He spoke to us through the Son

He spoke to us through the Son. 

As the Church begins a series of readings from the Letter to the Hebrews, let’s take a broad look at this beautiful epistle.

Truth be told, Hebrews has always been somewhat of a mystery to commentators.   Many early Church writers saw in it the influence of a Pharisee like St. Paul because of its numerous quotes from the Old Testament.   But its style is totally different from Paul’s other works. Other scholars claimed that the writer was Paul’s fellow apostle and evangelist Barnabas, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36).   And even though debate continued—others have proposed Luke, Apollos, and even the deaconess Priscilla—the letter was accepted as authentically inspired by the Holy Spirit.   An early pope, Clement of Rome, even quoted from Hebrews around AD 96.

Modern study reveals Hebrews to be a well-crafted letter, dating most likely from before AD 67.   Although the audience is never clearly identified, no doubt tradition is correct in pointing toward a community made up chiefly of Jewish Christians rooted in the Hebrew religious culture and language.   Beyond that, we know that it is an exciting letter with a powerful, timeless message:  fix your eyes on Jesus, the Son of God, and the fulfillment of God’s age-old promise to save his people.

The Letter to the Hebrews is infused with an experiential knowledge of Jesus and his power to deliver us from bondage.   He is our “great high priest” (Hebrews 4:14) who constantly intercedes for us (7:25) and whose blood was shed to cleanse our consciences (9:14).   He is the author and perfecter of our faith (12:2) who sustains not only our lives but the entire universe as well (1:3).   He is able to deal with every fear, every sin, every obstacle in our life of faith.   He can give us every reason to “hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy” (10:23).

This is the Jesus we will be meeting throughout the next four weeks:  a dynamic, powerful Messiah who is completely committed to rescuing us from sin and bringing us to heaven.   May the Spirit open our eyes to see him more clearly.

Word Among Us