Category: Hebrews

“We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.”

The more I spend time reading Hebrews, the more it seems there are clear theological questions that the first Jewish readers of this letter had that are being answered here. The first two chapters have jumped into some pretty deep stuff quickly. If I could boil it down to a main question that is being answered in this letter, I would say it is, “Who exactly is Jesus?”

So far we know Jesus has been described with the same power, glory, and voice of God. We know he is higher than the angels, though he was made lower than the angels when coming to earth. We know that we as humans are God’s children, and we are above angels in the sense of being God’s children and having ultimately authority to rule with Jesus someday. However, we are lower than angels in the sense that we are living in a broken world full of sin right now and angels have a role of serving us. Today’s passage also makes it clear that Jesus specifically came for humanity and the Jewish people, not to help angels.

Jesus did everything possible to become a merciful and faithful connection from humanity to God. Jewish priests were the only ones that could enter God’s presence — once per year in the Holy of Holies in the very center of the Temple. In this way, the priests would atone for the sins of the people. The problem is that the people kept on sinning and the sacrifice had to be given over and over. Jesus, in his mercy and love, gave his own life as a final and ultimate sacrifice. He is the permanent priest who has atoned for all sins. The testing that he went through was his way of proving himself. If you wondered about God’s mercy and faithfulness before, Jesus’ life demonstrates that he will do whatever it takes to rescue you. The heart of God is a heart of mercy.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house. But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.”

Chapter 3 starts with “And so…” which is a noteworthy transition from a couple heavy hitting chapters we’ve read so far. Essentially, the author is saying, “Because of all the claims I have made about God’s relationship with Jesus, angels, and humans…” And what is the challenge laid before us? To think carefully about “this Jesus.” If you are being so bold as to declare that Jesus is God’s messenger, our faithful and ultimate high priest, and even God himself who created all things (see Hebrews 1:2), then you better have thought through the magnitude of what you are saying.

We enter in another character to the scene as we consider Jesus’ place in Israel’s history: Moses. Maybe Jesus was just another great leader like Moses. Nope. Jesus deserves the fullness of God’s glory because of the attributes that we have already described. Moses didn’t create the universe. Jesus did that. And in case you were still unclear about whether the author is really saying that Jesus is God, we have this statement: “The one who built everything is God.” The logical flow is unmistakable. Jesus created all things, he is like the builder where Moses is just the house, and the one who built everything is God.

Whether you are a follower of Jesus right now or not, you have to do something with him. The Bible’s claims about him are radical and audacious. Secular history establishes him as an actual historical figure who did miracles as described in the Bible. Historians of the day recorded that some called Jesus the “Messiah.” If you have any interest in seeking what is really true about our universe and the spiritual realm, you have to do something with “this Jesus.” Take a good, careful look at exactly who he is. Because at the end of the day, you are either following him or walking away. And there are real and eternal consequences to that decision. Think carefully.

“Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

‘Today when you hear his voice don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.'”

The author of Hebrews includes a large passage from Psalm 95 today to emphasize how following Jesus is following the heart of God that had been familiar to the Jewish people for generations. We are still differentiating between Jesus and Moses. What is the difference between the servant and the Master of the house? One performs a service (and there can be many) and the other owns the place. Where do we fit in? Together as the church we are the house where God dwells.

What I find interesting here is that in Psalm 95, the passage reads, “the Lord says…” You may notice that in the Bible the letter in “Lord” are written in small caps. This indicates that the name “Yahweh” is used there to show that God himself is speaking. In this passage, “the Holy Spirit” is used interchangeably with what had been “Yahweh,” and prior to this Jesus was referred to as Lord as well. These types of passages in the Bible are not accidental, and they point us to the doctrine of the Trinity: three persons in one God. It is certainly a challenge to wrap our minds around, but the Bible specifically calls the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit “God” on many occasions.

In addition to the underlying theology about the nature of God, the point of today’s passage is that our hearts should be open to Jesus. Many Jews at this time were closed to Jesus — they saw him as a heretic. The author is taking great care to explain Jesus’ role in Israel’s history, his presence in the Old Testament, and his unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Those who harden their hearts to Jesus can never enter the true place of rest — the ultimate Promised Land. Jewish readers who were just prompted to think about Moses would be stirred by this, as Moses himself was denied entrance to the Promised Land after he disobeyed God. How’s the condition of your heart today? Follow the voice of the Holy Spirit and trust where he is taking you.

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says:

‘Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
    as Israel did when they rebelled.'”

In yesterday’s post we were reminded to keep our hearts soft and open to Jesus. Today’s passage continues that theme, and specifically tells us to make sure our own hearts are not evil and unbelieving. How do we each do that? What does it mean to make sure my heart is not evil? One clue: evil and unbelieving hearts turn away from God.

If you ever wondered if you could successfully follow Jesus by yourself, the answer is a big “NO!” Our hearts are prone to wander away from God, and we need to remind each other every day who Jesus is. The author uses the word “warn” here. This requires a certain level of commitment and willingness to say hard things and hear hard things from each other. When we position ourselves in this way, we just might make it to the end where we will share in all that belongs to Christ (which is everything!).

It’s really hard to be faithful. It means you’ve got to hang in there through good times and bad. It means you have to remember why you got into this whole Jesus thing in the first place. It means you cannot forget who he is, what he has done for you, and what is coming to those who believe in him. If you don’t have people in your life who regularly remind you about these things, find them! You need people to keep you in check or you run the risk of forgetting. Moses forgot and didn’t enter the Promised Land. Don’t let pride tell you that you can overcome evil by yourself. You can’t.

“And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.”

One of my biggest beefs with God is the fact that Moses never made it into the Promised Land. If you are not familiar with the story, you can find it in Numbers 20. On a few occasions during the Israelites’ journey through the desert, the people had no water and God told Moses to hit a rock to obtain water. Moses would hit the rock with his special staff and water would flow from the rock. In Numbers 20, God tells Moses to speak to the rock instead. In front of all the people in quite a display, Moses struck the rock. Water still came gushing out, but God was not pleased. Moses’ act was one of distrust — he did what was safe and familiar instead of listening to exactly what God said. As today’s passage says, Moses was not able to enter God’s rest because he had unbelief.

Does the punishment fit the crime? Moses had led the people through the desert for 40 years and had obeyed God so much, yet he misses out on the Promised Land after all that? To me that has always felt harsh, but I trust in the goodness of God and he certainly has a better sense of justice than I do. Ultimately, God doesn’t weigh our good versus bad and see if we come out on top. Distrust and disobedience always carry us farther from God and prevent us from entering true rest with him.

The Christian life is a radical one. This entire chapter is a warning about what happens when we fall away from God. Plenty of people start the spiritual journey in a sprint, but they don’t make it the distance. What’s going to get you through all of life’s challenges? What is going to hold you firm in trusting God no matter what your circumstances tell you? Faith. Unswerving, unshakable faith in the goodness of God. Hold tight, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.