Today we move to the letter to the Hebrews. We don’t know who authored this book. While many believe it was the Apostle Paul, the letter doesn’t contain his name at the beginning or the end. The topics also don’t align with Paul’s common teaching material in that they focus a great deal on the Jewish heritage of our faith. Some consider it to be a book of history, because it contains so much reference to the Jewish Scriptures and particularly to aspects of the Law of Moses. Jesus is considered the greatest priest, who unlike all the other priests in Israel’s history did not need to offer a sacrifice for his own sin, before becoming the once and for all sacrifice for us.
In Hebrews 1, the author introduces us to the reality that while God spoke to us through prophets in previous times, in these times He has spoken to us through His Son. This Son is not only superior to the prophets, but also superior to the angels!
In Hebrews 2, we are told the amazing truth that because of what Jesus has done, we are His “brothers” (and sisters). We get to be part of God’s family, because Jesus died in our place and paid the penalty for our sin. We also read Jesus was tempted in His body, but did not sin, so we know we can resist when we are tempted, too.
In Hebrews 3, we are told Jesus is greater than Moses. Moses is compared to the “house,” and Jesus is the “builder.” The builder is greater than the house. Thus, while Moses was seen as the greatest prophet in the Old Testament, Jesus is greater. The author of Hebrews is building the case for Jesus’ sufficiency to serve as our prophet, priest and king once and for all. The author also speaks of how the Israeli people did not “enter into God’s rest,” because of their unfaithfulness. This line of discussion continues in Hebrews 4.
In Hebrews 4, the author speaks of our Sabbath rest, which is purchased by Jesus. We often downplay the importance of rest and Sabbath as Christians living in the 21stcentury, but the author of Hebrews reminds us how vital it is. Then we have the amazing and often quoted words about God’s word being sharper than any two-edged sword, which reminds us of why we must read, learn and live it in the power of the Holy Spirit. At the close of the chapter, we’re told Jesus is our great high priest. This is the point of the book of Hebrews: we have a new and eternal high priest in Jesus.
As we return to Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, and He offers what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Some have said it would better be called “The Disciples’ Prayer,” because Jesus told them to pray it. In reality, Jesus wasn’t telling them to pray those specific words, but to incorporate the aspects of the prayer in their prayers. That doesn’t mean we ought not pray it, but we must always remember prayer is an opportunity to listen to God’s voice as well as to offer words to Him. Jesus then offered them an example about the importance of persistence in prayer. Jesus then went on to respond to those who said He cast out demons by the power of the devil. He condemned such thinking in the strongest possible way. Jesus offered a brief parable about the importance of not simply having a demon cast out of our lives and leaving ourselves “empty.” The implication is we must replace the emptiness with the Holy Spirit. Jesus avoided receiving the accolades for Himself or His mother when someone in the crowd shouted that His mother was blessed. Jesus responded anyone who does God’s will is blessed. Jesus then proceeded to condemn the Pharisees for their lack of doing what they taught. Jesus often made this distinction when condemning the Pharisees. They were hypocrites, because they knew the truth, but didn’t practice it. We want to make certain the “hypocrisy factor,” which is the difference between what we profess to believe and how we live decreases daily as we live into the new life of Jesus in the Holy Spirit’s power!