Greetings, dear readers.
After some time in prayer and meditation, I believe our next Scriptural
journey should be in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews, like Romans, is a very theological
book that appears to be a letter. So
there will be no “easy” narrative to carry us through it, as we found in the
Old Testament. There is no typical
greeting as in other New Testament letters, although there are some endnotes
that make particular mention of people with whom the author was acquainted. Because of this, it appears to be a letter
written to a particular group of people.
Many scholars believe that Hebrews was written to a group Jewish
converts to Christianity. This is primarily
due to the significant amount of Old Testament Scriptures quoted and to the
many references to the forms and symbols of the Jewish religion. Other scholars believe that it could have
been, or also was, written to a group of Gentile Christians who were becoming
Christians while steeped in a Jewish community.
One way or the other the modern non-Jewish reader is presented
with some particular difficulties. We will have to do some good, hard work at
understanding the ancient Jewish religious practices, symbols and traditions—some
of which are still practiced today. When
we do this good historical work through Scriptures and commentaries we will be
able to better understand how the Holy Spirit can and does apply this Scripture
in our world today. The book of Hebrews
is rich and deeply textured with theology about Jesus Christ. I believe that there is much we can gain from
a good, thorough meditation and study of this New Testament book.
Let’s begin by engaging our Biblical imaginations. We’ll create a little narrative about a
fictional character named Itzak. We may
dip in and out of Itzak’s life throughout our study to try to grapple with how
this text was heard when it was first read.
Now, there will be some difficulties with this, because we have not
lived during the time of the writer of Hebrews.
But this kind of imaginative exercise, if steeped in facts (as I will
attempt to do) can bring us closer to understanding the writer’s intent and
help us to make the interpretation of the meaning of Hebrews as accurate as
possible. We will, of course, be
entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit for direction, correction and final
interpretation. I pray that anything
that is not of the Holy Spirit will be edited out in our hearts and minds as we
take this journey through Hebrews. May
God bless the reading and study of his wonderful Word!
Let’s try to scroll back in time to around 72 AD—that is around 72 years after Jesus Christ walked on
this earth, died and rose again. Imagine
with me the Middle East at that time. There are only dirt or brick roads. Donkeys are like economy cars carrying people
from town to town. Carts pulled by
massive oxen are loaded with fresh produce being taken to open air markets.
Roman soldiers are stationed everywhere you look because the Roman Empire is
the dominant political, cultural and military force of that region.
The area is populated by people from many different parts of the
world—Greek, Roman, Jewish,
Ethiopian, Turkish—you name it. And with these ethnic representations come also
a wide variety of religious persuasions. You've got groups of secular philosophers
traveling throughout the region seeking out new disciples. You've got temples
built to multiple gods—many of their images are actual pillars of the pagan
temples. People are constantly coming and going at these places. Then there are
the Jewish synagogues and temples.
Inside these synagogues groups of men gather frequently to read
the Torah—the Holy Scriptures of
the ancient and modern Jews. They know it as The Law. These teachings are the words that Moses had
written to their ancestors many centuries earlier—Genesis, the beginnings;
Exodus, the deliverance; Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, the ceremonial,
civil and moral laws of the people chosen by God. Generation after generation
of Jewish people had followed these same laws. There was to be no breaking of
them because if you broke God's laws the entire relationship with God was
severed. So, they revered, studied, followed, and obeyed—just as their
grandfathers, great grandfathers and great, great grandfathers had.
The synagogues, the religious gatherings of Jews since the Temple
had been destroyed in 70 AD, were run by particular groups of Jews—these were the Priests, Levites and Scribes. These
men had been set apart since the time of Moses to serve in the Tabernacle and the
Temple. They were to be exclusively dedicated to God's work. Both the Priests and Levites kept the Law
before the people and acted as the representatives of the people before God. The
Scribes were teachers of the Law who also made written records of the legal
decisions based on the Law made by the Jewish leadership. Later,
and during the time of the book of Hebrews, other groups were developed within
these groups—the Pharisees and Sadducees.
As we read the Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the book of Acts we can see many places
where Jesus and the Apostles preached in the synagogues. It is recorded that during these encounters
many Jews became Christians. While most
of the conflicts we see in and around the Temple are between Jesus, the
Apostles and the Jewish religious leaders, it cannot be far off the mark to
imagine that some of them came to believe in Jesus Christ. We can read in John 7:31 and 8:30 where many in
the synagogues believed. While we cannot know the outcome of Jesus’ encounter
with Nicodemus (John 3,7:50-52, 19:39-41), it would not be far-fetched to
believe that some like him had become Christians.
Now let's engage our Biblical imaginations. Imagine one man in particular among these groups
of religious leaders. Let's call his name Itzak.
Itzak
was a faithful priest. He loved God with all his heart, soul, mind and
strength. It was a true privilege for him to work in the synagogue as his
father and grandfather before him. Itzak was aware of
a group of people that seemed to be causing the Israelites consistent trouble
over the last sixty years. They were called Christians. They followed the
teachings of a man named Jesus—who they said was the
Messiah. From Itzak's perspective a man
from Nazareth being the Messiah was just preposterous. It was clear that a man could not be the
Messiah!
Itzak
had some cousins who had left the fold, so to speak. Sixty years
earlier one of his uncles had a conversation with a Christian about this Jesus. And of all things, he had
converted to Christianity. The family was outraged, mortified and in despair.
This uncle had been teaching about this Jesus to anyone he could. He raised his
children with these teachings. After this conversion to Christianity Itzak was
not allowed to play with or even go to his cousins' homes. He missed his cousins, and particularly Asher
with whom had many wonderful adventures as a young child.
One
day after many years had passed, as Itzak was eating at a local restaurant, he
overhead two men discussing this man Jesus. They were so passionate and
convincing about Jesus actually being the Messiah that Itzak couldn't help but listen
in. They noticed his eaves-dropping and invited him into the discussion. Once
he really listened to them tell the story of Jesus and saw their commitment and
their love for this Jesus, he was intrigued. They told him that if he asked
Jesus to forgive him of his sins he would no longer have to offer sacrifices,
he could believe by faith—right there and right then—that Jesus was the
Messiah, that he accepted and loved Itzak because Jesus had died and rose again
for everyone providing the final sacrifice for sins.
Now
for any good God-loving Jew this story was just bunk. Except for Itzak there grew a hunger in his
heart to experience what these men so convincingly spoke about. Walking home
from the restaurant, Itzak did something that would have his parents spinning
in their graves—he stopped by his cousin Asher's house. He just wanted to learn
more about this Jesus. All the years of following the letter of the Law, all
the hundreds of times he performed his duties at the temple, still left him with
a hunger in his heart for more.
His
spiritual hunger was becoming insatiable and it seemed like everything that Asher
described about this Jesus became more and more the food that his soul needed.
In a brief and quiet moment Itzak believed in Jesus as the Savior-Messiah for
the first time—right there in his cousin's home.
The
joy of knowing that he was forgiven finally and completely was nearly impossible
to describe and brought immeasurable joy. For the first time in his life Itzak
felt as if his heart was truly free. Without
telling anyone he made
many more trips to his cousin's home. He had to learn more.
And Asher was beyond happy to share this good news with him.
After
a good amount of time Itzak talked with his immediate family about his new
relationship with Jesus Christ and the freedom in his soul. They had been
astonished, and yet, seeing their father's and husband's changed life and the deep
joy he had, they soon followed his lead. Once this was known in the synagogue
though, they began to face a particular kind of persecution. The synagogue
leaders demanded that they leave—they were excommunicated from the Jewish
fellowship. Itzak had to find a different job to help his family survive
because he was no longer supported by the religious community. As difficult as this was, his family had locked arms together and
had stayed true to their Messiah Jesus Christ. They found strong and sweet
fellowship among the Christians, and they never went hungry because someone was
always giving out of their own resources to keep them safe and healthy.
Itzak's
family had known trouble from their own people for a long time, but then things
started getting worse. Around that time the Roman government began cracking
down on groups they felt were rebellious and destructive to the government's
power. Over the last number of years several of the Roman rulers targeted the
Christians as enemies of the Empire. The Christians would not worship Caesar.
They would not participate in Empire-sponsored religious festivals. And worst
of all, they kept trying to convince people that Caesar was not God and that
this Jesus Christ was! What began as just some troubling news in the Roman
rulers’ ears soon took on a dark and foreboding movement to get rid of the
Christians—organized persecutions, public executions,
property seizures and just outright violence began to dominate the lives of the
Christians.
Itzak
had become a Christian just when these persecutions were getting started. As
the years rolled by the persecutions grew worse. Itzak and his family had lost
many Christian friends to government executions. With the reality looming that
they could be next the family, they hunkered down and tried to lay low. They frequently met in secret with other
Christians to pray and to find encouragement.
Then
something very different started to happen. One night Itzak heard a knock at
the door. To his surprise his brother Zadok was standing at the door. His brother
was a Scribe of the synagogue. Ever since the day that Itzak told him that he
had believed in Jesus, his brother had had nothing to do with him. But times
were different now—Itzak's life was at stake. Zadok had crossed a
dangerous line to try to save Itzak’s family from the cruel government
crackdown.
Zadok
sat at their table night after night, laying before them the Old Testament
Scriptures, trying desperately to convince them that this Jesus was a hoax, a
ruse, a false teacher. He was just a man. He could not possibly be God! This Jesus and sixty
years of his followers had lead thousands astray. Zadok begged Itzak to look at what was
happening to them now. People were dying because of their belief that Jesus was
not just a man. Angels were more
powerful and holy than this Jesus! Not to speak of their great leader from
history Moses! Moses was the one who handed down the Law of God. Even Moses was
greater than this carpenter from Nazareth! He begged Itzak to see how they could
have been deceived? At times Zadok would weep, begging Itzak and his family to
forsake the teachings of this Jesus and return to the synagogue. He begged them
to renounce their Christianity to save their lives. The Romans were not hurting
Jews, just the Christians. He asked if following this Jesus, which brought such
persecution, was really worth it.
After
many nights of Zadok's visits, Itzak began to question the path he had taken.
He would lay awake at night, listening to his wife's breathing wondering if that
night the Roman soldiers would beat down their door and take them to the arena
to be executed. Was it really worth it? What about his children in the next
room? What about their lives and their futures? Maybe he had been deceived by
some crazy teaching and this Jesus.
One
evening Itzak and his family went by the cover of night to a Christian meeting.
Because the persecutions had grown worse they could only meet secretly in caves.
They crowded together in hushed tones, encouraging one another and drawing strength
from their Christian friends. Many there
were glad to see each other, and were grieving to see that some were missing.
They were losing friends and loved ones not only to tragedy, but also to those
who returned to Judaism rejecting Jesus Christ. These were difficult times.
The
leader that night said that he had just received a letter that he felt would
encourage them all. Itzak leaned against the cold and clammy wall eager to hear
something that would put his heart at rest.
The leader drew a lantern closer to him and the letter glowed golden
with the lamp light. Everyone there leaned in closer to hear the words that
might bring them hope and reassure them of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Read Hebrews 1:-3:6.
Itzak was a person of my imagination. But there were many, many
Christians in those years that faced the same dilemmas, the same persecutions
and the same struggles. It was the unknown author of the book of Hebrews who,
with great compassion and great theological skill, wrote a letter to a group of
Christians facing terrible Roman persecutions and the pressures of Jews trying
to convince them that Jesus was not our great Savior.
I challenge you to read the entire book of Hebrews this week. As you read keep in mind the circumstances in
which it was written. Write down some
questions that you have about this great book of the Bible. With God’s help we will answer some of those
questions and mature in our faith in Jesus Christ through the study of Hebrews.
God bless us all!
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2013
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