This is my "over all" perspective on the context of the New Testament writing called Hebrews. It is formed through Hebrew's content and Hebrew's comprehensive thought line expressed throughout the writing. It is compatible with the enormous struggle many Jewish Christians faced when the church (1) was no longer primarily a Jewish initiative centered in Jerusalem and (2) contained more converted people from idolatrous pasts (gentile Christians) than Jewish Christians. Acts verifies both that transition and the struggle it created for Jewish Christians.

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were ostracized by the non-Christian Jewish community. Rejection by the Jewish community left these Christians few alternatives. One alternative was being part of a Christian community composed primarily of people converted from idolatry. The structure and practices of that Christian community made these Jewish Christians uncomfortable. The heritage and practices of Jewish Christians strikingly differed from the heritage and practices of Christians converted from idolatry. Almost nothing in that Christian community was familiar to these Jewish Christians. Everyday life in a Jewish community had little in common with everyday life among Christians converted from idolatry. Some Jewish Christians experienced significant difficulties merely eating with non-Jewish Christians. Food was a huge issue! There were enormous challenges. For some Jewish Christians, the prospect of their children marrying Christians converted from idolatry was unthinkable. Yet, the Jewish community's rejection increased the likelihood of such marriages.

Thus the Jewish Christians addressed by Hebrews seriously considered leaving Jesus Christ and the Christian community in order to reenter the non-Christian Jewish community. That community honored and reverenced the same God Christians honored and reverenced. Reentry into the Jewish community would not abandon God. They simply would approach God through Judaism instead of approaching Him through Jesus. They considered this possibility so seriously that they restricted their contact with the Christian community. They had little or no contact with the converted former idol worshippers (10:25).

The author of Hebrews told these Jewish Christians this option did not exist. The writer made two fundamental arguments. (1) Abandoning Jesus Christ was abandoning God. If they abandoned Jesus, they abandoned God Who sent Jesus. (2) Because of his spiritual superiority, Jesus Christ exceeded every spiritual benefit found in Judaism. In fact, the spiritual benefits God extended to Israel through Judaism could not be experienced apart from Jesus.

A common perspective among many Christians today: if a Christian seriously considers abandoning Jesus Christ, just that serious consideration results in God abandoning that Christian. God does not and will not tolerate such thinking. In this perspective, even considering leaving Jesus automatically separates a Christian from God.

Read the text and note this. (1) At some point in the past, these Jewish Christians were exceptional Christians functioning on exceptional faith. In those "former days" when they were "enlightened," they endured physical suffering because they believed Jesus was the Messiah God promised Israel. Their suffering was produced by ridicule, by faithful support of those who were abused for faith in Jesus, by expressions of sympathy for those imprisoned because of faith in Jesus, and by confiscation of property. (2) In "former days" they endured suffering because they looked for a permanent, better possession. (3) They had not yet thrown away their confidence. The reward of that confidence remained. (4) They needed to endure knowing that doing God's will would result in receiving God's promise. (5) The writer had confidence that these Jewish Christians would have the faith that preserved their souls rather than losing that faith by abandoning Jesus.

Note: though they were seriously considering abandoning Jesus, they were not severed from God (10:35). Enduring was still a choice (10:36). Receiving the reward [God's promise] was still possible (10:35,36). Preservation of the soul was still possible (10: 39). Too often Christians lose patience with a struggling Christian before God loses patience with him or her.

The writer left no doubt that abandoning Jesus produced dire consequences. Willfully continuing in sin [apostasy, abandoning Jesus] after knowing Jesus' identity results in the destruction of God's sacrifice for sin (10:26). It is as if God made no sacrifice for that person. He or she stands alone before God in all his or her evil. All that remains is the terrifying expectation of God's judgment (10:27). God's judgment will not be an occasion of mercy, but an occasion of fury. Christians who willfully abandon Jesus will receive the just brunt of God's fury, His most severe punishment (10:29,30). Rather than being rescued by God's mercy, such people will fall into His vengeance.

Obviously, the writer's emphasis on God's patience was not an encouragement to proceed with evil considerations. The consequences of the decision to abandon Jesus were certain, but God's patience was also certain.

Matthew 13 has a series of kingdom parables. Kingdoms were an actual life reality in the first century world. God ruled a kingdom. Those who surrendered to and accepted His sovereignty visibly [to human eyes] were in God's kingdom. However, being truly ruled by God was not determined by human opinion, but by God. Sometimes human hearts deceive human eyes. However human hearts never deceive God.

Past Christians struggled to understand the relationship between preserving kingdom influence and godly refusals to pass judgment on kingdom citizens. We still do. A fact that commonly suffers in that discussion/debate is God's patience. Too often Christians conclude God placed them in charge of "quality control." Often "quality control" further degenerates into just plain control maintained by judging. Today God's kingdom is not known for patience.

Jesus compared God's kingdom to a dragnet that collected both good and bad. God placed the angels in charge of separation. Many Pharisees must have been shocked!

That series contained the parable of the tares. In early stages of growth, tares (a weed) and wheat look alike. When the wheat began maturing, the destructive tares were visibly different. Yet, the master forbade his slaves to remove the tares. At that point removing tares would destroy some wheat. Later Jesus explained God's angels, at time's conclusion, would remove those who caused stumbling and promoted lawlessness. Note God's patience.

Link to Teacher's Guide Lesson 13

Copyright © 2002
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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