Genesis to Revelation: Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, Jude Leader Guide: A Comprehensive Verse-by-Verse Exploration of the Bible

1

JESUS, GOD’S SUPERIOR MESSENGER

Hebrews 1:1–4:13

DIMENSION ONE:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Answer these questions by reading Hebrews 1

1. List the characteristics that set God’s Son above the prophets. (1:2-3)

He is the heir of all things, the creator of the universe, the one who radiates Gods glory and the exact representation of his being. The Son also sustains all things by the power of his word. He made purification for sins, and he is seated at Gods right hand.

2. How is the Son superior to the angels? (1:6-7, 14)

The angels are to worship the Son. They are servants; the inferior worships the superior.

3. Why was the Son anointed above all his companions? (1:9)

The Son was anointed above his companions because he loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Answer these questions by reading Hebrews 2

4. In 2:1, the reader is warned of the danger of drifting away. What is the reader warned of in 2:3a?

The reader is warned not to ignore so great a salvation.

5. Identify the three sources that testify to the great salvation provided in Christ. (2:3b-4)

The great salvation was announced by the Lord (Jesus), confirmed to us by those who heard him (disciples and apostles), and testified to by God through signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

6. Why was the Son, who is superior to the angels, made lower than the angels for a time? (2:9)

The Son was made lower than the angels so that he could taste death for everyone.

7. The writer of Hebrews emphasizes the human experience of the Lord (2:14-18). What specific human experiences are mentioned in this section?

The specific human experiences of the Lord mentioned in the section are death (2:14), suffering, and temptation (2:18).

Answer these questions by reading Hebrews 3

8. Jesus and Moses are both described as faithful to God in 3:1-6. What phrases indicate Moses’ relationship to God and the superior relationship of Christ to God? (3:5-6)

Moses was faithful to God as a servant; Christ was faithful to God as the Son.

9. In 3:7-19, three dangers are listed: never entering God’s rest, turning away from the living God, and the possibility of not sharing in Christ. What is the basic cause for these disasters? (3:12, 19)

The basic cause for these disasters is unbelief.

10. What can be done to safeguard the believer from the danger of unbelief? (3:13)

By encouraging one another daily, believers safeguard themselves against the danger of unbelief.

Answer these questions by reading Hebrews 4:1-13

11. In the previous section, failure to enter into God’s rest was the result of unbelief. In 4:1-13, a different but equivalent word is used. What is that word? (4:11)

In 4:11, disobedience is the cause of failure to enter God’s rest.

12. Why is it impossible to hide unbelief from God? (4:12-13)

The penetrating word of God discerns the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.

DIMENSION TWO:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?

Exploring Hebrews. Every teacher wants to communicate effectively. To enable group members to understand the message and the meaning of Hebrews, you must have a grasp of the basic information about the book. The following brief overview will provide direction toward your goal of helping group members benefit from their study of this fascinating book.

A Sermon, Not a Letter. The translators of the King James Version confidently entitled this book The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews. Unlike the majority of the letters in the New Testament, however, Hebrews lacks the features we would expect in a letter. The text includes no introduction, indicating the sender and the recipient or recipients, and no greeting of grace, peace, and the like. The writer begins with a theological discussion that sets the stage for the major emphasis of the, book, that Jesus Christ is God’s final and complete revelation.

The writer’s main arguments are followed by exhortations to the readers. In the last chapter, the writer calls this communication my word of exhortation (13:22). Hebrews appears to be a written sermon to which has been added a brief closing such as we find in letters (13:22-25).

You will want to understand the major points in the sermon outline in order to follow the main thought of the writer.

Outline of Hebrews.

I. Jesus, the superior messenger (1:1–4:13)

A. Superior to prophets (1:1-3a)

B. Superior to angels (1:3b–2:18)

C. Superior to Moses and Joshua (3:7–4:10)

D. Exhortation (4:11-13)

II. Jesus, the superior high priest (4:14–10:18)

A. A superior appointment (4:14–5:1 0)

B. Exhortations (5:11–6:20)

C. Seven superior aspects of his priesthood (7:1–10:18)

1. An earlier order of priesthood (7:1-19)

2. A priest by oath (7:20-22)

3. A permanent priesthood (7:23-25)

4. A sinless priest (7:26-28)

5. Priest of a new covenant (8:1-13)

6. Priest of a more perfect tent (9:1-28)

7. Priest of a once for all sacrifice (10:1-18)

III. Exhortation: faith and endurance (10:19–12:29)

A. Faith and endurance defined and illustrated (10:19–11:40)

B. Exhortation to persevere (12:1-29)

IV. Concluding exhortations (13:1-25)

You will notice that our lesson divisions do not exactly follow the outline above. The lessons were arranged with space considerations in mind as well as the time available to study each lesson. This first lesson, however, does conform to the first section of the outline of the book.

The Origin of Hebrews. No one knows who wrote Hebrews, the place in which it was written, the date of writing, or who the intended first readers were. Even the original title, if one existed, is not known. The title, The Letter to the Hebrews, seems to be based on the content of the book rather than being a formal title.

The writer was probably not the apostle Paul. He looks back on those who heard the Lord (2:3), suggesting that he is a second-generation believer. Among other possible writers are Luke, Silas, Peter, Apollos, Barnabas, and Aquila and Priscilla. The Greek style of the book differs from that of Paul’s letters. Hebrews approaches Luke and Acts in excellence of style. Detailed study of the ideas in Hebrews also confirms that Paul is unlikely to have written the book.

For whom was this document first intended? The content indicates that the first readers were Jewish Christians. The writer, however, makes no mention of circumcision, worship in the Jerusalem Temple, or ritual law, though he does refer to the Temple and ritual. Many converts from Judaism lived in the Diaspora, away from Palestine and in the Greek Roman world. Also, many God-fearing Gentiles who attended Jewish synagogues accepted Jesus as the messiah. They had a general acquaintance with the Old Testament traditions that the writer assumes the readers know.

The first recipients of the letter were probably members of a mixed congregation of converted Jews and Gentiles. The document was likely sent to Alexandria, Rome, or Jerusalem. Rome is the best possibility. The writer exhorts the readers to stand fast in the face of persecution and suffering. Christians in Rome had experienced such hardships. Also, with the writer were those from Italy (13:24); and their greetings may have been sent back home to Rome.

Possible dates for the writing of Hebrews range from AD 65 to AD 95. The first reference to the work is that of Clement of Rome, about AD 96. Since the concerns of the book are with conditions in the period after the apostles, the date was probably close to the end of the century.

The Significance of Hebrews. Hebrews provides a powerful case for the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as God’s final revelation for the salvation of people. From the time it was first written to the present, the work has provided instruction that makes specific what Jesus expressed in general terms in Matthew 5:17: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. To become familiar with Hebrews is to receive essential instruction in the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. It is to receive the exhortations to constancy that every generation seems to need. The message of Hebrews is of timeless value.

Hebrews 1:1-3. This introduction reminds us of the creation account in Genesis, where God speaks and the material universe comes into existence. The passage also reminds us of the first eighteen verses of the Gospel of John, where the creative Word of God is identified with Jesus. In John also, the testimony is that the Son was the active agent in creation; and he has made God known.

The idea of the Son having the same nature as God and radiating God’s glory echoes the words of Jesus, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9b), and of Paul, For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Colossians 1:19).

The writer introduces in the first three verses the two basic themes that will be expanded later: Jesus Christ is the superior revelation of God, and he has made purification of sins. This last idea will include both Jesus Christ’s role as a fitting sacrifice for sin and as a supremely capable high priest.

Hebrews 1:4-14. The writer proves the superiority of the Son over angels by referring to Scripture. The writer assumes readers are familiar with the quoted passages. These quotations may pose a problem for modern readers, who frequently are not as familiar with the Old Testament as believers were in the early church.

The sources for the quotations are discussed in the participant book. The writer tends to quote from the Septuagint, the earliest Greek version of the Old Testament. The translation may not always agree exactly with the New International Version, which was translated from the Hebrew text. Textual variations existed in Hebrew manuscripts even before the Septuagint was translated in the third century BC. These variations were usually minor in extent and importance. They caused little concern to either Christians or Jews.

Sometimes the quotations in Hebrews are not exactly what we have in the Septuagint or the Hebrew. We can assume that the writer was quoting freely rather than exactly, or quoting from a manuscript that did not follow exactly the known Greek version.

The name (v. 4) is more excellent than that of the angels in several respects.

1. It signals a more intimate relationship with God. The Son is the firstborn of God. None of the angels is as intimate with God.

2. At his birth, the angels are called to worship him, recalling the angelic praise at the nativity of Jesus (Luke 2:13-14).

3. The Son is enthroned as a king forever. Angels are messengers for the heavenly king. They do not rule.

4. The Son is the source of salvation, as the writer will emphasize later in the letter. Angels, while servants of the king, are ministering spirits sent forth to do his will by serving the saved.

Hebrews 2:1-4. Therefore introduces the first of several exhortations in Hebrews. The writer fears that readers may drift away from the revelation in Jesus that they have heard. Or they may neglect—that is, pay no attention to—what has been revealed, such a great salvation. Much of what is presented later in the book provides details of just how great that salvation is.

The previous message is the law of Moses (see the participant book). Its promises were substantial and valid, as one would expect of a message delivered by angels. Anyone who drifted away from that message faced the consequences.

The superior message, the revelation in and by Jesus, was attested by more impressive evidence than was the law of Moses. Jesus delivered the message; the disciples who heard him speak confirmed it; and God bore witness to the validity of that message. God did this during the ministry of Jesus through signs, wonders, and miracles. These words echo those of Peter in his great sermon on Pentecost: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know (Acts 2:22).

God also bore witness to the validity of the message after the ascension of Jesus through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are referred to in several places in the New Testament (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:8-16).

Hebrews 2:5-13. Read the comments for this section in the participant book. The idea of the superiority of the Son over angels is directly followed by the astounding evidence of the humanity of Jesus. While this happened historically, it has its ultimate effect in the world to come (v. 5), when everything will be under subjection to Jesus Christ. He will be clothed again in heavenly glory, and many will share his glory (vv. 10, 13b). Jesus referred to these ideas in his prayer in the upper room (John 17:5).

The quotations in 2:12-13 are from Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:17-18, yet our writer has treated them as the words of Jesus. As the fulfillment of God’s revelation, Jesus is seen as speaking through the psalmist and the prophet. To hear the prophetic word is to hear the voice of Christ.

Hebrews 2:14-18. It may be more a judgment of our time than of Scripture, but the major difficulty you confront in discussing this section with the group may be the reference to the devil. We do not need to sidestep the issue of evil, represented here by the devil. In a materialistic world, the reality of spiritual forces is often denied, but this is to deny an essential part of our being; for we are more than matter.

The devil does not have the power of death in the sense of determining who dies and when. That power is retained by the Creator. The power of death here is the power of sin, the power to divert us from the true source of happiness in life, the fulfillment of God’s will for our lives. The diversion is to a substitute, which looks alluring but finally does not satisfy. Satisfying self is the substitute that draws people away from fulfilling God’s will. Ultimately, such bondage to self ends in death and after that . . . judgment (9:27). Jesus suffered and died to save individuals from both bondage and judgment.

In 2:14, destroy can signify to nullify; to render incompetent, inconsequential. The devil has been rendered impotent, but not to everyone. The devil is impotent to those who follow Jesus, the pioneer of their salvation.

Hebrews 3:1-6. Jesus is both an apostle (messenger) who brought God’s superior revelation and the high priest who hears our confession. The confession here is connected with worship. An example of a confession that an Israelite was to make when bringing an offering to God before the priest is found in Deuteronomy 26:5-10. Essentially, the confession recounts God’s deliverance and blessings.

The content of the Christian confession in mind here is also recognition of God’s deliverance from sin and blessings given to us in Jesus. Essentially this confession is praise to God.

The word house in this passage has no connection with a physical building. Verse 6 clarifies the meaning: we are his house. This meaning of house is in line with, for example, Ephesians 2:19-22; the church—the people of God—are God’s house.

Hebrews 3:7-19. Moses was faithful over God’s people as a servant. Yet the generation over which he was faithful provoked the wrath of God by rebelling, by refusing to follow God’s ways. The result was God’s solemn oath that they would never enter his rest (v. 18). As the participant book indicates, the rest is the Promised Land.

Unbelief and disobedience are essentially the same. They lead people to turn away from the living God. The protection against the danger of unbelief is daily encouragement of one another (v. 13).

Hebrews 4:1-13. Therefore introduces an exhortation. This exhortation is based on the example of the Israelites under Moses who failed to enter into the Promised Land. A greater-than-Moses has brought good news to us, the writer indicates in 3:5-6. The promise of entering God’s rest remains.

The writer’s point is that, long after the Hebrews rebelled and failed to enter the Promised Land, God spoke of a rest again through David (4:7). The exhortation is that the readers have entered into that rest through faith (4:3). But a further aspect of that rest remains to be attained (v. 11). The danger is that they will not reach that ultimate rest because of a lack of faith (vv. 1-2).

The sabbath rest of God began with the completion of Creation; however, according to Jesus, God was still at work (John 5:17). That work was completed in Jesus when, on the cross, he cried, It is finished (John 19:30). The rest of God in Christ is available for now and for eternity. Belief is the means of entrance now, and obedience is the manner by which we attain the future