recurrent in Hebrews arises from the clear teaching
that animal sacrifices could not and did not remove the sin of
the offerer How then could a holy God have any part with yet unholy
people? The answer is that when an Old Testament believer offered
a sacrifice with a trustful and repentant heart, God would, in
grace, view it as pointing to the death of Jesus and the believer's
an of faith would, like that of Abraham, be "counted for
righteousness." Sometimes the personal faith of the offerer
did see beyond the animal blood to the promised sacrifice which
God would offer. David evidently saw this for he cries to God,
"You do not delight in [animal] sacrifice, or I would bring
it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings" (Ps 51:16).
(24). 8:5. The typology of the tabernacle
has been greatly neglected by modem scholars, though obviously
the writer of Hebrews makes much of it, and many nineteenth-century
commentators treated it seriously. If, as this passage suggests,
it is the key to understanding the present ministry of Jesus in
the inner lives of his people, it deserves far more study than
it is now receiving.
(25). 8:8-12. There is no inherent need to
pit amillennialism against premillennialism in these matters.
Amillennialism is true when it metaphorically applies the literal
promises made to Israel to the redeemed human spirit today. But
that does not necessarily mean there will be no literal fulfillment
to Israel. It is not an either/or situation, but a both/and! The
promises to Abraham and David concerning the land and the throne
have never yet been fulfilled in history, but will be when Jeremiah's
vision of the new covenant applied to Israel is fulfilled, as
Paul also envisaged in Romans 11:15 and 26-27.
(26). 8:13. In Galatians 3:25 Paul concludes
a long section on the relationship of law to believers with these
words: "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the
supervision of the law." This has been taken by some to mean
that the Ten Commandments no longer are valid for Christians and
serve no purpose in their lives. But in Romans 10:4 Paul states,
"Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
everyone who believes"---that is, as far as obtaining righteousness
is concerned, Christ is the end of the law (for law cannot make
us righteous). But in other matters the law still serves believers,
as Paul makes clear in 1 Timothy 1:8: "We know that the law
is good if one uses it properly." He then goes on to cite
many sinful acts and attitudes which the law helps us to discover
within ourselves so that we may then acknowledge them and place
them under the blood of Jesus which "purifies us from all
sin" (1 Jn 1:7).
(27). 9:4 The manna would remind Israel of
God's miraculous and loving care of them in the wilderness; the
rod of Aaron would mark the Levitical priesthood as divinely instituted
and far more important than any human provision; and the stone
tablets of the covenant would speak of the holy character which
God's people must continually measure themselves against. Together
they spoke of God's love, God's redemption and God's holiness.
These find their counterpart in Christian experience: God's love
for us initiates his redemptive activity (Jn 3:16); God's provision
for us goes far beyond what any amount of human counseling or
control can achieve (2 Cor 5:17); and God's sanctifying work within
us produces at last a Christlike character that is fully acceptable
to a holy God (2 Cor 3:18).
(28). 9:8. A comparison of standard texts
will indicate this:
KJV---"the way into the holiest of ail was not yet made manifest,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing."
RSV---"the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long
as the outer tent is still standing."
NEB---"so long as the earlier tent still stands, the way
into the sanctuary remains unrevealed."
NIV---"the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been
disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing."
Phillips---"the way to the holy of holies was not yet open,
that is, so long as the first tent and ail that it stands for
still exist."
Hughes suggests this understanding in saying that ekein stasin
goes beyond the meaning "to continue in existence."
Following Teodorica, he says its force is "to have legal
standing" or "official sanction" (1977:322).
(29). 9:11. In equating the human spirit
with heaven, I do not mean to imply that the human spirit in which
the Spirit of Christ dwells is equivalent with all that Scripture
includes in the word heaven. I simply mean that there is
an obvious correspondence between the two and that in the spirit
we are in some sense living in heaven now (Eph 2:6).
Moses saw, of course, the whole person---body, soul and spirit
(Gen 2:7; 1 Thess 5:23). This would explain the threefold division
of the tabernacle. The outer court corresponds to the body; the
Holy Place, to the soul; and the Most Holy Place, to the spirit.
Even the furniture of the tabernacle corresponds to elements in
us. For instance, the furniture of the Holy Place was the lampstand,
the table of bread, and the altar of incense. If the Holy Place
is the soul of man, these pieces would suggest the mind (lampstand),
the emotions (bread as a symbol of social intercourse) and the
will (altar of incense, which reflects the choices God approves).
But Moses was shown that though God dwells in the human spirit
and makes us different from the animals, we have no access to
him because of sin. We are described as "dead in trespasses
and sins" and said to be "alienated from God,"
"without God in the world." But Paul states the great
truth of Hebrews 9 in these words "But now in Christ Jesus
you who once were far away have been brought near through the
blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13).
(30). 9:24. Hughes (1977:283-290) has a helpful
excursus on the various interpretations of the terms the true
tent and the greater and more perfect tent. These views
include the humanity of Jesus, the human body, the church as the
body of Christ, the souls of God's people, the literal heavens
and simply the presence of God. All of these have elements of
truth about them but suffer from the spatial concepts still included
in them. The truth is we do not know very much about the realm
of spirit. This is probably what Paul means by his famous statement
in I Corinthians 13:9-10, "For we know in part and we prophesy
in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears."
(31). 9:24. To adequately picture an event
having many implications, such as the cross, required a multiplication
of actions in the Old Testament which would not be necessary to
duplicate in the reality. For instance, the Day of Atonement required
two goats: one a scapegoat to be released into the wilderness,
and the other to be slain and its blood sprinkled within the Most
Holy Place. Both actions were needed to depict the death of Jesus
as both bearing sin away forever and cleansing believers from
its defilement. Similarly, the dying of Jesus fulfilled both the
offering of a sacrifice and the presentation of its blood by the
high priest.