Hebrews: Jesus is Greater

All of Scripture points to Jesus and faith in him. The entire Old Testament served as a shadow of the greater realities found in Christ. In that sense, Jesus is greater than all things, even the glorious things found under the Old Covenant. He is greater than Moses, the Sabbath, the priesthood, and the sacrifices. This has every implication for the believer’s faith and living. There simply is no life apart from Christ and Christians of every generation must worship him as the greatest of all.

The letter of Hebrews is a sermon written to a church during a time of great persecution both from the government and from family because of their faith in Christ. Quite often in times of persecution, we are tempted to compromise what we believe to lessen the persecution or attempt to fit in better. If the people to whom this sermon was given could find a way to rationalize that Jesus was just another angel, perhaps even a great angel, then they would be welcome back home again, back to their jobs, gain their inheritance back, and even back to the synagogue. But friends there is no compromise to be made, the question we must ask is, do we trust the love of God to sustain us when the world is against us and our family is too?

The writer/preacher, having delivered his teaching concerning the finished work of Jesus, now summarizes the teaching of the previous chapters by pointing (again!) to Jesus, specifically his sacrifice and great priesthood. Drawing near to God is the goal for the reader/hearer of this message. Since the follower of Jesus has authorization to enter the holy places through the blood of Jesus and has the representation of Jesus, the great priest who “always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25), there are three specific exhortations concerning life given in the passage under consideration today. The chapter then concludes by urging the church to whom this letter was written/preached through yet another warning and a walk down memory lane to find their faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ alone!

The Old Covenant sacrifices were temporary and could never take away sins. They were only a reminder of sins, placeholders pointing to the wages of sin and the need for a substitute. Now, the “once for all,” New Covenant sacrifice of Jesus has provided the true form of those shadows. Instead of being a temporary covering, Jesus’ sacrifice provides complete forgiveness. Instead of being a reminder of sins, Jesus’ sacrifice results in our sins being remembered no more. No other sacrifice is necessary or possible.

When you feel weak and weary, don’t let your hardships divert you from the path of faith. Instead, remember that God uses hardship as discipline to build our endurance and make us more like Jesus. Like a good father, God’s discipline is not angry punishment but loving training. In fact, when God allows hardship into our lives, it is evidence that we are truly his children. Like a wise coach, he will push us harder than feels comfortable, but he knows what he is doing. God’s discipline is painful in the present, but it leads to wisdom and blessing in the future.