Hebrews' Clues

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon today is entitled Hebrews’ Clues, and my focus is the Letter to the Hebrews. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are standing within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

When we were children and teenagers, we loved playing the game of Clue. For those of you who have never played, it is a board game for two or three to six players that involves solving a murder. Each player assumes the role of one of six suspects and attempts to figure out the correct answer by moving around the board representing rooms of a mansion and collecting clues concerning circumstances about the murder from the other players.

I thought of Clue because the Letter to the Hebrews leaves me wondering about clues. For 20 centuries, we have never determined Hebrews’ author or audience, the place or the precise time it was written. So, let’s see if any clues can help us better understand Hebrews.

The author of Hebrews is anonymous since no claim within its work is made about its writer. The other New Testament letters are signed by or attributed to a specific author, but not Hebrews. By the end of the 2^nd century, it was attributed to Paul, and gradually the name of Paul was introduced into the title of the work. One reason it was attributed to Paul is the mention of “brother Timothy” in 13:23. Timothy is found in Acts and 10 letters of Paul. “Brother Timothy” appears four times in Paul’s letters.

The ending of this Letter and some of the phrases also resemble Paul’s style. The themes and theology Paul took up are akin to what we read in Hebrews. And yet, there is overwhelming evidence to concede that Paul is not the author. While many have guessed the author must be Barnabas, Luke, Clement of Rome or Apollos, we must remain satisfied that our author is anonymous. The Good Doctor Martin Luther also came to this conclusion.

What we do know is that the author was a master of the Greek language and quite knowledgeable of Scripture. He was familiar with Greek philosophy, and his theology reflects that of Philo and the early Alexandrian (Egypt) theologians. So far, our chances of solving a murder in Clue are greater than solving the author of this New Testament Epistle.

How about the place? Obviously, based on the fact that the writer was familiar with the early theologians from Alexandria, we might take the bait, and assume he wrote it from there. But we know so little about the origins of the Church in Alexandria.

How about Jerusalem? Some have guessed that the place was Jerusalem because of the mention of visitors from Italy in the last verses of chapter 13, and we know from Acts 28:21, that there was correspondence between Rome and Jerusalem. So, maybe we’re on to something? Additionally, our author writes about Jewish worship and priesthood. He must have attended the Temple! Yet, I know something about hockey, but never laced up a pair of skates. The writer’s presentation of Jewish worship is more book-knowledge than personal experience. And given the writer’s knowledge of Greek, it is likely that even if he was attending Temple worship, it was in the Court of the Gentiles. Alas, we don’t have a clue about who the author is or where he wrote this Letter.

Not as important as the author or the place, is the date of Hebrews. We know that this is a later letter from what we read in 2:3, that the people have heard the Lord’s teaching from other Christians. They had been believers for some time (see 5:12; 10:31-32). Among the many factors for dating Hebrews before 70 AD is that there is no mention of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Maybe the author had no interest in mentioning this, but given that he emphasized that Jesus replaced the Jewish liturgy, priesthood and holy place, its destruction would have strengthened his argument. At the end of the day, and without covering all the detailed arguments, most scholars agree that Hebrews was written in the 80s. Still, it remains a minor mystery.

To whom the author was writing this Letter is most important. The Letter’s title “To the Hebrews” was added on later because the content of the Letter deals mainly with the practice of Israel’s religion, but they were not necessarily Hebrews. The recipients of this Letter were enlightened by the teachings of Christ and baptized. They received the Gospel from evangelists whose ministry was accompanied by working miracles. In other words, the Holy Spirit was part of their Christian experience. We read that in chapters 2 and 6 (2:3-4; 6:4-5).

They also had a favorable attitude towards Israel’s worship, but that does not mean that they had to be Jewish. Think of Missouri Synod Lutherans who not only love the traditional Divine Service, but also enjoy the worship of Eastern Orthodox Churches or listening to contemporary Christian music. That does not make one Orthodox or nondenominational.

What occurred some time after these Christians were baptized was something common to many Christians of the early Church and even today – persecution, hostility and harassment. They were deprived of property, and some were imprisoned, suggesting that the local officials were against them.

Hebrews was written after this persecution passed, but tension and dejection remained. Worse yet, members of the congregation became dull and sluggish (5:11; 6:12). They were tempted to return to Jewish roots. It was not so much that the recipients saw themselves as totally Jewish, but were nostalgic for the cultic heritage. Think of Lutheran pastors with a German heritage who forget that the Synod opened itself up to the English and Slovak Lutherans, and has had for some time congregations that are primarily Hispanic or African American. Nostalgia does little to advance the Gospel.

These early Christians needed to be reminded not to place too much value on their nostalgic feelings, but to focus on the enormous change brought about by God through Christ. Put away the old and embrace the new. Embrace what Christ did for you. I think as every congregation moves forward, we need to keep in mind that the most important thing is what God did and does for us through Christ and the Holy Spirit, 2022 years ago and today.

In order to strengthen the points of his argument, the author strongly emphasizes the superiority of Christ over Moses, and the replacement of Jewish sacrifices and the high priesthood. In addressing this superiority, the author indoctrinates his readers with a proper understanding of the Gospel in order to prevent any further backsliding. His examples of endurance during past persecutions were meant to encourage steadfastness now.

While there are strong reasons to think that the audience lived in either Rome or Jerusalem, another view is that it was addressed to those converted priests we read about in Acts (6:7), who were no longer permitted to offer sacrifice after professing Jesus; or perhaps they were Jews who fled the Temple and were no longer permitted to return. Nevertheless, what is important is that the message of Hebrews would have been as important for any congregation of its time.

Hebrews is also important for Christian churches everywhere today. Yet, most pastors and Christians shy away from understanding or explaining the Letter. As one pastor wrote, even if the people in our churches know some Bible stories, they’re often still missing the Bible’s story.

Why is Hebrews important for us today? Hebrews shows us that the Bible is not a collection of unrelated stories, but is rather one unified story—the story of redemption through Jesus Christ. It helps us unlock the glorious tapestry of God’s progressive revelation, and unfold the mystery of seeing Jesus Christ throughout the Old Testament.

By quoting, alluding to or referencing the Old Testament, Hebrews argues that God’s glory and redemptive plan are finally and most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ. The central theme is that the glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ. When you understand this, things become less complicated and easier to understand.

Throughout Hebrews, we see that Jesus is superior to angelic beings (1:5–2:18) and Moses (3:1–4:13). Jesus is the superior High Priest (4:14–5:10; 7:1–8:13) and the superior sacrifice (9:1–10:18). In Christ, we see the fulfillment of all the Old Testament hopes and promises, ushering in the long-awaited Kingdom of God.

Now, the goal of theology is to better understand what God is doing in history in a way that you seek to join him on his mission through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews reminds us to live faithful and fruitful lives for the glory of God, and central to our endurance in faithfulness is understanding — understanding that comes from seeing and savoring Jesus Christ as supreme above all things.

Like the original readers of Hebrews, we may be tempted through nostalgia or newness to abandon our faith and embrace our former ways or innovative lifestyles that we think enhance our lives. Some people become so involved with work or hobbies that we would say that they are passionate about them. Case in point: When I served as pastor in Oakmont, a number of people of the church were members of the Oakmont Country Club. Some of them were scratch golfers and club champions. One of these individuals was Shawn, a member of the congregation, who once said to me, “No matter how much you put into golf, you always get less back. No matter how much you put into God, you always get more back.” His perspective was spot on.

Friends, the spirituality of Hebrews keeps our minds focused when we turn to prayer. When you follow Jesus Christ, you are not mentally directionless or endlessly flexible. You mind is set on the concrete story of Him and its implications for your life. Every day, try to wrap your mind around the Paschal Mystery – the reason Jesus lived, suffered, died, was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand.

No matter how much time you spend trying to grasp the truths of our faith, you may not figure out God’s plan for you like a game of Clue, but you will begin to appreciate what God has in store for you every day, no matter how good or bad your day is. If you are grieving, you know that believers are there for you. If you are suffering, you know that Jesus suffered innocently and sacrificed Himself for you. If you are lonely, you understand that there is no lonelier place than the Cross. If you are satisfied, you are challenged to follow Christ more dearly and nearly. If you are exuberant because of the love God has poured forth into your heart through the Holy Spirit, you are well aware that God wants you to share that love with others.

I close with verses 14-16 of chapter four. “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

As you go from here, my hope is that when your faith life starts to feel sluggish, you will turn in prayer to the words of Hebrews or any other page of the Bible and draw strength from God through Christ as He intercedes for you at the Father’s right hand, and when you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.