Chapter 56: Hebrews – the New Testament “priests” book (Jesus is better)

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” Hebrews 1:1-3

I love the way the Book of Hebrews begins, and especially when expressed in the KJV. Hebrews may be to the New Testament what Leviticus is to the Old (at least in the eyes of many modern Gentile readers) in that it is one least studied. Understandably, new Christians may begin with one or more of the four gospels and then move onto the Acts and some of the epistles (Paul, John, Peter, James and Jude, possibly in that order) and, depending on how their fellowship views end times prophecy, Revelation. That leaves Hebrews! While one preacher, when asked what his favourite book of the New Testament was, wisely said it was the one he was currently studying, I can think of two reasons to reply – Hebrews, besides the fact it teaches more about the priests and the priesthood than any other New Testament book and is thus particularly relevant to “Priests of the Bible”. Firstly, in terms of doctrinal richness and coverage it matches that of the Book of Romans, for example. Secondly, in terms of memorable verses, Hebrews is full of them. These are some I can recall from my youth.   

1. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (9:27)
2. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (10:19,20)
3. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (10:25)
4. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (11:6)
5. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2)
6. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (13:3)
7. “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (13:12-14)

Before we consider (albeit all too briefly) some of the content of the Book of Hebrews, it is worth considering how it is laid out. One suggestion, based on what my NIV Study Bible presents, is:

Prologue: God’s New Revelation is better (1:1-4)

Christ is better than leading figures under the Old Covenant (1:5-7:28)

Christ Is better than the Angels (1:5-2:18)

• Scriptural proof of his superiority (1:5-14)
• Exhortation not to ignore the revelation of God in his Son (2:1-4)
• Jesus was made a little lower than the angels (2:5-9)
• Having been made like us, Jesus was enabled to save us (2:10-18)

Christ Is better than Moses (3:1-4:13)

• Demonstration of Christ’s superiority (3:1-6)
• Exhortation to enter salvation-rest (3:7-4:13)

Christ Is better than the Aaronic Priests (4:14-7:28)

• Jesus is the great high priest (4:14-16)
• Qualifications of a priest (5:1-10)
• Exhortation to press on toward maturity (5:11-6:12)
• The certainty of God’s promise (6:13-20)
• Christ’s superior priestly order (7:1-28)

The Sacrificial Work of Our High Priest is better (8:1-10:18)

• A New Sanctuary and a New Covenant (8:1-13)
• The Old Sanctuary (9:1-10)
• The Better Sacrifice (9:11-10:18)

A Call to Follow Jesus Faithfully and with Perseverance (10:19-12:3)

• As in the past, so in the future (10:32-39)
• Faith and its many outstanding examples (ch. 11:1-40)
• Jesus, the supreme example (12:1-3)

Encouragement to Persevere in the Face of Hardship (12:4-12:29)

• Exhortation to Holy Living (12:14-17)
• Crowning Motivation and Warning (12:18-29)

Conclusion (13:1-25)

• Rules for Christian Living (13:1-17)
• Request for Prayer (13:18-19)

Benediction (13:20-21)

Personal Remarks (13:22-23)

Greetings and Final Benediction (13:24-25)

Another, shorter yet helpful breakdown, is based on Stuart Kimber’s “A Pathway into the Bible”:

1. Jesus – God’s Final Revelation (1-2)
2. Moses, Creation and the High Priest (Walk on beyond the Old Covenant) (3:1-6:20)
3. Jesus – High Priest of the New Covenant (Walk on into the New Covenant) (7:1-10:39)
4. All those who walked this way before us (Walk on with Jesus) (11-13)

As with the earlier overviews of books of the Bible (Genesis, Leviticus, Chronicles and the Wisdom books) this one, concerning Hebrews, is going to be short, even though much can be profitably drawn from its contents and better Bible teachers than me have written large volumes expounding the lessons it teaches. Mine, besides providing an overview to encourage students of the Bible, has a particular emphasis on how the arguments etc. that the writer to the Hebrews sets out in his letter relates to the subject of this book (priests and the priesthood). We have already considered one of the core themes of Hebrews, that of Jesus being the Great High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek (chapter 20) but it will also be noted that other chapters of this book draw on Hebrews as a source.

We say “writer to the Hebrews” because we don’t know who it is, although in the Christian set-up I came into as a young believer, some assumed it was Paul. Most commentaries will take up space considering the possibilities, often without coming up with who the writer is, arguably not that it matters. Some suggest the writer could have been a woman and is why I refer to him / her as “the writer”. Also, unlike every other letter in the New Testament that was either addressed to an individual or a church or group of churches, we don’t know who the writer was writing to. The audience is not identified in the letter, unlike in all the other letters. Few would argue that the title “Hebrews” is appropriate because the intended audience were Jewish believers, although where based exactly we cannot say. There is plenty of evidence why this is so, starting with the use of types and shadows from the Old Testament, to an extent far in excess of any other New Testament book. With reference to Chapter 55, Hebrews is a prime example of relating Old and New Testaments.

We find there is the extraordinary number of quotations taken from the Old Testament, including interpretations and explanations that were the Book of Hebrews not part of the canon some might want to question. The writer assumes a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament. It is also one good reason why anyone wanting to understand the New Testament should also study the Old Testament. In the first two chapters of Hebrews alone, the writer quotes from seven Psalms, and the Books of Deuteronomy, Samuel, Chronicles and Isaiah. Then the arguments presented are typically Jewish ones and not one Gentiles might resonate with. For example, the argument that Melchizedek was better than Aaron on the basis that Aaron was a descendant of Levi, who was a descendant of Abraham, who gave tithes to Melchizedek, shows why the Melchizedek priesthood, of which Jesus a member, is superior to that of the Aaronic priesthood, and such is more in line with Jewish thinking.

A more pertinent question, maybe, is why was the Book of Hebrews written in the first place? While verses can be cited along the lines of exhorting the readers to keep the faith as revealed in Jesus, rather than return to Judaism and thus deny Christ, to provide reasons, the answer might also be derived from reading between the lines. A lot of what is written would appeal to the Jewish mind and familiar with Jewish traditions. While relevant to Gentile to gain understanding of the whole counsel of God, such a presentation may not be so compelling to them as to those who are steeped in Judaism. One difference between Jewish and Gentile believers was in declaring the latter was not required to become a Jew and thus keep the whole Law before becoming a Christian. It is notable that a good portion of the writer’s argument was that Jesus is better than anything found in the Old Testament – better in terms of what has been revealed through Jesus and continues the argument in declaring Jesus is better than angels, better than Moses and better than the Aaronic priests.   

It was likely there was great pressure being placed on the Hebrew believers to ditch following Christ and turn back to Judaism, because by doing so they would likely escape the anticipated persecution of those who follow Jesus. Some of the wording even implies by turning back those who do so might lose their salvation, for example “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (6:4-6). While I tend to the Calvinistic belief of the eternal security of all (true) believers (yet noting someone like David Pawson, whose commentaries on the Bible, including Hebrews, I have found to be helpful in writing this book, would cite texts from Hebrew to argue the opposite is the case).

The Book of Hebrews is strong on matters like the fear of God, e.g. “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (4:1), “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (10:3) and “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (12:28) and the importance of holiness “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness” (12:10) and “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (12:14). This emphasis on godly fear and reverential holiness is often missing today and is therefore another reason why we should be encouraged to study the Book of Hebrews

Hebrews is a practical book as it urges readers to walk on with Jesus and the importance of godly discipline and fellowship with other believers. One memorable passage is that of the “Hall of Faith” chapter 11, where the writer urges the life of faith, despite all sorts of challenges and the cost of living the life of faith and ultimate rewards, using as example several Old Testament figures. The writer rounds this off by considering Jesus: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (12:1-3).  

We close this short reflection with the final benediction that reflects the writer’s desire for the readers and the Christ centredness of what is written: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (13:20,21).