Introduction to Hebrews

The first-century audience of Hebrews was experiencing opposition to their faith in Jesus and facing pressure to give up. The writer reassures them that everything they seek can be found in Christ. Hope in Christ is so much better than what society has to offer. Once their entire lives are transformed in Christ, the believers can withstand any persecution the world throws their way.

Background

The author of Hebrews is unknown, and the audience is not clearly identified. Some early Christians grouped this letter among Paul’s writings; others suggested authors in the early church, including Barnabas, Luke, and Clement of Rome.

The author appears to have known the recipients, but nothing else about them is clear. Because the book was written in Greek but is filled with Jewish imagery, the recipients probably were Greek-oriented Jewish Christians. These believers seem to have wavered in their faith when they faced suffering and adversity because of the gospel. They also questioned whether Christ’s sacrifice really dealt with their sins. As a result, it had become increasingly tempting to abandon Christ and return to their former life of Judaism.

The Christians who first received Hebrews were probably the target of social rejection from Jews and increasing pressure from those of other religions. The recipients may have lived in Rome or the surrounding area, as indicated by the greetings sent by people from Italy (Heb 13:24).

Hebrews likely was written before the mid-90s ad, since its material is used in an early church letter (1 Clement) that dates to the late first century. Since Hebrews is not structured like a typical letter, it may have originally been a sermon that circulated among churches in the Roman Empire.

Structure

There are three main parts to Hebrews. The first two focus on portraying Christ as the ultimate expression of God: He is superior to angels, Moses, and Joshua (1:1–4:13), and he is also the great high priest, whose ministry transcends the work of all other priests, including the sacrifices made under the old covenant (4:14–10:18). This reason, among others, is why the author tells the believers to hold true to Christ, who was crucified for them and now intercedes in heaven on their behalf.

The third part of Hebrews describes the effects of Christ’s superiority, particularly in believers’ lives (10:19–13:17). This section includes a call to faithfulness (10:19–25), a warning against unfaithfulness (10:26–39), historical examples of faith in action (11:1–40), a call for endurance in suffering (12:1–11), a warning against refusing God (12:12–29), and exhortations to specific ethical actions (13:1–19). Christ’s superiority has ramifications for all of life, particularly when it comes to standing firm against persecution and hardship.

Outline

• The preeminence of Christ (1:1–4:13)

• The great high priest (4:14–10:18)

• Exhortations to faithfulness (10:19–13:25)

Themes

The central theme of Hebrews is that Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. All the things that came before—angels, Moses, Joshua, the Levitical priesthood, sacrifices, the tabernacle—point to Jesus and find in Him their true fulfillment. The author essentially asks: Since Jesus is the supreme reality that everything else anticipates, why leave Him and return to a pale imitation?

For the recipients of Hebrews, following Jesus was creating tension with the surrounding world, and they were unsure of which way to go. The author of Hebrews was concerned that they were close to abandoning their faith in Jesus—and it seems that some from the community had already done so. He writes to remind these wavering believers that Christ is superior to everything else. He challenges them to remain committed to their confession and to bear suffering with patient endurance. Rather than becoming discouraged by looking around them, they should look to Christ and to heroes of faith who have gone before.

When we face times of doubt and fatigue, we still have a source of hope: We will never find anything better to anchor us than Christ. He is worthy of our full devotion; he is the human incarnation of the image of God. And we know that in Him we have one who can sympathize with our weaknesses, for He Himself was tempted but was without sin (4:15). Our hardships should not be the primary object of our focus—instead, we are called to turn our focus on Jesus.

Although God once spoke through mere mortals, He has now spoken through His Son, who is heir of all things, through whom He created the world (1:2; compare 11:1–3). Therefore, let us set aside sin and cling to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of faith—who Himself bore the cross and unwarranted shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God (12:1–2; compare Isa 53:10–12).

Further Reading

The General Letters