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A study in the Epistle to the Hebrews
conducted Spring 2008 at
St Georges Reformed Episcopal Church
134 Emerson Street, Hamilton Ontario
NOTES FOR A STUDY OF THE EPISTLE
TO THE HEBREWS
INTRODUCTION
The author of this "open letter" is unknown. It was probably not Paul, because the literary style is not Paul's. The writer knew Timothy (13:23), so he may have been one of Paul's colleagues. Timothy had been in jail (13:23), of which we learn nothing in those letters that we know to be Paul's. The writer describes persecutions, which may be those of Nero in 64. It appears from Hebrews 10:11 that the Temple sacrifices were still being conducted, so the letter must be dated before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.
The traditional title of this work Pros Hebraious as well as the abundance of quotations from the Old Testament make it clear that the writer was a Jewish Christian and that he was writing to Jewish Christians. He may have been Apollos (Acts 18:24) or Epaphras or Silas. But the fact is that we just don't know. We'll call him "TW", i.e., The Writer.
From some of TW's comments, it appears that the political persecution put some of these believers at risk of falling away, renouncing the Faith, perhaps reverting to Judaism. TW wants them to understand, from their own Jewish Scriptures, that Jesus really is their promised Messiah. He wants to assure them despite all the evidence to the contrary, despite persecution that Jesus is indeed on the throne, and that in God's good time he will set things right.
The translation used for this study is the English Standard Version.
SESSION ONE -- 1:12:4 -- JESUS IS GOD'S SELF-REVELATION
The introductory section 1:1-4 compares God's most recent revelation in Jesus with his previous revelations through the prophets. It says Jesus is not only the ultimate revelation but God's self-revelation. Note that throughout this letter TW assumes the primacy of revelation.
1:1 at many times from Abraham (1800 BC) to Zechariah (400 BC)
in many ways by voice, dreams, visions, visitations of angels and by acts of redemption and acts of judgment
1:2 these last days a new era, the days of which the prophets had spoken
heir compare Jesus' parable of the landlord who sent his son to collect rents Luke 20:9ff - see also Ps 2:8
through whom he created the "ages" "through" does not make Jesus a subordinate agent of creation - compare 1:8 and 1:10. TW may be borrowing the Gnostic image of the Demiurge, but correcting that image to show that Jesus as the agent of creation is equal to and collegial with the Father, and therefore the material creation is not inherently defective and beneath God's dignity, but rather is a "very good" thing (Gen 1:31) that has "fallen".
1:3 the radiance of God's glory see Exodus 24:15-18 TW compares Jesus to the visible manifestations of the presence of the LORD on Mount Sinai and in the tabernacle. Paul makes the same comparison in 1 Cor 10:1-4. exact imprint of his nature "imprint" (the Greek word character) is the image of an emperor or king die-stamped or engraved on a coin. Jesus is God's "spit and image".
1:4 upholds the universe by his word of power The Creator is not merely a clockmaker who made the world and then set it on a shelf to tick away he actually keeps it ticking! And Jesus is identified here as the one who does this!
1:5 You are my son Ps 2:7 Read the whole psalm. You could preach almost the entire gospel from the 12 verses of Psalm 2. No doubt the early church did so, for the Tanakh (the Old Testament) was the only Bible the early church had.
Notes on Psalm 2: Where the English says "anointed", the Hebrew says messiah and the Greek says christos. At Ps 2:12, the KJV, NASV, and ESV correctly translate "kiss the son" The RSV, NEB, and some other translators prefer to regard the Hebrew text as"uncertain".
1:6 when he brings the firstborn into the world The quotation that follows is from Deut 32:43 LXX. The LXX may not correctly translate the Hebrew original, but it does reflect the early church's understanding of who Jesus is. Try to visualize this "sproud Father" scene in heaven. This must surely reflect TW's awareness of the Christmas narratives, where the angels perform as they were directed in this verse.
1:8 but of the Son he says If you read Ps 45:6,7 (Heb 1:8,9) in the context of the rest of Ps 45 you will see that these verses are spoken to God, not to the king but TW construes them otherwise. Is he playing loose with Scripture? Is he grasping for familiar words to reflect what the early church believed? Is this one of the many places in Scripture that Jesus taught them (Luke 24:44) is speaking of himself? Does TW think that, because Jesus is God, therefore any statement that applies to the Father also applies to him? Do my misgivings betray a Western misunderstanding of Eastern logic?
1:10 You, Lord.... TW's reading of Ps 102:25-27 presents the same sort of difficulty as above with Ps 45:6,7. Psalm 102 is the prayer of someone greatly afflicted. The are addressed by the afflicted person to God. But it is also possible that TW sees a shift of speaker between vv. 24 and 25, so that vv. 25-28 are God's reply to the afflicted? Maybe that is how Jesus read it, too.
1:13 Sit at my right hand.... In the vision of the Son of Man, Dan 7:9, "thrones (plural) were placed" (not "cast down" as in KJV), for the LORD and the Son of Man. The same idea is at work in Psalm 110, from which this quotation is taken. You could preach the gospel from this psalm, too. (Examine it and see how.) Perhaps Jesus read his birth at Ps 110:3, where LXX reads, "I have begotten thee from the womb before the dawning", and perhaps he read his resurrection at Ps 110:7. Certainly, Ps 110 was of particular interest to him - note Luke 20:41.
1:14 ministering spirits compare Psalm 8:5 and Heb 2:5-9 - a ministering spirit is a servant. The implied "but" is that Jesus is superior to the angels (1:4). See 2:2.
2:2 declared by angels This verse (compare Acts 7:53) tells us that Jews then believed the Torah was delivered by angels - not the winged females of mediaeval art, but male messengers of God, sometimes manifestations of God himself. But Jesus delivers God's final word, for he is God's ultimate self-revelation.
a just retribution death by stoning. The retribution was just because (a) the offenses were not merely against the Law but against God who gave the Law, (b) the offenses opposed God's will to create a community in his image, and (c) the guilty were assured of "due process". See Deut 17:2-5.
how shall we escape? If we reject Jesus, the ultimate revelation of God's grace, why would we expect to get off easier than they did in Deut 17:2-5?
2:4 God .. bore witness The gospels report Jesus' "signs", as John calls his miracles, and The Acts of the Apostles reports the apostles' signs and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But the greatest sign was Jesus' resurrection. TW understands that God's revelation always comes in two parts: God acts in history (either in redemption or in judgment), and he explains through his prophets what the act means. In Jesus, he did both at the same time. Because Jesus is God's final redemptive act until The End, we should not expect any more revelation in word. The Bible is therefore as complete as it is going to get until Jesus returns.
SESSION TWO -- 2:43:6 -- JESUS REIGNS AND WE WILL, TOO
2:5 the world to come, of which we are speaking This letter is not about some vague sort of afterlife, but about an existence that fulfills God's original intention for human existence, and from our limited understanding maybe even improves on it.
2:6-8 a little lower than the angels The argument hinges on TW's understanding of the Greek word brachy, "a little". It could refer to "how much" or to "how long" TW takes the latter meaning. Therefore, humanity is only temporarily lower than the angels. But eventually because God's will cannot be frustrated forever we will some day be crowned with glory and honor and have all things in subjection to us. But that is not the present case, for humanity has collectively forfeited that dominion through sin.
2:9 but we see Jesus Jesus condescended to become temporarily lower than the angels (see Philippians 2:68) for our sake, and now he has gone ahead as (if I may use army jargon) "the advance party" to prepare for the arrival of "the main body".
2:11 he is not ashamed to call them brothers Jesus calls us family! Verse 12 quotes Ps 22:22. The infant whom God in 1:6 commanded his angels to worship is here shown to be a real human. TW grasped the dual nature of Christ nearly 300 years before the Nicene Creed and over 400 years before the Athanasian Creed. Jesus' dual nature is not a so-called "late" doctrine.
all have one source The Greek text says simply that Jesus and his brothers are "all of one". The word "source" does not occur in the original Greek, but is a translator's attempt to clarify, implying that one refers to God, or possibly to the Holy Spirit. But the addition of "source" does not in fact clarify at all. For it is clear from the verses before and after that TW is speaking of the fact Jesus and his brothers (that's us!) all share in the same humanity. We are all of one flesh. TW goes on to discuss why Jesus had to become our brother. But in speaking of Jesus as our brother, beware of the familiarity that breeds contempt: When Joseph was Prime Minister in Egypt, his brothers were indeed his family, but they were not his equals.
2:14 he himself likewise partook of [flesh and blood] Jesus "had to be made like his brothers in every respect", but without sin (Heb 4:15), to become our high priest, our propitiation (sacrifice for sin), and our helper when we are tempted.
3:1 holy brothers Holy? Me? And those women in the pew across the aisle? Yup! All who believe in Jesus are holy that is, set apart for God's good purposes. That's the "heavenly calling" we have to be faithful to, just as Moses was. Note that the Greek word for "holy" is hagioi, which is translated into Latin as sancti, which gives us the English word "saints". The only kind of saints that the Bible knows about are these flawed and redeemed believers it does not recognize any special category of saints declared by church authorities.
3:2 worthy of more glory than Moses The writer's Jewish readers are being cautioned that if they pay heed to Moses, they must pay even more heed to Jesus, because although Moses was a servant in God's house, Jesus is the God who built that house, and therefore he has authority over it like a firstborn son (v.6).
3:5 things that were to be spoken later Moses foretells the coming of a prophet "like unto me" (Deut 18:15) and says, "him shall ye heed." See also Heb 11:40.
3:6 we are his house The tabernacle in the wilderness was symbolic and prophetic. God's "shekinah" glory that dwelt in the tabernacle foreshadowed his dwelling in the midst of his people. This is fulfilled in Jesus' saying that "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt 18:20). God's people are his temple, and he dwells in their midst. He inhabits the praises of Israel (Ps 22:3). (This has significant liturgical consequences. God does not dwell in a piece of bread or a cup of wine, nor does he dwell in reserved sacrament housed in a tabernacle nor in a monstrance displayed in an adoration chapel. Therefore, official Anglican policy insists that "the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped" (Art.28).
SESSION THREE -- 3:74:13 -- A WARNING NOT TO FALL AWAY
3:7-11 harden not your hearts.... Note the basis of God's complaint: although those who were rescued from Egypt saw God's redeeming work in real-time history before their very eyes for forty years! they nevertheless "pushed the envelope" put God to the test went astray first in their hearts and then in their actions and failed to "enter into his rest", i.e., the promise land. We who have received greater promises must avoid their rebelliousness. This passage is the latter half of Ps 95, the Venite, part of the BCP service of Morning Prayer. In the late 1960s, the Anglican Church of Canada directed that the latter half of the Venite, which includes these words, be omitted when saying Morning Prayer. At the same time ACC also discontinued prayer for the conversion of the Jews (BCP p.41). Was this motivated by political correctness? by universalism (but see Art XVIII)? by disbelief in the wrath of God? or by all of the above?
3:12-15 an evil, unbelieving heart The warning of vv.7-11 is stated here even more strongly. Note that TW speaks not of an unbelieving mind but of an unbelieving heart. Unbelief is not primarily intellectual many times it reflects the attitude of a heart "heardened by the deceitfulness of sin". Often, that is not any notorious sin, but the basic sin of wanting to keep God at a comfortable distance. For TW the notion of "faith" here in the form of "unbelieving" with several shades of meaning, sometimes even several at once, such as: intellectual belief, trust, confidence, faithfulness, obedience.
3:16-19 who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Here is the scary conclusion! Just as the Hebrews who were rescued from Egypt failed to enter the promised land by reason of their unbelief, so may we who have been rescued by Jesus' death fail by our unbelief to enter the eternal promised land.
3:18 enter his rest The historical reference is to the promised land. But there is an allusion to God's finishing creation in six days and resting on the sabbath (Heb 4:4).
4:1 the promise of entering his rest still stands TW seems to have the idea that God not only rested from his works on the seventh day, but is still enjoying that rest. So both the promised land and the sabbath day become "types" (symbols that foreshadow) of the everlasting rest that awaits us. TW is proposing the glorious idea that we get to share in God's own sabbath rest!
4:2-4 they were not united by faith with those who had listened The translators preferred this to the alternative translation, "it did not meet with faith in the hearers", because this version has better manuscript evidence. The difference in Greek is just one letter in one word, which suggests that one or the other version is a copyist's error. Either way, the preaching did not succeed with some hearers because they did not receive it with faith.
4:3 we who have believed enter that rest We enter God's rest "by faith alone". Sola fide!
4:5-7 ...therefore... TW understands the "They" who "shall not enter" to mean some but not all . So he reasons that "it remains for [others] to enter", if they believe. Therefore he repeats the caution, "harden not your hearts".
4:6 those who formerly received the good news "were formerly evangelized". TW means his own Jewish people before Jesus. He says the gospel was preached in the Old Testament, too, and was received on the same terms, i.e., by faith.
4:8,9 if Joshua had given them rest What's this "if"? Didn't Joshua get them into the promised land? Yes, but he did not give them rest, for they again neglected the Torah! So the promised land was not able to become a "heaven" on earth! God, therefore, "later on"(v.7) repeats his promise yet again.
4:10 rested from his works TW has already said that we enter God's rest by faith. Now he says that those who enter have "rested from their works". TW is referring to our "works" now, not to God's "work" of creation. By this subtle shift, the story of creation has come to support the doctrine of Justification by Faith (not by Works). TW prepared us for this in v.6.
4:11-13 the Word of God is living.... We have God's Word in a book. But God's Word is his self-revelation. So it is also more than the book. It is alive! It is alive in the person of Jesus it alive in the Holy Spirit's activity in our hearts. It is so alive and pervasive that we cannot escape the judgment it works on our consciences. It is so alive that in v.13, the Word, which is an "it", slides into easily into "his" and "him", for it is God himself who is revealed. As the recipients of God's self-revelation we must "strive to enter that rest" because "no creature is hidden" and we must one day "give account" of what that word already knows about us.
4:12 the division of soul and spirit Theologically, a human being is said to be composed of two aspects: a body, plus that collection of intellectual and affective processes that we call "soul" or "spirit" or "mind" or "heart", etc. This verse does not justify a three-part view of man as body, soul, and spirit. Why not? Because the language here is "pleonastic" in this instance that means it is repetitive for emphasis, not for precision. TW says that the Word can divide not only soul and spirit but also joints and marrow. But joints and marrow can never be divided (or separated), because they were never joined in the first place. Tey exist in different parts of your skeleton. If TW's second pair is not literally precise, there is no reason to think that his first pair is.
SESSION FOUR -- 5:116:20 -- A NECESSARY DIGRESSION
Note: The section 4:145:10 and the section 7:1-28 are two parts of the same argument, into which TW has inserted 5:116:20 as a digression. So we shall examine the digression in Session Four, and then the two companion portions in Session Five.
5:11 about this "this" is the comparison between Jesus and Melchizedek. See Session Five.
5:11-14 you need someone to teach you again the basic principles Today this scathing criticism would offend parishioners, empty the pews, and get the preacher fired! (You don't suppose that's why TW is anonymous?) But our commitment to the Lord and his gospel includes an expectation that we should know the tradition well enough to be able to deliver it to others. The complaint that TW's readers need to be taught "again" implies at least that they had previously been taught the tradition, which is more than can be said for many churches today. Whether parishioners are fed evangelical pablum or liberal pablum, it's baby food either way. If we are unable to challenge the secular world spiritually and intellectually, we leave ourselves open to buying into ideas and spiritualities that exclude God.
5:16 distinguish good from evil like Solomon, 1 Kings 3:9, and the expected Messiah, Isaiah 7:15.
6:1-3 the elementary doctrine of Christ TW specifies what these are: repentance, justification by faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, judgment. What TW is describing here is an early catechism course. The word "washings" or "baptisms" is plural in Judaism the mikveh, or baptismal tank, is used not only for conversion but also at other times of purification. Similarly, many were baptized by John the Baptist, and again by Jesus or his disciples.
6:4-6 it is impossible...to restore them again to repentance TW seems to have in mind here the Venite, Psalm 95, quoted at Heb 3:7-11, which recalls the forty-year wanderings of an entire generation and their failure to enter the promised land because of unbelief. He applies this example to Christians or at least those who seemed to be Christians who have renounced the Faith. "The apostasy described...is not a matter of private, internal doubt. [Nor, I would add, is it just "backsliding".] It is the forceful, complete, and public rejection of a faith once confessed." (Reformation Study Bible p.1782.)
6:6 crucifying once again the Son of God This is not about intellectual dissent. It is about moral courage and integrity in a choice between God and Caesar. At their baptism they publicly identified themselves with the crucified Jesus. If they now defect, TW sees them as "trashing" what Jesus did for them.
6:8 its end is to be burned Fields that bear thorns and thistles do not fulfill the purpose that God intended for them. The same is true of defectors, but worse, for they knowingly opt out of the purpose God had for them. Whatever no longer serves its purpose, we dispose of as garbage. How awful to realize that one has chosen such a state and that it has become too late to change it.
6:9 yet in your case The warning above is followed by praise and positive encouragement.
6:11 imitators TW emphasizes the importance of faith. He spends a whole chapter (11) on "those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." What is the faith that inherits the promises? It is "the full assurance of hope." The reference to hope reminds us that the goal of this faith is in the future (Reformation Study Bible p.1784), and that it meets with many contradictions in the present. We do not get this faith passively we must "show the same earnestness to have [it]" it as did the exemplars of chapter 11 as did Abraham, the pre-eminent exemplar, in the verses following:
6:12-20 it is impossible for God to lie (v.18) This section is about the certainty of the promises we hope to inherit. This letter began with an affirmation of God's word through the prophets and in Jesus, and later (4:11ff) of God's word as a present and living force. Here in 6:12-20, 'God giving his word' has yet another shade of meaning, namely, the making and keeping of a promise.
6:18 two unchangeable things First, God made a promise to Abraham (Gen 12:1-4) then, he confirmed it with an oath (Gen 22:15-18). Abraham was on a journey to a land unknown all he had was God's word, and a patient faith that God keeps his word. In addition, TW offers a more tangible ground of hope:
6:19 a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul Jesus, our eternal high priest, foreshadowed in Melchizedek, has gone as our forerunner "behind the curtain" into the heavenly Holy of Holies, which is the "ideal" pattern of the earthly (Exod 25:9,40). This refers to his sacrifice, resurrection and ascension, which give our Christian hope its objective, tangible, and historical certainty.
SESSION FIVE -- 4:14-5:10 and 7:1-28 -- JESUS AS MELCHIZEDEK
4:14 a great high priest This introduces the theme of Melchizedek as a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus. passed through the heavens Jesus' resurrection and ascension.
4:15 not...unable to sympathize with our weaknesses fully human, tempted, "yet without sin".
4:16 with confidence draw near to the throne of grace When Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was split in two (Mark 15:38) to show that God had given us access to his grace which, previously, was displayed only through the Temple sacrifices.
5:1 chosen from among men Only a real man can minister empathetically to real men. TW perceives the incarnation as critical to an authentic Messianic ministry.
5:4 only when called by God The initiative for ministry lies with God. This applies to church vocations: if you're not called, don't come if you're not sent, don't go.
5:5 So also Christ The quotation from Ps 2:7 is intended to show that Jesus' ministry was of God's initiative. Having established that, he goes on to explain the nature of that ministry, citing Ps 110:4 as his "sermon text".
5:7-10 being made perfect (v.9) This does not deny Jesus' sinlessness. It may mean that through suffering Jesus became fully qualified for his priestly role as our mediator (Reformation Study Bible p.1783). His death provides the sacrificial blood that will actually avail when he pleads it on our behalf. Because the idea of Jesus' becoming perfect through suffering also occurs at Heb 2:10, we may suppose that it was a topic of some importance in TW's circles. TW will now go on to identify Melchizedek as the prophetic prototype of the perfect high priest.
7:1 this Melchizedek Read Gen 14:17-20 now. When you have time, read the whole chapter. Melchizedek appears to be the priest-king of a theocratic city-state.
7:2 by translation of his name (a) Melchizedek: melech = king, zedek = righteousness (b) king of Salem: salem (shalom) = peace (c) Salem = an early name of Jerusalem
7:3 without father or mother Because no ancestry or offspring are recorded, he is symbolically eternal.
7:4-10 See how great this man was Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, paid tithes to this priest-king and received his blessing. All other Jews, from the Exodus to the destruction of the Second Temple, paid tithes to priests descended from Levi, one of Abraham's offspring. Using a "federal headship" argument, TW says that every Jew, even the priests, paid tithes to Melchizedek "through Abraham", showing that Melchizedek's priesthood is superior to theirs.
7:11-14 if perfection had been attainable Ps 110:4 is meaningful only if God intended to replace the Levitical priesthood, and its ceremonial law, with something better.
7:15-17 the power of an indestructable life Ps 110:4 portrays Messiah as eternal. The resurrection makes Jesus the obvious candidate. TW might also have seen a eucharistic allusion in Melchizedek's bringing bread and wine (Gen 14:18), but there is not sufficient detail to draw any eucharistic doctrine from it.
7:18-28 the guarantor of a better covenant (v.22) TW repeats several points: Torah made nothing perfect Messiah is appointed by God's oath (Ps 110:4) which trumps any appointment by law Levitical priests die off but the Messiah-priest lives forever being eternal, Jesus does not need to repeat his sacrifice daily.
SESSION SIX -- 8:1-10:18 -- A NEW AND BETTER COVENANT
8:1-5 a minister in the true tent, that the Lord set up, not man (v.2)
a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things (v.5)
TW seems to be a rabbi trained in the tradition of Philo of Alexandria (20 BC - 50 AD) who borrowed from the philosophy of Plato when interpreting Scripture. Here, he finds a parallel between God's word to Moses about building the Tabernacle according to the pattern revealed to him on Mount Sinai (Exod 25:9,40), and Plato's notion of forms and
shadows. Plato taught that anything in this world, whether a horse, or a chair, or, in this case, a Tent of Worship, is but a shadow or approximation of the ideal "form" of horse or chair or Tent of Worship, which exists, as we might say, as an eternal idea in the mind of God. So Moses' tent was inferior to "the pattern that was shown [him] on the mountain", in the same way that a carbon copy is inferior to an original. Nevertheless, the copy that Moses made was significant because it was a revelation pointing to the ideal "tent of worship" that would one day be revealed.
8:6 But...Christ TW argues that we now have better promises, better priest, better covenant.
8:7 if the first covenant had been faultless... This argument is based not on human experience but on Scripture. God said at Jer 31:31-34 that he would replace the old covenant. He would not have said so nor done so if the old covenant had been adequate.
8:8-12 Jer 31:31-34 Through Jeremiah, circa 630BC, God promises a new and better covenant, "not like the covenant that I made with their fathers". This must have been about as popular as telling mediaeval Catholics that there was going to be a Reformation!
8:11,12 they shall all know me God's people will have intimate access to him that would have been difficult for Jeremiah's contemporaries to imagine, because sin would be forgiven with finality. "For" in v.12 actually means "because".
8:13 obsolete...vanish away Be careful not to read into this what it does not say. It does not say that God's ancient people are obsolete. They have not "vanish[ed] away", despite the most evil attempts to make them do so. What became obsolete and vanished away sacrificial system, and the Levitical priesthood. This, says TW, is as it should be, for in God's plan of salvation that system has been superseded. We Gentiles are therefore not a new people of God, supplanting the old. Rather, as Paul says, we are by God's mercy wild branches that have been grafted onto the original domestic stock (Romans 11 passim). Note that TW is himself a Jew and writing to Jews: he refers to the Hebrew Patriarchs as "our fathers" (1:1), and his epistle circulated under the title pros Hebraious, "to the Hebrews". To TW, then, the gospel is not a new religion but the next and most glorious stage in God's plan to redeem a covenant people.
Questions: (a) Why would God have imposed an inadequate covenant if he knew he was going to establish a better one at a later date? (b) Is TW's "supersessionist" view at odds with Jesus' "I have not come to abolish" in Matt 5:17-20?
9:1-5 an earthly place for holiness To imagine the two main areas of the Tabernacle, and later of the Temple, picture a very large church, without seats, in which the nave corresponds to the Holy Place, and the chancel corresponds to the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies), and there is a heavy curtain between them. Eastern rite churches reflect the sanctity of the Holy of Holies by having doors that separate the nave from the chancel, and which are opened and closed at various times during the service. In the Middle Ages, some Western rite churches emulated this by erecting "rood screens". (For more inforation on this topic, see Wikipedia articles on "Tabernacle", "Solomon's Temple", "Second Temple", and "The Third Temple".)
9:5 of these things we cannot now speak in detail But if we could, we should find that each one has an important symbolic meaning.
9:6-10 cannot perfect the conscience of the worshipper - The existence of an outer court mean that the Holy of Holies, the place of God's Presence, was out of bounds. The High Priest's role showed the need of a mediator, but his mediation was only material and symbolic it could not "perfect the conscience".
9:8 the Holy Spirit indicates Note the author's view of Scripture.
9:10 regulations for the body The ritual achieved only symbolic purity, and by that means taught the need of something more that would not be achieved until Messiah comes, which TW describes as "the time of reformation".
9:11,12 a high priest...by means of his own blood Jesus as Messiah is both priest and sacrifice.
9:12 he entered...into the holy places The Greek says "the holies". At this stage in the argument, TW is referring not just the Holy of Holies, but the Holiest Place imaginable, or even unimaginable, for now we are considering not types and shadows but ideal forms and eternal realities. Now, "the holies" refers to that place in "the more perfect tent...not of this creation" where Jesus as our high priest pleads his own blood on our behalf in the very presence of God.
9:12 once for all Greek, ephapax This word and its root form hapax occur throughout Hebrews. The root form means "once" or "only once", and the addition of epi makes it very emphatic: "once for all time".
9:12 an eternal redemption "redemption" means a loosing or release from bondage, whether of slavery or debt or imprisonment or sin.
9:13 purification of the flesh See note on "regulations for the body" at v.10.
9:14 purify our conscience from dead works "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). TW is again speaking of the need for Justification by Faith.
9:15-22 mediator of a new covenant The Greek word diatheke means variously "covenant" and "will" or "testament". In vv.15-22, TW shifts deliberately between one shade of meaning and another. He does this to indicate that the benefits of the diatheke, no matter in which meaning you use it, are not available unless someone dies. And in case any reader has still not got the point, he reminds us that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (v.22) This is an important answer for those who like to speak about so-called "theories" of the atonement, as if that somehow made Jesus' atoning death symbolic rather than efficacious.
9:23-26 This section is a summary. Jesus' death was necessary because "without the shedding of blood etc." Unlike the Temple sacrifices, Jesus does NOT "offer himself repeatedly", not even in a so-called "bloodless sacrifice" in the eucharist.
9:27,28 These verses affirm the doctrine of Judgment, Second Coming, and Heaven. The words "and after that the judgment" and "not to deal with sin" caution us not to hope for a purgatory or any other sort of "second chance" after death.
10:1-18 If we recall that, except for about fifty years during the Exile, the Temple sacrifices had been offered continuously for more than 1400 years, it is easy to see why the readers might have difficulty comprehending that those sacrifices had been superseded by tghe death of Jesus. So in these verses TW builds his case once again.
10:2 the worshippers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins If this would have been true for the Jews, does TW mean that it is true for us? If so, how is it true? How can we, who still sin, no longer have any consciousness thereof? Perhaps the best explanation came from a preacher I heard once speaking on Micah 7:19 and spiritual health. He said something like this: "When God says that he has cast your sins into the depths of the sea, he wants you to understand that he put up a NO FISHIN' sign."
10:3,4 reminder....impossible.... The recurring sacrifices were a reminder of a spiritual need. They were not a in any final sense solution for that need.
10:5-7 Ps 40:6-8 This reads as if TW thinks that Jesus wrote Psalm 40! That's not so naive as it may seem. The New Testament writers actually had a clearer notion of God as Trinity-in-Unity than some readers imagine. If in Hebrews 1:10 TW can attribute to Jesus the work of the Father in Creation, there is no reason why TW cannot also attribute to Jesus the work of the Spirit in inspiring the Scriptures. Perhaps also, Jesus in his earthly career understood these words as a prophetic description of his reason for coming.
What tyhe passage says is that Messiah came to do God's will, for the precise reason that the recurring Temple sacrifices and offerings were not what God wanted! In v. 7, TW emphasizes that "it says so in the book"!
10:5 a body you have prepared for me This is quoted in Greek from the LXX. The Hebrew version says "ears you have dug out (=opened, removed the wax) for me." It is a puzzle how the LXX translators got from "ears" to "body".
10:8,9 When he said...then he added.... TW contrasts the temporary, ineffectual covenant with the final, effectual one.
10:10 sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all finally, conclusively, and by God's will.
10:11-14 he sat down...waiting...." (vv.12,13) "sat down" implies a finished work, a "done deal", in contrast with "has stood", just as "a single sacrifice" is contrasted with "offering repeatedly". Note the repetition for emphasis of "for all time" and "a single sacrifice".
10:15 the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us for after saying Note TW's view of Scripture. TW emphasizes this to show that the new covenant really is of God, and that TW is not inventing some new heresy.
10:16,17 This is the covenant that I will make with them...declares the Lord.... then he adds Again, TW emphasizes that the words of Jeremiah are the words of God, and that's why his readers should heed what he writes.
10:16 I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds (Jer 31:33) God promises "the inner transformation or sanctification of the believer" (Reformation Study Bible p.1791).
10:17 no longer any offering for sin two possible meanings, both true: (a) there can be no more offering because it is no longer needed (v.14), and (b) there is no other offering available for those who reject this one (v.26)
SESSION SEVEN -- 10:19-11:40 -- KEEP THE FAITH!
10:19-25 we have confidence to enter the holy places (Holy of Holies) (v.19) Read this passage as if it refers to a celebration of the Lord's Supper, remembering that the early church regarded all Christians as priests (Rev 1:6, 5:10 1 Pet 2:9 Exod 19:6). In that celebration we confess our faith (v.23) and exhort one another in the homily (v.24) We also "draw near" (v.22) to the place of God's presence, where Jesus, our High Priest, awaits us. It is, indeed, a "real presence", but it is not a presence dispensed to us in bread and wine. It is that grand presence that we enter whenever we "draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith." It is the Presence that Jesus promised: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20). TW portrays the rent curtain through which we enter into that Presence as Jesus' wounds (v.20). Note that conversion and baptism precede participating in the Lord's Supper (v.22b), and that the Lord's Supper anticipates his second coming (v.25, compare 1 Cor 11:26). In the passage above, our participation in the Lord's Supper is used to emphasize the importance of "a true heart" and "full assurance of faith". By contrast, the following passage warns strongly against unfaithfulness.
10:26-31 if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth (v.26) no more sacrifice (compare v.17), just judgment and wrath. Spurning Jesus is an even more "fearful thing" than spurning the law of Moses. It is not only the pagans whom God will judge, but also his own people (Psalm 50:4).
10:32-38 do not throw away your confidence (v.35) TW urges his readers to recall and emulate their former faithfulness, as he describes it in vv.33,34. He reminds them that even after they have done the will of God they still "have need of endurance" to receive the promised reward.
10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls This verse does two things: First, it presents the only two available options fence-sitting is not an option. Second, it is a nice segue to Chapter 11, where TW illustrates what he means by "faith".
11:1 faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen Faith has many dimensions, but the dimension emphasized in this chapter will be assurance and conviction about the future, based on God's promises. This sort of faith, as indicated in 10:39, requires endurance. Therefore, faith implies faithfulness even when it hurts.
11:2 by it the people of old received their commendation This statement actually means that TW finds the doctrine of Justification by Faith in the Old Testament!
11:3 by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God Faith is NOT normally the means by which we know things, except where God has revealed something that we could not know by our own empirical means.
11:4-38 The catalogue of heroes of faith includes: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and Rahab the prostitute also Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. What these all had in common is that they believed what God said would come true, and then acted on it, despite the hardships incurred or any apparent contradictory evidence. Because of their faith, Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice, Enoch was "taken up", Noah saved his household, Abraham reached the promised land, Sarah (even though she laughed) had a child in her old age, etc....
11:6 without faith it is impossible to please him Also, without faithfulness.
that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him Faith acknowledges the reality of the unseen world, therefore trusts God's promises for the future.
11:13,14 not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on earth Faith involves not only trust in a promised future, but also some measure of renouncing the importance of the present.
11:15,16 if they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But...they desire a better country...a heavenly one And so should those who have notions of defecting from faith in Christ!
11:16 Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God What marvelous condescension God makes to us! But the alternative that he might be ashamed to be called the God of those who are not faithful ought to be really scary.
11:16 for he has prepared for them a city Two points here: (a) Not only for them, but for us also. So don't "blow it" by repeating the errors of the provocation in the wilderness (Ps 95). (b) TW has already said that this city is a heavenly one. So it is clear that TW thinks that the OT saints and the NT saints are part of the same people of God and inherit the same reward on the same terms, i.e., justification by faith.
11:17-38 In case we didn't get it the first time, this section reiterates the messages of vv.4-16. But TW finds in these events Christian meanings that contemporary Jews would deny, and that the original characters might not recognize. Discuss how he can legitimately do this.
11:26 [Moses] considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward What would Moses say if he read this? I think TW would say that people like Moses have at least an intuition of Messiah, and in Moses' case a clear sense of "a prophet...like unto me" (Deut 18:15).
11:27 as seeing him who is invisible In the persecutions that will beset the church, Christians must emulate Moses' attitude and example.
11:38 of whom the world was not worthy Feel beaten down? Read vv.32-38. Feel you've
done your ethical best but it's not appreciated? Read vv.32-38. Feel rejected or persecuted for the gospel's sake? For sure, read vv.32-38. Also Mark 6:11.
11:39 apart from us they should not be made perfect All these OT saints were justified by faith, but they had to wait until Jesus came and incorporated the Gentiles before the people of God would be complete.
SESSION EIGHT -- 12:1-2 -- TOUGH LOVE, TOUGH FAITH
12:1,2 let us run with endurance the race that is set before us TW offers two exemplars of endurance: (a) the great cloud of witnesses in ch.11 (If they persevered, so can we.), and (b) Jesus.
12:2 founder and perfecter founder of the New Covenant, but also of the Old perfecter of the Old by bringing it to completion in the New.
joy of procuring our salvation
seated at the right hand of God We are motivated by Jesus' triumph.
12:3 Consider him who endured We are also motivated by his suffering.
12:4 you have not yet resisted "unto blood" A Christian woman near the end of her rope told her Jewish lawyer that she was close to losing faith. The lawyer, whose synagogue included Holocaust victims, replied, "I know people who have suffered a lot more than you, and they didn't lose their faith."
12:5-11 It is for discipline that you have to endure Discipline, says TW, is a benefit that loving fathers confer on cherished sons. Examine the passage, and ask: Is this how we are supposed to deal with all our trials and tribulations? How does this fit in with actually resolving our trials and tribulations?
12:12-17 Therefore Pray, walk (=live) straight, seek peace and holiness, don't be bitter or immoral. For the effect of all these things is to sell our "birthright". And if we do that, when we come to our senses we'll find we can't get it back. Discuss what this means in practical terms for present-day Christians.
12:18-24 you have not come to / you have come to "The old and new covenants are compared in terms of the mountains (Sinai and Zion) associated with each"(Reformation Study Bible p.1797). The comparison suggests that, just as the Jews were on a pilgrimage, so are we. Without this point of comparison, much of the Old Testament would not be very relevant to us. Examine the passage and (a) describe the two pilgrimages, (b) describe the experiences and emotions found at each mountain.
12:25-29 our God is a consuming fire (v.29, compare Deut 4:24) What several meanings might be found in things shaken and not shaken? The following verses do not exhaust the possibilities: Heb 1:12, 8:13, 10:9, 13:14 2 Peter 3:10.
SESSION NINE -- 13:1-25 -- CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
13:1-8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever This is the basis of the command to "remember your leaders" (v.7), for what was true for those leaders is still
true for TW's readers, and for today's readers. What motivated the leaders should continue to motivate their spiritual offspring. And the way those leaders "walked" is the way we too should "walk". Make a list of the aspects of the Christian's "walk" indicated in vv.1-7. Discuss how being content with what we have (v.5) is and also how it is not an appropriate rule of life for Christians.
13: 9-16 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings This statement warns against all erroneous teachings, but the passage is concerned primarily with not reverting from the new covenant back to the old. However, this passage also provides direction on how we should and how we should not understand the Lord's Supper as follows: When TW says that the heart should be "strengthened by grace, not by foods", the foods he is referring to are the bodies of the animals sacrificed on the altar at the Temple. When he says that these foods "have not benefited those devoted to them", it is clear that he is referring to spiritual benefit, for we know that beef, lamb, goat, and pigeon are nutritious for the body. Now, I take TW's statement about foods to be true of the elements of the Lord's Supper, also. Why? First: When he says "we have an altar..." (v.10) he cannot be referring to the Holy Table in each church, for "an" refers to only one altar just as the Jews had only one altar, associated with the Temple. They were forbidden to do sacrifice anywhere else. Second: If TW's altar is not at the front of every church, where is it? TW explains that just as the bodies of the sin offerings were burned outside the camp, so Jesus likewise was crucified outside the city. Third: "Therefore," says TW, "let us go to him outside the camp", for that "green hill far away" is our altar. TW has already said elsewhere that, unlike the Jewish sacrifices, Jesus' sacrifice was not repeatable. Fourth: In v.15 TW does direct us to continue offering sacrifice he uses the word twice in this one verse but he insists that what we must offer is a "sacrifice of praise", and to do good and share what we have. He knows that he is stretching the meaning of the word, but insists that "such sacrifices are pleasing to God". Fifth: Recall TW's argument that the earthly Tabernacle is a copy of the eternal heavenly model (8:5). Then note 8:3, where he says that Jesus as priest "must have something to offer", but it is not on earth that he offers it (8:4). Our high priest, the only effectual priest there is, makes his offering on our behalf in the very presence of God. Sixth an argument from silence: In the midst of this discussion of Temple sacrifices, Jesus' sacrifice, and Christian sacrifices, TW says absolutely nothing about the Lord's Supper. But we know that the Lord's Supper was already in use liturgically at this time, so the omission of any reference to the Lord's Supper in this context can only mean that TW did not consider it in any sense a sacrifice.
13:17 Obey your leaders That is, church leaders. Discuss whether this is an absolute rule or a relative rule, and what might be the difference between the two. Where does Scripture give us any discretion to disregard church leaders?
13:18 Pray for us Of all the things TW might need, look what he asked them to pray for!
13:24 all your leaders and all the saints "Saints" refers to "those who are sanctified". That's us.
13:20,21 These verses certainly look like a liturgical usage. Praying them together would be an appropriate way to conclude the study.