Hebrews 1:1-4

Something I’ve learned is that I learn things much better if I write about them. I guess that old adage is true: “If you want to become an expert in something, write a book about it.”

Well, this is my attempt to become at least better versed (no pun intened) in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Julie and I are now attending a bible study group and we’ve chosen to go through Hebrews a few verses at a time. Our plan is to really dig deeply into the text and share with the rest of the group what we have learned.

I figured my blog is a good place to keep my writings and perhaps any readers out there might enjoy it as well and share in the fruits of my labor. So, each week I will strive to post a study of the verses assigned to me.

Here we go!

Exposition

The date, location, audience, and person of authorship of Hebrews has not been definitively determined. However, the broad consensus is that the letter was most likely written between 65 and 70AD, about 35 to 40 years after Christ’s death and resurrection. Because the author refers to the temple in Jerusalem in the present tense, it was most likely written before the temple was destroyed by Roman troops under General Titus in 70AD. Since the epistle seems to be addressed to a second generation of Christians, it was most likely written after 60-65AD. More liberal scholars date the text to 95 to 100AD, when the Pauline epistles (letters or books of the Bible written by Paul) were first collected and began to circulate.

To whom Hebrews was written is assumed to be Jews who became Christians. This is due to the fact that the author assumes that the audience already knows quite a bit about Jewish history and the stories of the prophets. It also stresses the importance of God’s New Covenant as superceding the Old Covenant with Abraham. The author is most likely Paul or one of his coworkers (probably Apollos).

It is important to understand why this letter was written and who the audience was. The text provides many warnings to Christians against backsliding in their faith. As a Jew, it was easy (and probably quite tempting) to fall back into the mindset of the Old Covenant - that following regulations and offering ritual sacrifice was the path to salvation. Perhaps being raised this way and certainly living in a predominantly Jewish society would have lulled the Jewish Christians back into their old habits. It would have been easy to lose sight of what Christ’s sacrifice meant, especially when the issue of whether Christians were still required to follow Jewish law was only recently settled among the apostles in Jerusalem between 50 and 62AD.

In essence, the Jews were already “saved” as God’s chosen people. Now their messiah had finally come, but replaced the old law with grace - an idea more difficult to live by than checking off a list of things to do to attain salvation.

That’s why Hebrews applies so well to many of us today. In America, we’ve grown up in an at least normatively Christian society. Everyone knows that your good deeds have to outweigh your bad deeds in order to get to heaven. As long as you don’t kill or steal cars, you’re fine, right?! Hebrews points out that it’s not the act of following the law that saves us. For us, it’s easier to not steal or murder than to love, forgive, and give freely to everyone.

Hebrews presents a response to the question, “who the heck is Jesus, anyway, and why does it matter?” It does this by building a case that Jesus Christ (the Son of God) is the divine, eternal, perfect priest who acts as the intermediary between God the Father and us. He replaces the need for a temple and a system of rituals and sacrifices. The epistle then states, that, because we have such a high priest, we ought to have faith, draw nearer to God, endure hardships, and love one another.

Chapter 1, Verses 1 through 4

The beginning of chapter 1 establishes Christ’s purpose and position of authority. It also acts as a transition from the ancient prophets to the New Covenant.

Verses 1 and 2

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

Essentially, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the ultimate messenger from God. It was through the Son that the universe was made and God has given him authority over everything.

God Spoke to Us Through His Son

The Author makes a distinction between the prophets/messengers of old and Jesus - there’s something different about this guy! This is his Son so we ought to listen especially to this one.

It seems to be implied by “in these last days” that Jesus is the final messenger. We don’t need any more revelations from God on how to get closer to God, because God has opened up the way, via his Son, to approach him directly. We have everything we need - complete forgiveness and the priviledge to ask God for what we need! Additionaly, we know that Christ is the final messenger because he is eternal, still living, and will come back again. When he comes back, that’s it! No more messages!

Today, God ’speaks’ to us through the Holy Spirit and it is because of Christ’s sacrifice that the Holy Spirit is poured out on us.

As is explained later in Hebrews, Jesus was the perfect representation of God on Earth. We are blessed to have written accounts of Jesus’ life so that we know the message that God spoke to us.

Jesus is Ruler of Everything

Christ is appointed heir of all things by God the Father. We belong to the Son whether we like it or not. What he decides to do with us in the end is based on our choice to follow him.

References:
1 Peter 3:22

The Universe was Made Through the Son

At first glance, this seemed a bit of a mystery. What did it mean that the world was made through the Son? Instantly, I was reminded of John 1:3: All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. According to some commentaries, “Christ was ‘appointed’ (in God’s eternal counsel) to creation as an office; and the universe so created was assigned to Him as a kingdom. He is “heir of all things” by right of creation, and especially by right of redemption.”

So, it’s really pretty straight-forward. The world was created by the person of the Son of God. If the Son is in the business of grace and mercy, this shows that the creation of the universe was an act of extreme grace (letting us exist and sin in the first place) and that the Son has been our advocate from the beginning.

References:
John 1:3, Col 1:15-17

Verse 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 Son Reflects God’s glory / Represents Him on Earth

The Son Sustains All Things by His Powerful Word

The Son Sits at the Right Hand of the Father

This relates back to Christ as ruler of everything in verse 2. The Son is the Father’s right-hand man. He is the instrument of God’s will.

References:
1 Peter 3:22

Verse 4

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

The Son is Superior to the Angels

Later on, the author will bring up several examples of why the Son is above the angels. What has intrigued me lately is the idea of angels. Recently, I was praying with a large number of people led by a pastor. The pastor insisted in his prayer that there are angels and that they watch over people. I my mind, this seems to undermine the idea that God is sovereign and intercedes for us by his own power. Reading into the subject of angels, it seems that the most common reference to angels is “the Angel of the Lord” appearing to the patriarchs, along with messengers and ministers sent by God. Later on, around the time of the exile, prophets began to mention the cherabim and seraphim and some heirarchy among angels, but their roles were courtly (praising God).

Some apochryphal works, appearing between 200BC and 100AD, are much more descriptive of angels and organize them further into various ranks and portray some as heros aiding the Jews. This seems to me to be a motivation for verse 1:4 and following - that despite all you hear about these hero angels and separate classes, Jesus is above all of these angels and is God himself. This seems to me to be an attempt to dissuade Jewish Christians from thinking Jesus is just another hero angel. This is purely my own conjecture.