Category: Hebrews

“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.”

Welcome to our new series on Hebrews! You can learn more about the background and purpose of the book of Hebrews by watching this video from the Bible Project. I have always been fascinated by the fact that we do not know who wrote the book of Hebrews, with some scholars wondering if this book was written by one of the close female followers of Jesus. There’s no way to know, but ultimately Hebrews is written for a Jewish audience who would be very familiar with the Old Testament. Hebrews is a declaration of Jesus’ Messianic fulfillment of the systems established by God in the Jewish law and history.

In today’s beginning verses, we see that message right away in the phrase, “our ancestors” and a reference to the Old Testament prophets (such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Micah). There are some significant claims here when the author says that God has given everything to the Son, who radiates God’s glory, expresses God’s nature, and sustains the world by his command. This is a direct claim that Jesus is God himself, as his glory, nature, and power cannot be shared with a non-god. It’s also noteworthy to see the phrase, “now in these final days.” If it was the final days back when this letter was written, we are certainly still in them today. The end has been getting closer and closer for the past 2,000 years.

Why is the deity of Christ something that brings you freedom? Well, let’s imagine that Jesus is not God. Perhaps he was just a really nice, moral guy who tried to teach about God’s heart for the world. He died for a great cause. Ultimately, there’s no power in that. There’s no eternal freedom for you in that. But if Jesus is God, as the Bible claims, then he had the power to rise from the dead and conquer death. He has the power to set you free from sin and he has the power to lead and sustain your life. Jesus is on the throne today. No matter what you are facing he is still on that throne.

Take a moment to read Hebrews 1:5-14 before reading the devotional below.

Today’s verses read almost like the layout of a song or a poem. The writer quotes Psalms heavily in this passage, along with 2 Samuel and Deuteronomy. There is an artistic element to both the layout as a song or poem as well as the references to key Old Testament Scriptures. The Jewish audience would have easily understood the author’s goal: connect Jesus’ divine status to the Old Testament.

We talked yesterday about how Jesus is God and why that matters for our freedom. Today’s passages helps distinguish Jesus from angels. He wasn’t just a wise teacher, and he isn’t an angel either. He’s above all that. Notice that he calls the Son “Lord” and references his role in creation. These Old Testament verses that were about God were also about Jesus. It is right to praise and worship him as God.

The Bible says surprisingly little about angels, but verse 14 is a fascinating one. Now that we have established that Jesus was not an angel, we find out what exactly angels do. They care for those who will inherit salvation. We know that anyone who calls Jesus, “Lord” and believes in his resurrection will be saved (Romans 10:9). If you have accepted Jesus’ forgiveness and leadership in your life, then you will inherit salvation. Therefore, you have an angel or angels caring for you. We do not pray to angels or worship them, since Jesus is God and they are clearly lesser than divine. But we can appreciate the fact that behind the scenes there are heavenly beings on a mission to care for us. God has many eyes on you to make sure that you are being taken care of right now.

“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.”

Everything God has ever said has held true. Nothing has changed from the Old Testament to now. Many people think of God in the Old Testament as an angry old man who turned nice when Jesus showed up. Far from it! The salvation of Jesus is not a change in the story — it is the story!

God’s law has always demanded punishment. Sin separates us from God. That was never God’s desire for his people. Rather, he has always drawn his people back to himself. For a Jewish audience who was very familiar with their own history, there are countless stories of God calling his people back to himself and saving them after disobedience. Jesus announced a permanent path to salvation and confirmed it through the Holy Spirit when he performed miracles. He proved that he was God himself, Lord over all.

Some Jewish people in Jesus’ day perceived him as a threat. He seemed to challenge God’s law and the religious leaders thought that he was trying to pull them away from the Old Testament law. Instead, he came to make everything right. The law revealed the brokenness of people, and Jesus came as the Savior to say, “Come with me! I can get you out of this mess!” Hold on tight to that truth today. Jesus came to give you a way out.

“And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. For in one place the Scriptures say,

‘What are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    or a son of man that you should care for him?
Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them authority over all things.’

Now when it says ‘all things,’ it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position ‘a little lower than the angels’; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”

The author of Hebrews continues the written argument about Jesus’ position among God and the angels. It is clear that the angels do not have a position of authority over creation nor over God’s kingdom. The Scripture referenced in this passage is Psalm 8:4-6, in which the songwriter there is reflecting on the paradox of God’s choice to elevate mankind and give them authority despite our lowliness. (In other words, we can get dirty… Ewww….). Why should God elevate us? And why should he have lowered Jesus, making him “lower” than the angels while he was on earth? Why could Jesus get dirty too?

God knew what he was getting into with you. Romans 5:8 says that Jesus came to die for us “while we were still sinners.” God’s choice to elevate us and give us authority reveals far more about him than it does about us. Genesis 1:27 gives us one clue about God’s heart — he made human beings in his image. Angels do not hold that same place in God’s heart. They are not called God’s children. Jesus came as a child to join us as children so that we all together could rule and reign with him in God’s kingdom. It’s mind boggling. God didn’t wait until we fixed ourselves — we couldn’t do it. God chose to love us in the mud, and sent Jesus right into the mud with us. God’s not afraid of your mess — he’s ready to get his hands and feet in it to lift you up.

“So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,

‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
    I will praise you among your assembled people.’

He also said,

‘I will put my trust in him,’
    that is, ‘I and the children God has given me.’

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”

The tagline for Freedom For Today is, “The Word of God for your mental health.” Certainly the Bible is not a cure for mental illness, but studies have shown that spiritual practices including reading Scripture do improve our overall mental health. This idea of the “Word of God” is complex, and it is illuminated even more in today’s passage. Here the author is quoting parts of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8 and making a statement that those words were Jesus talking to the Father. These Scriptures are directly placed in Jesus’ mouth.

The book of Hebrews has so far been focused on establishing that Jesus is God and distinguishing this from angels and humans. Scripture literally came out of Jesus’ mouth before he was ever on earth, yet he also became flesh and blood. We are God’s children, and the Word of God became flesh to live among us (see John 1). I am struck by the words, “only in this way.” This audacious, ridiculous, painstaking plan of having Jesus take on humanity was the only way to set us free. Freedom is truly a costly endeavor.

The best way to practice empathy is to walk in someone else’s shoes for a while. Jesus’ feet got pretty dirty on earth, and he gets you. He gets your struggle, he gets your pain, he gets your desires. God birthed his children in human form out of pure love, and then birthed himself in human form to create a path to freedom. Only by dying was the power of Satan broken. Only by his embodiment could we be unchained. Love this vast is rooted in togetherness, empathy, and familial bond. Jesus is family in the best sense of the word. He will always have your back no matter what.