Overview
Hebrews is one of the most theologically rich books in the New Testament, a sustained argument that Jesus Christ is greater than everything that came before Him. Written to Jewish Christians who were tempted to drift back into the familiar structures of the old covenant — its priests, its sacrifices and its temple — the letter shows that all of those things were shadows pointing forward to Jesus. Now that the reality has come, there is no going back. The repeated refrain is that Jesus is better: better than angels, better than Moses, better than the Levitical priesthood and offering the better sacrifice of His own blood.
Authorship and background
The author of Hebrews is unknown. Paul, Apollos, Barnabas and Priscilla have all been suggested over the centuries, but no consensus has ever been reached. What is clear is that the writer was deeply learned in the Old Testament Scriptures, a gifted rhetorical stylist and pastorally concerned for a community in danger of apostasy. The letter was probably written before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, since it speaks of the sacrificial system in the present tense.
Christ at the centre
Hebrews opens with one of the most majestic descriptions of Jesus in the entire Bible: He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by the word of His power. Having made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. This sitting down is significant: unlike the Levitical priests who stood day after day offering sacrifices that could never finally take away sin, Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins for all time and then sat down. His priestly work is finished. He is now our great High Priest who has passed through the heavens and who sympathises with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. The great chapter 11 on faith — that gallery of Old Testament heroes who trusted God without seeing the full picture — culminates in chapter 12 with Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith.
Key verses
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let's hold tightly to our confession." (Hebrews 4:14, WEB) "Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, WEB) "Let's run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith." (Hebrews 12:1–2, WEB)
Main themes
The absolute supremacy of Jesus over every aspect of the old covenant. Jesus as the great High Priest who intercedes for His people. The once-for-all sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice. The danger of drifting from the faith and the call to persevere. The great cloud of witnesses who trusted God before us. Faith as confident trust in what cannot yet be seen.
For us today
Hebrews speaks to any believer tempted to settle for something less than Christ — whether that is a return to religious ritual, a retreat into comfortable religion or simply the slow drift of a heart that has grown tired. The letter's answer is not to try harder but to look up: fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. He has gone before us, He intercedes for us and He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him.
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