Hebrews 11 is one of the greater chapters of the Bible. If you want to learn about love, you can read 1 Corinthians 12. Resurrection is the theme of 1 Corinthians 15. Hebrews 11 is all about Faith. We are told what faith achieves for us, examples of who the faithful were in the Old Testament, but most importantly, we are given a call to be the faithful ones now. I’d encourage you to memorize Hebrews 11:1-2, 13-16, and 39-40. These verses show us what faith does for us, where faith will lead us, and what God has prepared for his faithful.
Hebrews 12 and 13 then are exhortations, encouragements, of how to live. In light of the greatness of Christ, in light of the faith he gives us and his life of faith, follow these commands.
Hebrews is hard to read. It is well-written but it feels different than the straightforward, sometimes blunt writings of Paul, and different from the simple writings of John. In Hebrews, our author gives us her (yes, her) greatest effort to not only argue but to prove one singular point:
Jesus is GREATER.
May we become the faithful who acknowledge the greatness of Christ.
-Jacob Ballard
Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Hebrews 11-13.
If you are anything like me, you like to have all the answers. When we read a book like Hebrews, one of the difficult realities is that it doesn’t offer a lot of answers on first glance. We don’t quickly see the author, and even upon careful inspection the answer isn’t apparent. We don’t know to whom it was written or when it was written (an author would make these questions a lot easier to answer). It brings up a few stories and images that are strange; not the first stories we are drawn to in the Old Testament. Without this book, the story of Melchizedek, King-Priest of Salem, would be a strange incident in the story of Abraham. It still IS a strange story, but it would be one we wouldn’t look at as much. Hebrews frustrates me because it makes me ask more and more questions without giving me all the answers.
But, there are very few books that have a stronger theme than Hebrews. The theme of Hebrews is simply this : Jesus is GREATER than ANYTHING ELSE in ALL CREATION! Read Hebrews 1:1-4. What does this tell us about Jesus? Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the heir of all things.
Jesus Christ is the one through whom the universe is made. (Made with Jesus in mind and for him.)
Jesus Christ is the radiance of God’s glory.
Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God’s character.
Jesus Christ purifies the world and then sits down at God’s right hand.
I reiterate those words and want you to pay attention to them because JESUS IS GREATER.
Hebrews 1-2 is all about how Jesus is greater than the angels. While we understand this intuitively, in the time of Jesus, angels were the ones through whom God gave the Law. This meant that they were not only the beings who continually stand in the presence of God, but who are essential for the salvation of God’s people. Then, we are shown how Christ is greater than Moses, the Law-giver and prime prophet, in Hebrews 3-4. Moses is not a small figure. He is the central human figure of the Exodus story, which is the central narrative of the Jewish people. In Hebrews 5-6 we get the beginning of truth that Christ brings about a New and Greater Priesthood, based off his own sacrifice. The priesthood interceded to God on behalf of his people, offering sacrifices to show their love and devotion to God. Jesus is greater than any who gave the Law, because the new Law he gives, he also fulfills. Jesus is greater because he is worthy of more honor because he obeyed God in everything as a Son should. JESUS IS GREATER!
If we want to focus on one last set of passages, look to Hebrews 4:15-16. This book is difficult to work through. It will take work for you to read over the next few days. But you do not have a high priest who doesn’t understand hard work. This year has been extremely difficult. But you don’t have an advocate who doesn’t understand your sufferings. Christ knows EVERYTHING you went through. He knows the temptations, the failures, the pains, the struggles of human frailty. And yet he was able to overcome. In our weakness, Christ can make us stronger. We can see God’s throne as a throne of grace rather than judgment. We receive mercy from God who sits on the throne, and we receive grace from Christ at his right hand. That is the beauty of the truth that because Jesus has been raised, JESUS IS GREATER!
-Jake Ballard
Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Hebrews 1-6
In Matthew 17:1-9, Jesus takes his closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, up to a mountain privately. During this time, God was about to do something that they would never forget. As they stood talking to each other and to Jesus, all of a sudden Jesus’ appearance changed and started shining like the sun! If that wasn’t enough, the disciples saw Moses and Elijah standing there talking with Jesus! What in the world is going on, they must have been saying.
This vision that the disciples saw has many truths within it that are significant for us to know. The first is that they got to see a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God is going to be like. In Daniel 12:2-3, we learn that after the resurrection, the righteous are going to “shine” like the sun and the stars. That is exactly why Jesus appeared to be shining before them; they were seeing a little bit further into the future to what it will be like after the resurrection.
Moses and Elijah are significant because they represent the whole Old Covenant; Moses represented the Torah (or Law) and Elijah represented the prophets. Although these were incredible figures in Judaism, when God spoke during this vision, he didn’t address them; he only spoke in favor of Jesus by saying “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” (Matt. 17:5 NLT) This vision was making a point: Jesus is greater than both Moses and Elijah, and therefore, greater than the entire Old Covenant!
Why should this matter to you? Well, if Jesus is greater than even Moses and Elijah, he is greater than whatever you are facing in your life. Any struggle that you may suffer from, whether it’s at school, work, home, or even within yourself, Jesus is greater. The best part is that he is willing to step into your life and help you, if you are willing to call on him. So, no matter what difficulties you are facing, Jesus is there and is greater; I encourage you today to call for his help. He loves you and wants the best for you; allow him to change your life.
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