July 14, 2014 (Monday)
The Book of Hebrews is unique because it is the only New Testament book that is anonymous in authorship. There are many ideas about who wrote it, but even though some ideas are educated guesses, they are still guesses. The author is no doubt a converted Jew. He is writing to Jewish Christians who have reverted to Judaism or are considering doing so. Why would people turn back to Judaism from Christianity? There was a growing trend to do so because the Jewish community pressured people to be true to their roots and come back to the way they were raised. Persecution was taking place. They were being taunted as traitors. And, as an emotional goad, they found it hard to give up the rituals of Jewish worship.
J.B. Tidwell wrote, “The people to whom the Book of Hebrews was written had steadfastly endured persecution and the loss of property. They had shown sympathy with other Christians, 6:10; 10:32-34. They had been Christians some time, 5:12. They knew the writer..13:19. They knew Timothy who was to visit them, 13:23. They were now in danger of apostasy to Judaism but had not yet resisted to blood, 12:3-4; 5:11; 6:9.”
The author of Hebrews tried to convince Jewish Christians to remain true to Jesus Christ by showing them how much greater Jesus is in every way than anything Judaism has to offer them.
Hebrews – a devotional thought
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, he expressed in simple terms, in ordinary common language, the high and lofty teachings of the Book of Hebrews: “Let me put it another way. The Jewish laws were our teacher and guide until Christ came to give us right standing with God through our faith. But now that Christ has come, we don’t need those laws any longer to guard us and lead us to him. For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and we who have been baptized into union with Christ are enveloped by him. We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or women, but we are all the same–we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus. And now that we are Christ’s we are the true descendants of Abraham, and all of God’s promises to him belong to us” (Galatians 3:24-28 TLB).