Hebrews is one of those books that it is difficult to describe in a few sentences. Who wrote the letter to the Christians of the twelve tribes of Israel is a good question. Several suggestions have been made, but there is no proof. Many people attribute it to Paul so it is included with his letters here. Why didn’t Paul identify himself as he did in his other letters; maybe the reason was he did not want the letter to be neglected because of his past.
Paul had persecuted the early church causing many to be imprisoned or killed. He was known to minister to Gentiles and did not require any of the traditions of Judaism where he ministered. Imagine these early Christian Jews turning a deaf ear to the message of this letter before it was ever read if they knew it was from Paul. And Paul would not write about these things to Gentiles who had no background in Judaism so this would appear to be a different style than his usual letters.
Theme: Jesus is Better!
In chapters 1 and 2, Jesus is better than prophets and angels. In chapter 3, Jesus is better than Moses, and in chapter 4 and 5, Jesus is better than Moses, Joshua, and the high priest. Chapter 6 tells us that Jesus is a better promise than the promise given to Abraham. Chapters 7 through 10 states that Jesus had a better priesthood for a better covenant between God and mankind. In chapter 11, Paul uses examples of people with great faith who were still sinners like everyone else, and in chapters 12 and 13, he encourages people to grow spiritually based on what he has written to them.
Key verses: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT.
One of the problem passages in this letter is found in chapter 6. “But if the field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.” Heb 6:8 NLT. The practice in farming was and is not to abandon the field but to get rid of what is standing in the way of it being useful and productive. A company purchased a field in Sumter County, South Carolina around the year 2000 A.D.; it was to be used to grow sod for landscaping. In early spring, the field was plowed under, grass seed was sown, and, in about a month there was a nice green field of grass. However, the farmer saw too many weeds in the grass and knew it would not sell. He sprayed the field with Round-Up killing all the grass, plowed it under, and replanted the grass seed. He did this two more times until he has gotten rid of all the weeds in the field. Now the field was useful again. This is what God does in the lives of Christians. We have too many things in our lives that do not reflect the new birth in us; God is continually weeding, spraying or burning the worldly stuff because He loves us so much.