Key word: Christ’s superiority
Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were drifting away – some apparently into Judaism – from which their parents had emerged. Rather than drifting back into an inferior religion, the author encouraged them to press on to maturity – to grow up. But their foundational problem was they had lost the vision of the superiority of Christ. They had not, a least for the most part, abandoned Christ, or ceased to believe in Him. But they had removed Him as central to their lives, and replaced Him with inferior things. So, what they desperately needed was to once again understand the superiority of Christ and embrace it with all their hearts. Thus, the book outlines itself around five ways that Christ is superior to all things:
2. He is superior to angelic beings (1:4-2:18). Beginning with verse 4, and continuing throughout chapter two, the author contrasts Christ with angels. Angels had played significant roles in the history of the world, and specifically Israel. They had even had a part in giving the Old Testament law. So respected were angels that some worshipped them, Gnostics made their worship part of their religion. But Jesus is far better than angels. “Better” is used 13x in Hebrews to contrast Christ and His new order from what had come before Him.
To show just how superior Christ was to angels the author launches into a series of 7 quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures in verse five:
1) He is the Son (1:5), angels are created beings.
2) He is God (1:6-9), angels worship Him (1:6).
3) He is creator (1:10-12), angels are created.
4) He is the supreme ruler (1:13-14), angels are servants.
5) He is the ultimate revelator (2:1-4). As important as the messages delivered by angels was Christ’s message of salvation is far greater.
6) He is the author of our salvation (2:5-16, 10), for people, not angels (v. 16).
7) He is our great, high priest (2:17-18), a position, angels cannot attain or fulfill.
Key verse: Hebrews 4:16 – Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
