The objective of this lesson: to stress that the problem of the conscience (awareness of guiltiness) was solved in God's sacrifice of Jesus' blood.
The book of Hebrews contains no claim of authorship. Its style is more in the style of a sermon or lecture than in the style of a letter. The material in the book and the nature of the contrasts used suggests its material was presented to Jewish Christians.
Spend no time in debating the authorship of this book. Regardless of the outcome of such a debate, the conclusion still remains human conjecture. The material within the book does suggest the book was written to Jewish Christians.
The first recipients of this material endured major sacrifices and opposition for their faith in Jesus as God's promised Christ [Messiah] (Hebrews 10:32-34). They had, in time, become discouraged in their dedication to Christ (Hebrews 10:36-39). They were giving serious consideration to abandoning Jesus Christ in order to return to former religious practices.
Stress the fact that these Christians initially were devout, committed, sincere Christians dedicated to Jesus Christ and to others who believed in Jesus as the Christ. They were not "halfhearted" converts who were questionably serious about their conversion--they sacrificed for their commitment to Jesus.
A possible scenario that created these circumstances is this. When the early church was 100% Jewish, the Christian movement was viewed by unbelieving Jews as an acceptable spiritual restoration of Jewish spiritual focus (consider Acts 2:41, 47). However, matters began changing significantly when gentiles were allowed to become Christians without first becoming Jewish proselytes [which involved accepting and practicing Jewish rituals] (consider the reaction in Acts 11:1-3 after Peter baptized gentiles in Acts 10). By Acts 15, this matter had reached a crisis point (consider the reaction of Pharisees who were Christians in Acts 15:5).
The possible challenge prior to the writing of the book of Hebrews given by unbelieving Israel to Jewish Christians to denounce Jesus Christ is consistent with the events in the first century as Christianity became increasingly a gentile movement.
As the percentage of gentile Christians in the early church grew, opposition from the first century nation of Israel to Jews who chose to be Christians increased. Finally, an ultimatum was given: "You can be a part of the nation of Israel, or you can be a part of those people who sanction gentiles, but you cannot be both. Decide! Be a part of Israel or a part of the church."
The perception that most Jewish Christians welcomed non-proselyte gentile converts to Christianity is a misconception. Jewish Christians like Barnabas, John Mark, Paul, Timothy, Silas, Aquila, and Priscilla [Jewish Christians who welcomed/sought gentile converts without proselytism to Judaism] were the exceptions among Jewish converts. As evidence, consider Jewish Christian reactions in Acts 10 and 11 to Peter's conversion of Cornelius and the controversy in Acts 15.
To us gentiles who only have known the church as a gentile commitment to Christ, that may seem an insignificant choice, a meaningless decision. For a first century Jewish Christian, it was a deeply significant choice filled with immediate consequences. It meant Jewish Christians renounced their Jewish heritage. That meant they deliberately, knowingly disconnected themselves from their roots and ancestors. They would give up their cultural heritage. They would no longer be welcome in a Jewish synagogue. For many, they would be regarded as dead by their families. Their extended family would not come to their aid if they had a debilitating sickness or faced a dire economic situation. [In those times extended families were their Medicare and Social Security--read Deuteronomy 15.]
Most of the books of the New Testament are addressed to gentile converts or congregations. There is no New Testament letter addressed to a Jewish congregation of Christians. The conversion of gentiles who were not converted to Judaism before conversion to Christ produced a major crisis among Jewish Christians. The demand of unbelieving Israelites for Jewish Christians to renounce Jesus in order to retain a recognized Jewish heritage and rights in the nation of Israel would generate a major crisis for first century Jewish Christians. We gentile Christians of today have difficulty relating to a first century Jewish Christian perspective.
To those Jewish Christians, renouncing Jesus as the Christ seemed an acceptable solution. They were not changing gods: both as a Jew and as a Christian they worshipped the same God. They were renouncing Jesus as the Christ, not God. They still would believe in and worship God. Their problem centered around following Jesus. They would simply stop following Jesus and continue to worship God.
In the first century among Jewish Christians, a demand from the nation of Israel to renounce Jesus in order to continue citizenship as an Israelite would seem reasonable to most Jewish converts.
The message of Hebrews declared it was not possible to renounce Jesus and worship God. God sending Jesus to become the Christ was God's expressed intent when He made His promise to Abraham to bless all families of the earth through him (Genesis 12:3). Israel existed as descendants of Abraham in order to allow God's Messiah [the Christ] to come through them. Jesus Christ was (is) God's spokesman, superior to prophets and all past methods God used to communicate to man (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus Christ is superior to angels (Hebrews 1:4ff). Christians need to listen to Jesus Christ more, not less (Hebrews 2:1). Jesus Christ is God's superior apostle [an apostle was one sent with a mission] and superior as a high priest to the Jewish high priest (Hebrews 3:1, 5, 7, 8). Jesus Christ is superior to Moses--Moses was a servant; Jesus is God's son (Hebrews 3:5,6).
The message of Hebrews: "What may seem reasonable to you is unthinkable to any person who places his/her confidence in God and His purpose. Why? Jesus Christ is God's plan and purpose! God's plan and purpose were made obvious in God's promise to Abraham who is the source of the Jewish nation. You do not leave the superior to return to the inferior! Deserting Jesus Christ is rejecting God!"
What did Jesus the Christ accomplish that was superior to all Judaism valued? The writer of Hebrews stressed the benefits of Jesus Christ to the conscience. First, atonement in Jesus Christ addressed [addresses] the internal problem of guilt. Judaism's rites and rituals focused on what happened physically to the body (Hebrews 9:8-10). In Judaism, there was the continuing, repetitive effort to separate the person from sin. Continuing violations of the Law constantly reminded imperfect people [all people are imperfect] that they were guilty. Jesus Christ cleanses the conscience and thereby cleanses the person from a rightful sense of guilt.
The answer to the crisis of guilt in Judaism and in Christianity is distinctly different. First century Judaism stressed an external cleansing and physical separation from sin. It was a temporary means of addressing a continuing problem. Christianity provides a permanent solution to guilt by solving the problem both internally and externally. The blood of Jesus solves the conscience problem as well as the cleansing of the body problem.
Second, the blood of Jesus Christ accomplished something animal sacrifices never accomplished--a permanent cleansing of the conscience (Hebrews 9:13, 14). The day of atonement occurred every year (Leviticus 16). Sabbath sacrifices were offered every Saturday. Each day began with a temple sacrifice, and each day ended with a temple sacrifice. Worship sacrifices were offered on occasions of worship. Personal sacrifices were offered every time personal need demanded a sacrifice. However, God's sacrifice of Jesus was a permanent solution to the problem of guilt. It cleansed [cleanses] the one who accepts Jesus Christ internally and externally--permanently (Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:10).
Jesus' blood addressed a real need that animal blood could never address (see Hebrews 10:1-4). Whereas the rituals surrounding animal sacrifices became a reminder of sinfulness through their repetition, Jesus' blood is a one time offering providing a permanent solution. It is not the worthiness or achievement of the human! It is the perfection of the sacrifice!
Third, this superior cleansing of the conscience is designed to destroy the human response of terror in God's presence. Terror is not destroyed by the worthiness of the human, but by the superiority of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22). Since Christians have a superior high priest in Jesus Christ who ministers in God's immediate presence with his own blood, Christians have no need to be terrified of God. Faith in the superiority and worthiness of Jesus Christ should assure the Christian that he or she has nothing to fear from being in God's immediate presence. Why? Because the Christian is cleansed internally as well as externally--in conscience as well as body! Only does the Christian have need to be terrified of God if he or she renounces Jesus Christ!
God's sacrifice of Jesus made possible a new relationship with God. This new relationship is not reserved for a few exceptional people, but is offered to all people. No matter what the sin, the offering of Jesus cleanses the conscience of the person. Christians can look to God for help and acceptance, not for rejection and punishment (see Hebrews 4:16 and note the word "confidence" and the words "in time of need").
[To view the Jewish terror response to God's presence, consider Exodus 20:18,19; Deuteronomy 5:5, 22-27; and Hebrews 12:18-24. Christians do not react to God with terror! It is not because God's awesome power had been diminished, but because God made available to Christians something never available to humans before--the cleansing of the conscience.]
Please make your class aware of the contrast between Mount Sinai and the city of the living God--note Hebrews 12:18-24.
When the writer appeals for the prayers of the readers, he appeals on the basis of conscience that expresses itself in a desire to live honorably.
The "honorably" is focused on God's values and purposes.
FOR THOUGHT AND DISCUSSION
The discussion needs to include the awareness that a rejection by the nation of Israel was an extremely serious matter to a Jewish person [to see the seriousness of national rejection, consider passages such as Exodus 12:15, 19 and Numbers 9:13].
The discussion needs to include the understanding that a rejection/renunciation of Jesus Christ was a rejection/renunciation of God because Jesus Christ was/is God's plan and purpose.
Jesus Christ is God's spokesman. Jesus Christ is superior to angels. Jesus Christ is superior to Moses. Jesus Christ is God's superior apostle. Jesus Christ is superior to the Jewish high priest.
Jesus' sacrifice solved the internal problem created by guilt--his blood solved the conscience problem.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 12