Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Thus begins the letter to the Hebrews, written by an author whose identity remains tantalizingly shrouded in anonymity. Church historians and Bible scholars have proposed a variety of alternatives, including Paul, Apollos, Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Priscilla and Aquila, none of whom are conclusive.
Regardless of who wrote it, one thing is certain: the letter to the Hebrews contains some of the loftiest yet most profound Christology to be found anywhere in the New Testament.
It was apparently written to a group of Jewish Christians experiencing persecution for their faith and tempted to return to Judaism. To counter that temptation, the author wrote this letter explaining how Jesus was superior in every aspect to their former faith and practice and urged them to stay the course. The result is a majestic portrait of a cosmic, compassionate Christ that every follower of Jesus needs.
Infinitely supreme Son of God
The opening paragraph leaves no doubt where the letter is heading. It’s an explosive summary of the glories of Jesus, distilled into four verses. Jesus is God’s Son and his final revelation to us, the heir of all things, the one through whom God created the universe. He is the precise expression of God’s nature and glory, and he holds the cosmos together by his power, with a word. He came to Earth, made atonement for sin, and now sits at the right hand of his majestic Father, infinitely superior to angels and all heavenly beings. To underscore this point, the author launches into a barrage of quotes from the Psalms, showing how Jesus is infinitely supreme over everything in the physical and spiritual realm.
Kind and compassionate brother
Having established Jesus’ divine supremacy in the first chapter, the writer moves on to the Lord’s compassionate humanity in the second. Once again, he quotes liberally from the Psalms to illustrate Jesus’ humility in becoming human. He did this so that he could enter into our suffering, free us from sin and death, and thereby make us his brothers and sisters. To accomplish this, he had to become like us in every way, experiencing every temptation we do, except without sin. He has become our compassionate older brother, as well as our atoning sacrifice and our merciful, faithful high priest who sympathizes with our suffering, always ready to meet us with mercy and grace in our temptations and struggles with sin.
True source of Sabbath rest
When we consider the Sabbath, we normally envision a day of rest at the end of the week, a day to refresh and recharge and spent time with the Lord, in response to the fact that God rested on the seventh day after finishing his creation. However, in the fourth chapter of Hebrews, the author explores the meaning of the Sabbath on a deeper spiritual level. Yet again citing the Psalms, he demonstrates that the Sabbath points to a more profound rest in Christ. By faith in him, we cease from our striving to earn God’s favour and receive it free, by grace, based on Jesus’ righteousness. More than just a day to observe once a week, true Sabbath rest is continuous and eternal through faith in Jesus.
Eternal high priest
The heart of the letter is an extended discussion about Jesus as our great high priest and mediator of a new and better covenant. To build this point, the author brings up Melchizedek, a mysterious figure from the story of Abraham, who reappears In Psalm 110, which calls the Messiah a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Like Melchizedek, Jesus is from outside the Levitical priesthood but is superior to it. Like Melchizedek, Jesus isn’t a priest by physical descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. Like Melchizedek, Jesus combines the offices of priest and king – they’re the only two people ever to do so, with God’s approval. And like Melchizedek, Jesus is eternal, with no beginning or end of days.
Mediator of a superior covenant
Jesus is our eternal high priest, with his priestly office ratified with an oath by God. Therefore, he is also the mediator of a new and superior covenant, which was also ratified with an oath by God. The old covenant, grounded in the Mosaic law and the Levitical priesthood, was only a shadow of the new and permanent covenant inaugurated by Jesus. This new covenant was promised by God through the prophet Jeremiah, which the writer to the Hebrews quotes at length, demonstrating by comparison how this new covenant is superior. Rather than depending on our obedience, all its requirements were met by Jesus through his obedience and perfect sacrifice, and he always lives to intercede for us.
Ultimate sacrifice for sin
At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke about the bread and the wine as his body and blood, broken and shed for his people to save them from their sins and to ratify the new and everlasting covenant. Comparing the Old Testament sacrificial system with the sacrifice of Jesus, the writer to the Hebrews cites a messianic prophecy from Psalm 40. God did not delight in the animal sacrifices which needed to be repeated, could never remove sin, and were only a shadow of better things to come through Jesus. Instead, God sent his Son in human form to offer himself as the ultimate, perfect sacrifice to remove sin forever and never to be repeated. By this one sacrifice, Jesus has perfected forever all those who have faith in him.
Author and perfecter of faith
The so-called “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 is probably the most familiar part of the letter. The chapter begins with a definition of faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” followed by a cosmological application: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” The author then lists a “who’s who” of faith among people in the Old Testament, before concluding that God had something even better for us in the coming of Jesus. Surrounded by such a cloud of encouraging examples, we are to persevere in our faith by looking to Jesus, the one who created our faith and will complete it.
Unchanging now and forever
As with other New Testament letters, Hebrews ends with a series of final exhortations plus a benediction and a farewell. Embedded amidst those exhortations is the ultimate reason for giving them, as well as the ultimate power for keeping them: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever, and he will never leave us or abandon us. Jesus is the supreme Son of God, our cosmic creator, our compassionate brother, our true source of rest, our eternal high priest, the guarantor of an everlasting covenant, the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, the source and perfecter of our faith. He calls us to follow him in a life of sacrifice, knowing we are sojourners here, on our way to the enduring city he is preparing for us.
Sources and further reading
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, (New International Commentary on the New Testament), Eerdmans, 1997.
Sigurd Grindheim, The Letter to the Hebrews, (Pillar New Testament Commentary), Eerdmans, 2023.
Michael J. Kruger, Hebrews for You, (God’s Word for You), The Good Book Company, 2021.
Amy Peeler, Hebrews, (Commentaries for Christian Formation), Eerdmans, 2024.
Thomas Schreiner, Hebrews, (Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary), Lexham Press, 2021.
