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. Hebrews 2:14 (Hebrews 1-5)
The author and audience are not declared in the opening statements of this letter, but it was written to Christians who had an educated knowledge of all things Jewish. Hebrews is a magnificent defense of the Christian faith. The writer logically and systematically argues Christ’s superiority over all the Jews hold dear, the prophets, angels, Moses, Joshua, Levitical priesthood, covenants and sacrifices.
Jewish converts believed the resurrection of Christ would assure Jerusalem a place as capital of the world. Instead, it would soon be a pile of rubble at the hands of Roman persecutors, and with the destruction of The Temple, all that was left of their heritage and traditions would soon be gone. These believers needed to know the covenant with Abraham, from one nation will come the blessing for all nations, has been fulfilled. In addition, they must understand what Christianity really is and what pleases God. They habitually look to spiritual leadership as an administrative role but now their eternal lives depend on the hope of things unseen.
Jesus became the least of all things to cure the sin problem we have. As The Sacrifice, no others are needed. The Temple can lay in a heap without consequence to man’s soul, because the Holy Spirit has built His dwelling in the hearts of the faithful and true. Suffering is a time for maturity and confidence in what you have seen and know. The faithful Father of Jewish history is the same God who will see each of us to a Sabbath’s rest, in this life and beyond.
Happy Weekend,
Gretchen