Search
-
November 26, 2019A unique letter
“In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1, 1-4).
These are the first four verses of the divinely inspired Letter to the Hebrews. I will not enter into the debate regarding who wrote this letter. I definitely can state that when we get to heaven we will find out who was this follower of Saint Paul that was chosen by God to receive his inspiration for the unique content of this New Testament letter, which is a beautiful bridge from the Old Testament to the New and eloquently presents Jesus Christ as the our new high priest with a superior and final Covenant.
According to The Introduction to the Letter to the Hebrews in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, New Testament, Scott Hahn shares with us some light regarding the content of this letter:
“…the letter is presumably addressed to Jewish converts, who, because of persecution from without and nagging doubts from within, were tempted to revert to traditional Judaism and its Temple-centered worship. The epistle attempts to dissuade them by stressing the inability of the Old Covenant to free us from sin. This is in sharp contrast to the absolute sufficiency of the New Covenant to cleanse our consciences and bring us into God's presence through the covenant mediation of Jesus Christ.”
Here are recommended biblical verses that are foundational to a proper understanding of the Letter to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 3, 12 speaks to those Jewish converts with doubts, “Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God.”
Hebrews 10, 1-4, speaks to the Jewish converts who wanted to return to the animal sacrifices of the temple worship services according to Mosaic Law, which has been superseded by Jesus Christ.
“Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? But, in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins.”
Hebrews 9, 11-15, speaks beautifully of Christ as our high priest.
“But, when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God? For this reason, he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.”
This letter blesses us with a strong affirmation of our need for Christ. I thank God for having inspired these words and I leave you with some verses from the last chapter in this letter, Ch. 13.
“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body. Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never forsake you or abandon you.’…Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Amen.
