Hebrews

Literary Style and Beauty:  Macrostructure and Microstructure

                As with Romans and Ephesians, a detailed outline will display most effectively the real content of the letter.  I discern many literary beauties in this letter, including the flow of the whole argument (see Purpose).  The large section 3 is the “midpoint” section of the whole letter.  Some “Warnings” are also “midpoints” of sections.[1]  Section 4 is arranged in a chiasm[2], with warning (negative emphasis) as beginning (A) and end (A¹), next to encouragements (positive emphasis, at B and B¹), then a parallelism between C and C¹, making D the “midpoint.”  Thus the example of Christ Himself is emphasized.

                There is an important “hinge” section, which goes with both sections 3 and 4, and thus contains some of the most important exhortations in the letter.  Note also the carefully constructed parallelism in phase 2 of section 3 concerning sanctuary, covenant, and sacrifice.  There are other kinds of parallelism throughout the letter, such as a transcendent emphasis in 1.A & B, and then an incarnation emphasis in 1.D & E.  I say this is the work of a literary genius, using many different forms in one beautiful whole!

Outline

1.  The Ultimate Revelation of God through His Son (1:1-2:18)

                A.  God has spoken the ultimate Word in His Son (1:1-3)

• The contrast with the OT sets the tone for the whole letter.

                B.  The Son is superior to unfallen angels (1:4-14)

                C.  First Warning:  Do not neglect the Word delivered by the Son (2:1-4)[3]

• Put positively, this warning means that the readers must pay much closer attention to the gospel / apostolic testimony.

D.  The humiliation and exaltation of the Son (2:5-9)

E.  The solidarity of the Son with His people (2:10-18)

• Compare the headship concept in Romans 5:12-21.

2.  The Son Superior to Moses and to Joshua (3:1-4:13)

                A.  Jesus superior to Moses (3:1-6)

                B.  Second Warning: Unbelief/disobedience toward Jesus is more serious than toward Moses

     (3:7-19)

• In the middle of this, 3:12-14 is a key part of the Warning; note “rest” as in next section (C).

C.  Third Warning:  Do not miss entering the rest through unbelief/disobedience (4:1-10)[4]

D.  Exhortation to enter the rest (4:11-13)[5]

• 4:12-13 is a coda on the awesomeness of the Word and God.

3.  The High Priesthood of Jesus the Son of God (4:14-10:18)

• This is the long midpoint section of the whole book.
• Note the language of 3:1 and 4:14, and consider how 4:14 is a miniature or a summary of the section.

Phase 1:  General

A.  Believers’ encouragement from the sympathetic aspect of His glorified priesthood (4:14-16)

• Note 4:16, the first “draw near” – note this theme in the letter!  This is a very positive lead.

B.  Jesus’ qualifications for the Melchizedek priesthood (5:1-10)[6]

• This topic is amplified in Phase 2.

C.  Fourth Warning:  Go on to maturity – do not fall away (5:11-6:8)

• Note that this Warning occurs at the midpoint of this section.

D.  Encouragement to inherit the promises (6:9-12)

• Put positively in v.9, “but better things concerning you” (true believers!).  6:12 is key!

E.  Basis for encouragement in God’s oath as well as promise (6:13-20)

• The oath to Abraham links to Melchizedek also; see 7:20-22!

End Phase 1

Phase 2: Detailed

F.  Detail on the Order of Melchizedek (7:1-28)

                1.  The greatness of Melchizedek in the OT (7:1-10)

                2.  Order of Melchizedek superior to Order of Aaron (7:11-19)

• Note in v.14, Jesus’ Incarnation;
• v.16, Jesus’ Resurrection;
• v.19, the second “draw near”

3.  Jesus as Melchizedek:  superior because of God’s oath (7:20-22)

4.  Jesus as Melchizedek:  superior because permanent, forever-living priest (7:23-25)

5.  Jesus as Melchizedek:  superior because of His character (7:26-28)

• Note v.26, ascended; v.27, death; v.28, ascended.

G.  Detail on Christ’s priesthood (8:1-10:18) in relation to:

                1.  Sanctuary (8:1-5)

• The OT sanctuary is a copy of the heavenly;  the NT sanctuary is the heavenly reality.

2.  Covenant (8:6-13)

• The New Covenant has better promises, actually realizing the promises in the OT!

1’. Sanctuary in more detail (9:1-14)[7]

• Note v.11, Jesus’ ascension; v.14, Jesus’ death.

2’. Covenant in more detail (9:15-20)

• This is where the idea of the “New Testament” comes from.

3.  Sacrifice (9:21-10:18)[8]

• Note the inclusio[9] of 9:22 with 10:18 on blood/sacrifice and forgiveness themes.

Hinge Section (10:19-25)

This exhortation, which is put positively and thus is not a Warning, is central to the whole letter.  Notice the links with points 3 and 4 (High Priesthood and Perseverance), not only because of the “therefore” of 10:19, but also because of the “draw near” of v.22, the lead exhortation of three.  The language of the passage is also “summarizing” the teaching so far, very much like the beginning of Paul’s imperative sections following indicative ones, and so it leads into point 4 and following.[10]

4.  Loyalty to God through Persevering Faith (10:26-12:29) – note chiastic structure!

A.  Fifth Warning:  Beware more severe punishment for willful sinners (in the professing church)

in NT than in OT (10:26-31).  This equals apostasy!

B.  Encouragement to persevere (10:32-39)

• Put positively, very much like 3D.  Section 4 A, B, C parallel section 3 C, D, E.

C.  Basis for encouragement:  triumphs of perseverance in faith (11:1-40)

                                                                1. Definition of faith (11:1)

                                                                2.  Creation through Flood (11:2-7)

                                                                3.  Abraham through Joseph (11:8-22)

                                                                4.  Moses through Conquest (11:23-31)

                                                                5.  Subsequent eras (11:32-38)[11]

                                                                6.  Conclusion: superiority of NT era!  (11:39-40)

                                                                D.  Basis for encouragement:  example of Christ himself (12:1-3)

• Note “therefore” in 12:1 as another key turning point.
• This is the midpoint of the chiasm.

C’.  Basis for encouragement:  true sons receive discipline (12:4-11)

• Put positively:  12:10-11
• Chapter 11 gives illustrations of this

B’.  Encouragement to be strong (12:12-14)

• 12:14 is another “summary” verse of exhortations.

A’.  Sixth Warning:  Beware of refusing the grace of God (12:15-29)

5.  Life within the Confessing Community (13:1-21)

                A.  Pastoral exhortations (13:1-6)

                B.  Stay in the true church!  (13:7-17)

                C.  Request for prayer (13:18-19)

                D.  Benediction/Doxology (13:20-21)

This is the end of the body of the letter.  Note that Hebrews did not have a prologue/salutation in normal letter style, but it does have a conclusion in normal letter style.

6.  Conclusion (13:22-25)

This letter is a “brief exhortation” (!), v. 22; Timothy is mentioned in v.23; greetings, v. 24; benediction, v.25)

Author and Purpose

                This letter is the only book in the New Testament whose author is neither named in the book itself nor made known through any trustworthy tradition (for example, as Mark is reliably known as that Gospel’s author).  Many of us are accustomed to think of this letter as the work of Paul, but that view did not win general acceptance in the Church until the fourth century. 

                Technically, the letter is anonymous.  (And it may be one point against Pauline authorship that it is so, because it was clearly not Paul’s style to write anonymously.)  In this life it is probably best to agree with the early church father and scholar Origen that “only God knows who wrote Hebrews”!  The important point is that its authority, coming from its being inspired by the Holy Spirit, has been consistently recognized by scholars across the ages.  The following is a list of all the serious and plausible proposals for the author of this book (notice that besides Paul, all are associated with Paul, and all would account for the mention of Timothy in 13:23):  Paul, Barnabas, Luke, Apollos, Clement, Silvanus, and Priscilla.  (My own favorite “guess” is Apollos.)

                The purpose of the letter depends partly on its intended original audience (obviously, the Holy Spirit also intends the wider audience of the true Church through all the ages!).  That we call it the Epistle “to the Hebrews” is not due to any original manuscript evidence, but that was a “traditional” title attached to it since the early third century (attested so by early church fathers, such as Tertullian).  But it does fit with the content of the letter, especially the Warnings/Exhortations, that some particular group of Jewish Christians was being addressed.  That it was addressed to a specific group and was not a circular letter to many is suggested by texts such as 6:9-10, 10:32-34, and 13:17, 19, and 22-25. The great “test” for this group was that they not go back to Judaism.  The book declares itself to be an “exhortation” (13:22), which fits with the emphasis on the Warnings.  But these Warnings and Exhortations also apply to all Christians in all ages, that we would not “fall away” from the Lord (3:12).  Instead, the book presents a way to “go on to maturity” (6:1) and its “solid food” (deep teaching; 5:14) has been pondered by many Christians desiring the depths of Christian learning and discipleship.

Commentary:  The Fulfillment of the Old Testament

1.  The Theme of Fulfillment

                This book teaches that Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.  Linked with that, Christianity, the religion of the New Testament, is the fulfillment of the religion of the Old Testament, and the Church is the new/true Israel.  Now, we could simply say that Christ is superior to/better than angels, Moses, Joshua, and so forth; but I think the force and flow of the argument in this book is that Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament by being superior to it and yet in continuity with it.

                I think that a controlling principle of interpretation must be Jesus’ own words, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17).  This book stresses the authority of the Old Testament and uses its own prophecies to point to Christ and His work.  But the key is that “the Law made nothing perfect” (7:19) and the Old Testament saints did not receive the fullness of the promise and were not perfected (11:39-40).

                Thus it is striking that God’s oath (part of the detail of what the OT itself foretells about a Melchizedek priest) appoints God’s Son “made perfect forever” (7:28, cf. 2:10) – though he was always sinless (4:15, 7:26); and that we New Testament believers are what the Old Testament saints needed to be “perfect” (11:40, cf. 12:22-24) – “corporate glorification”!  So, by “fulfillment” of the Old Testament, we mean its perfection!  Hebrews takes a little detail of the Old Testament, the teaching on Melchizedek (found only in Genesis 14:17-20 and Psalm 110:4), and by this shows the exaltation of Jesus over the whole larger Old Testament teaching concerning Law, priesthood, sacrifice, etc., and also exalts the New Testament people of God who are “partakers” of Him (3:14, et al.).  Though this is a “mysterious” teaching (implied by 5:10-14), it is clear, too, that this “fulfillment” theme is the basic message of the book.

2.  Warnings about Apostasy

                So, in light of point 1 above, we can understand that the main exhortation of the book to its original audience was that those Jewish Christians (i.e., Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah) must not return to Judaism.  That kind of “falling away” would be the “apostasy” at which the Warnings are primarily directed.  Of course that would be very serious because Christ is God’s “final word” (1:1-2 with 2:1-4) and the perfection of all the Old Testament prophecies – apostasy from that  final word is to be lost.[12]

3.  Exhortations and Warnings

                There are many Exhortations in this book, and these have a primarily positive tone (i.e., “Do this and have blessing).  The Warnings are emphasized often by the style, and these have a primarily negative tone (i.e., “Beware this, or be cursed”).  Note that together these are the “dual sanctions” that we have found throughout the New Testament.   I will say some more about the Exhortations below, but here a key insight about the Warnings is appropriate.

                Some believers have “stumbled” over these Warnings, because they seem to say that a true believer could be lost (or lose the salvation he once had), especially the warnings in 6:4-8 and in 10:26-31 and in 12:15-17 (and to a lesser extent in the other Warnings).  My insight is that these are addressed to the professing community, or, in other words, to the visible church.  Thus, there really are actual people who receive the dooms of these awful Warnings – but they are not the elect, Jesus’ own sheep (as in the eternal security passages in John’s Gospel), but are instead the professing Christians who are “church members” and so forth but do not have the perseverance of the saints.[13]

                My insight is well supported by the actual example used in ch. 12 in that Warning:  Esau was part of the visible, professing community, but he was really a godless, immoral person (12:16-17), who showed his true nature by selling his birthright and later was sorry but not repentant (cf. 2 Cor. 7:10).  Thus, I see Judas as an example of the Warning in ch. 6:  as one of the Twelve he was in the “visible church” and he experienced Heb. 6:4-5 during Jesus’ ministry, but he “fell away” and “felt remorse” (Mt. 27:3) but did not repent (6:6, cf. 10:26).  Thus, the Warnings apply across the ages to the visible church.  The doomed will fall under them, but those with true hearts toward the Lord will take the Warnings to heart, in godly fear, and will persevere so as to inherit the blessing instead.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

4.   The Indicatives of Hebrews

                Though this letter is called an “exhortation” (13:22) and its style does stress that, the style also prominently emphasizes the “indicative” aspect, with large section 3 as a “midpoint” of the whole letter (see Outline) and many other key texts on the theme of the letter as Who Jesus is, namely, the high priest of His people ascended to heaven itself after His perfect sacrifice.[14]  The “indicative” teaching is also in the chapters exalting Jesus by comparing Him not with insignificant things but as showing Him greater than great things, such as angels, Moses, Aaron, and so forth. 

Even the word “exhortation” can also be translated “encouragement” (or even consolation”!  see Acts 4:36 on Barnabas, and Luke 2:25 as a name for the Messiah!).  So this letter has many encouragements (3:13, 10:24-25, et. al.) and bases for encouragement (ch. 11 and 12:1-3).  Also, Who Jesus is must be seen as a consolation, especially in the sympathetic aspect of His high priestly ministry (4:14-16, Outline 3.A., significant placement). 

So in those ways we are to behold the beauty of the Lord and be transformed into maturity.  Not only those, but also in the letter’s whole teaching on the Trinity and the place of the Son in His many aspects – and so, I offer the collection of texts following!  I have organized this for you, but you are still to inquire about the meaning of each one.  I give you this example:

Some thoughts on 5:8-9 (which is another “perfect” text in addition to the ones in point 1 above):

“Although He (Jesus Christ) was a Son (emphasis Deity, cf. ch. 1), He learned obedience from the things which He suffered (emphasis humanity, cf. Luke 2:40, 52; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 2:17-18, 4:15), and having been made perfect (that is, through obedience to the uttermost death under the wrath of God, followed by the resurrection/ascension which qualifies Him to be the Melchizedek-type priest, Ps. 110; Heb. 7), He became to all those who obey Him (note same as “obedience of faith” theme in Romans 1:5, which brings together justification and sanctification in the Christian life, and Acts 5:32, et. al.) the source of eternal salvation (7:25, 9:28, et. al.; Rom. 8:32; 2 Tim. 2:10, et. al.).”

The “()” is my meditation on the verse, with cross-references.  You could do likewise with all the verses in the following large display.  Note some verses prove or illustrate more than one truth.  Many verses (and their context) show a wonderful “blend” of teaching on different aspects of Christ (especially in Hebrews, the humiliation and the exaltation of the Son are blended together).  Those who “digest” all this will be finding the “solid food” that nourishes Christian maturity (5:14 – but note that it must be practiced in your life!).

5.  Christ’s Solidarity with Believers

                The beauty of the Lord Jesus is seen in His “solidarity” with his people (2:10-18).  Even 2:10 by itself has many parallels with Romans, and the whole passage is strongly affirmative of the same truth as the Headship of Christ in Romans 5.  In this passage Christ is sanctifier and propitiation; He is identified with the temptations of His people and He is victor for them over the devil; He atones for sins and He is able to help in the present – so much in so little space!  So, inquire:  meditate on these truths; find more; relate all to the rest of Hebrews.

6.  Appropriate Fear

                Note now the importance of “fear” in this letter (4:1 and many others).  We are warned against disobedience (3:18; 4:6) and unbelief (3:19; 4:3; cf. John 3:36).  True believers enter God’s rest in this life (4:3, 10) and yet the true Sabbath rest remains to be entered (4:9; note v. 11: must still be diligent to enter it, by truly persevering through all of life – this is the already/not yet tension we saw in Paul).  The visible church is in the wilderness in this life; the Promised Land is future glory (which fits with 11:10, 16; 12:22-24).  Godly fear is appropriate, lest any one of you (professing Christians) should seem to have come short of it (4:1).[15]

7. Maturity in Christ

                The very positive encouragement of this letter is that there are ways to go on to maturity in the Christian life (6:1, in context).  It is true that the immature can only drink doctrinal milk, but God knows hearts and He does give the doctrinal solid food to those who obey Him more and more (5:14; note 5:9 and 6:7).  In this letter the focus of the mature teaching is about Melchizedek (and I, too, have much to say about this, but cannot in this short space! Cf. 5:10-11).[16]

                I think a key text to understand in growing as a Christian is 6:12:  note inheriting the promises, rather than claiming them; and note that patience (meaning perseverance, again) as well as faith are necessary for this inheriting.  The true encouragement is found in the nature of God (He cannot lie!) and His oath (the “surely” to Abraham, 6:14, and the “sworn” about the Melchizedek priest, 7:21) is a heightening of His promise (thus 7:22).  Entering into the resurrection (7:16) and its “forever”[17], together with seeing His high priestly ministry as sympathetic toward you[18], is the secret of meditating more deeply on this high priestly theme and so attaining to its “solid food” aspect.  In short, the maturing believer is the one who does “draw near” in the grand sense that the writer intends!

8.  Further Warnings

                The fifth and sixth Warnings, beginning and ending the Loyalty section,[19] are about continuing, willful sinning, and refusing the grace of God.[20]  For the original Jewish-Christian audience, to go back to the Law would be to despise/refuse grace (see exactly Gal. 5:4!).  But the wider application to the visible church across the ages would be to warn against the presumptuous sin of believing in “cheap grace” and sinning to spite God.[21]  This has a more general application than just the “extreme” examples of Judas and Esau.  So these Warnings are very appropriate for the Loyalty section and because they apply to so many professing Christians, they should be regarded very seriously.

9.  Examples of Faith

                Chapter 11 has so many great OT examples of faith and perseverance (= patience; note again 6:12), and they are the “great cloud of witnesses in 12:1.  Inquire:  study each character/incident to find the faith and patience illustrated.  Also, find examples of Christlikeness (beauty of the Lord) and links to “knowing Him” in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil. 3:10; Heb. 12:2).  Note, for example, the resurrection aspect in 11:33-35a, and the sufferings in 11:35b-38.  What detail could you add about the named people in 11:31, and who or what is meant by each phrase in vv.33 and following?  Some of this will require background knowledge that is not in Scripture, such as the tradition that it was Isaiah who was “sawn in two” (v.37b).  What themes of this book are illustrated in chapter 11?  Note especially the link to receiving God’s discipline as true sons (ch. 12).

10.  Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

                The encouragement to persevere (or “run the race,” 12:1) has its highest example in Christ Himself (12:1-3).  All that has been said about Him as high priest, all the exhortations of the “hinge section” in chapter 10 and so forth, are gathered up in the simple phrase “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (12:2).  When we consider his sufferings (12:3 about His whole life, and also including the cross, the focus of 12:2), we are encouraged to persevere through our sufferings.[22]  We will have the power to do so if we can “despise the shame” because we see “the joy set before us” as Jesus did.  That joy is all the heavenly reality Jesus entered as high priest, the main theme of the book.

11.  Outside the Camp

                So, if we are identified with Jesus in His sufferings, we will be “outside the camp” (ch.13) – outside the camp of OT Judaism, for the original audience; and sometimes outside the camp of the “professing church,” when it is untrue to God, for later audiences.[23]  But that is a place of joy (13:15) and sharing (13:16), exemplified by the early church in Acts.  No wonder the climax of the “three exhortations” of the “hinge section” relates to the corporate reality of the Christian life (10:24-25):  that is Christian maturity!

12.  Jesus’ High Priesthood

                There is much more that could be said about the high priesthood of Jesus Christ and how meditating about it helps us mature as Christians.  Just one thing here:  Inquire – John 17 is rightly called His “High Priestly Prayer.”  It is what He is praying now (cf. Heb. 7:25, and note the “draw near” theme).  Meditate on all the parts of that.  Add to your prayer life what is appropriate from it.

13.  Solid Food

                One last thing about “solid food” for the mature.  The Holy Spirit (through David) in Psalm 110 took an “obscure” detail from Genesis about the mysterious, only-once-mentioned Melchizedek and made it an important part of the truth about the ascended Messiah (who is told to “sit at My right hand” in v.1, much cited in the NT).  Then the author of Hebrews builds a large teaching around Melchizedek, even, for example, using the absence of a genealogy for him in Genesis as a positive proof that we can see the eternal Son of God illustrated in the original historical Melchizedek (7:3). 

If all this is a true method of Bible interpretation, then other OT details have true symbolic meaning (when this is carefully done), and so finding them is part of the “solid food” of the mature.[24]  For example, what was in the ark of the covenant in Hebrews 9:4 had meaning which the author says he could detail, but not “now” (note 9:5 end).  Hebrews 8:5 also implies there are “heavenly truths/meanings” intended by the whole Tabernacle, which was a copy or shadow of the heavenly things.  (Add the important cross-reference here of Col. 2:16-17.)  So mysteries in relation to Christ may be expected in the items in the ark, and to find them would be to find “solid food,” as the writer to the Hebrews found when he enlarged upon Melchizedek.

Thus, I offer this interpretation:  each article in the ark in Heb. 9:4 symbolizes an aspect of Christ.  The manna is his earthly life (cf. “bread of life” in John 6), up through His death (as broken bread, John 6:51).  Aaron’s rod which budded is His resurrected and ascended life: the lifeless rod budding is a picture of the resurrection, and Aaron as priest represents the ascended priestly ministry of Christ, after his earthly life (cf. Heb. 7:16).  The tables of the covenant (the Ten Commandments, the essence of the covenant) stand for the eternal life of Christ, the eternal reality of Him as the Word (cf. John 1:1; Rev. 19:13).  Is this not a beautiful parallel to what Hebrews did with the detail about Melchizedek?  There is a wide field (or, a lavish banquet) for true meditation on the Word of God, which will be enjoyed by those who are diligent to enter it!

14.  Inquire:  end your study of this rich book with the Benediction/Doxology in 13:20-21.  Another great passage to memorize!  Ponder how it gathers up the themes of the book.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Appendix:

Hebrews:  Texts on the Trinity

 

The Father

1:1, 2, 3

2:11

3:7 (& all “rest” passages in context), 12

4:4-5, 9-10, 12-13

5:1, 4, 12

6:1, 5, 7-8, 10, 13-18

7:1, 19, 21

8:1, 2, 5, 8ff.

10:17, 30-31, 36-38

11:3 (& in chapter; note 11:6)

12:2, 5-6, 7, 9-10, 14, 15, 22, 23, 25-29

13:4, 5-6, 16, 20-21

The Son

• eternity: 1:2, 1:8, 4:14 (“Son of God” is eternal part), 5:8, 7:3, 13:8, 13:20
• in creation: 1:2, 1:10, 11:3
• in providence: 1:3, 2:10
• incarnation:  1:2, 1:3, 1:9, 2:11, 2:14, 2:17, 3:1, 4:15, 5:7, 7:14, 8:6, 9:26, 10:5, 10:7, 12:2
• earthy life/ministry: 1:2, 2:3, 2:10, 2:17-18, 3:1, 3:2, 4:15, 5:5, 5:8, 9:14, 10:7, 10:10, 12:2, 12:3
• death:  1:3, 2;9, 2:10, 2:14, 2:17, 3:1, 5:8, 6:6, 6:19-20, 7:27, 9:12, 9:14, 9:15, 9:23, 9:26, 9:28, 10:10, 10:12, 10:14, 10:19-22, 10:29, 11:26, 12:2, 12:3, 12:24, 13:12-13, 13:20
• resurrection/ascension/heavenly ministry (= exaltation): 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:9, 1:13, 2:8-9, 2:18, 3:1, 3:3-6 (“house-builder”), 3:14, 4:14, 4:16, 5:5-6, 5:9-10, 6:19-20, 7:3, 7:16-17, 7:21-22, 7:24-25, 7:26, 7:28, 8:1, 8:6, 9:11, 9:24, 10:12, 10:20-21, 11:19, 12:2, 12:24, 13:15, 13:20
• final dominion (and second coming, leading to it):  1:2, 1:11-12, 2:8, 2:10, 5:6, 7:17, 7:21, 7:24-25, 9:28, 10:13, 10:14, 10:37, 13:21.

The Spirit

2:4, 3:7, 6:4, 8:9, 9:14, 10:15, 10:29

(Fewer, but quite significant!)

…And still I would not claim to have found them all!  Amazing “blend,” I say again!