In reviewing Hebrews and what we have learned so far, I've decided that is was premature to exclude the passages that talk of Melchizedek just because we covered the theology and background of this colorful figure in the introduction. There is much still to learn from these passages. So I am going to go back and cover the first part of chapter five for I think there is benefit in doing so. Tomorrow we will return to our logical progression through the book of Hebrews. Thank you for patiently working through this with me. As always, your comments are welcome.
Chapter two ended with a reference to Jesus being our high priest, and chapter three picks up that thread in the very first verse. "Take note of Jesus," the author instructs, "the apostle and high priest whom we confess." Unfortunately, he drops the thread here and does not pick it up again until chapter four. We have to wait to learn of the significance of the high priest reference, but that doesn't mean we don't have something important to learn before then. Even as Jesus is superior to the prophets, angels, and the high priest of Israel, he is also superior to Moses.
As we mentioned yesterday, Hebrews is a mystery book in may respects. Though we can surmise it was written to a primarily Jewish audience, we have no indication as to who authored this most eloquent argument for Christianity from the Jewish tradition. Because we don't know where the audience resided, or who was communicating to them, there is great difficulty in deriving what it is the author is trying to have his audience overcome.
Last week the world was informed of the death of of Reverend Billy Graham. Born in 1918 and not only witnessed a century of human advancement, but spent the bulk of that time in ministry to our God. He became a believer in 1934 at a tent revival meeting led by Reverend Ham in Charlotte, North Carolina and a couple years later began attending Bible college. He was ordained by the Southern Baptist church in 1939. In 1943 he became the pastor of a church, and his life as a minister of the Word of God began. It would last another 75 years.
During our study of Hebrews I confess to having made a mistake. The passage we were next to study, the remainder of chapter four and first half of five, has to do with Jesus being a priest in the order of Melchizedek. My study on this topic I inadvertently placed in the introductory material instead of here, where it belongs. After this series is complete, when I turn to re-writing it into a proper commentary, I will fix this error of placement. Instead of copying the information here for you to read a second time, I've decided to move on to chapter five starting in verse 11.
There are many ways to communicate. One may whisper a secret, write memoirs, and give lectures but the most formal communication is through an announcement. Whether it is a birth announcement, a wedding announcement, a presidential announcement or any other they all have a sense of formality, elegance and importance. The author of the homily we call Hebrews has an announcement of his own to make. Rather than printing it on parchment or assembling a press conference he chose to write a sermon. His medium might not have been what most would choose, but you cannot accuse him of hiding his intentions
The Book of Hebrews has long been both inspirational and mysterious. Inspirational in its message of the superiority of Jesus, the New Covenant and salvation; in the list of the great men and women in the Hall of Faith. It's mystery lay in some of its teachings and in its authorship. In the three most important considerations concerning the book, authorship is in there somewhere. No one really knows who wrote Hebrews, but the bulk of tradition holds to a Pauline authorship. Although there are differences in style, these can be explained by the shift in literary genre.
Over the past couple days we've been discussing the non-sign gifts of the Holy Spirit Paul discussed in 2 Timothy 1.7. So far we've looked at the first, power, and the second, love and today we complete the series by examining self-control. The idea of self-control is all about restraint and is based on the Greek word sophronismou which means moderation and soundness of mind. It is an appropriate time for this discussion, as we exercise self-control during this season of Lent. The Holy Spirit empowers us to successfully complete our promise to God but it begs the question, if the Holy Spirit helps us is it really self-control?
In chapter four the author turns to an elaboration of a very Jewish concept, that of God's rest. He addresses the issue not in the manner of a theologian, with definitions and detailed analysis, but as a pastor warning his flock not to miss it. While his point is well made, and still highly relevant to all believers, we are so removed from his time, language and culture that we must do the work of the theologian so that we may enjoy the passionate teachings of the pastor. To this end we begin by learning the meaning of "rest".
The author of Hebrews begins by arguing for the superiority of Christ. His argument comes to complete fruition in showing the superiority of the Melchizedekian priesthood over the Levitical. From 4.14-8.13 the argument shows how the Levitical priesthood and old covenant are to be replaced by a new and improved priesthood and covenant. After painstakingly proving that Jesus Christ, our Savior, is also the expected king, the author desires to prove that He is also our High Priest. Jesus’ lineage proved He was an heir to David’s throne, the quoted enthronement psalms reveal His Messiahship, but how can the believer be justified if there is no high priest to intercede?
The Shema is one of the most ancient revelations of God about himself. It is the first prayer a Jewish child learns to pray, and the last every bellieving Jew hopes to have upon his lips. But what is the Shema? It is broken into three parts, and comments on how we are to live and addresses the issues of polytheism, monotheism and even the Trinity. These truths make it one of the central teachings of the Bible itself, even though it is rarely preached on in Christian churches. This is a shame, especially since it is a central conviction of Paul's theology.
Last week we highlighted one Olympic athlete who stood boldy for her faith, but there are many others. There are a number of athletes, and a few Hollywood actors and they have earned the respect of the Christian community for their boldness. With such public examples, why do so many Christians timidly go about their lives? For too many work or attend classes anonymously, hardly ever showing their true identity as followers of Jesus. It flies in the face of good Biblical teaching. "For God did not give us a spirit of fear," Paul writes, "but of power and love and self-control."
