Notes to explain the letter to the Hebrews
1 Jesus, son of God, greater than all 1:1-2:18
The greatness of the son 1:1-3
v1 In the past God spoke to our *ancestors. He did this through the *prophets at many times and in various ways. v2 But in these
last days he has spoken to us by his Son. He appointed his Son to be the owner of all things. It was by him that God created
everything in space and time. v3 From the Son the honour of God shines like a bright light. He is really God and he shows us
what God is like. It is the Son who maintains all things in their proper place by his powerful word. The Son gave his own life to
make us clean from all our *sins. After this he sat down at the right hand of God in heaven.
Verse 1 As already stated, the first thing that we notice from (v1) here is the absence of a name-no identification of the author.
Remember how odd this would have been in a 1st century context to the readers of this Epistle (letter). It would be like me writing
a letter to any one of you and not signing my name at the end or indicating my identity in the letter itself. We have already
discussed the difficulty relating to this so we will not cover that again. From the start of this letter, the writer shows that God is real
and active. God often spoke to the Jews in the past. He spoke to them in different ways. God gave them dreams, sent *angels to
bring his words and used events to teach his people. He gave them his laws and taught them by the *prophets. He spoke
through all kinds of men and women. For example, God called Moses from a burning bush (Exodus 3). Elijah the *prophet, who
ran away from an angry queen, heard God in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Isaiah heard God’s voice when he saw him sitting high
above all as King (Isaiah 6:1-8). God did not speak all the time and he did not show what he was really like at any one time. He
chose certain men and women to show them something of himself to pass on to us. God spoke to these people a long time ago
and what he showed to them is in the Old Testament. The last book in the Old Testament dates from about 400 years before
Christ. After that, there was 400 years of silence from the prophets. This period is known as the inter-testamental period where
God’s voice was not heard in Israel through His prophets. The first real prophet in the Old Testament mould to come declaring
the Word of God again was John the Baptist and we can therefore understand why there was such a stir among the people of
Israel. We must also remember that in a very real way it is impossible to know God completely. We as the finite can only
comprehend the infinite as far as the infinite reveals Himself/Itself to us:
“The secret things of God belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever,
that we may do all the words of the law.” Deuteronomy 29v29 (ESV)
There is that part of God that will always remain an enigma to us and that we will never understand or comprehend but we take
comfort in the fact that He is self-revealing God who has revealed and does reveal Himself to us every day. The Orthodox
Churches call this unknowable part of God-the darkness of God. This does not mean that God is or has any darkness in Him but
that there is a part of God that will remain forever hidden from us on this side of eternity. If we could know and define God-well
then He would no longer be the Infinite God would He?
Verse 2 The phrase ‘in the last days’ often meant the time of the *Messiah. The writer uses it here to show that the
*Messiah/Christ has come. The Hebrews were always expecting this person to come. He will bring a new age to them. He will
be their king and he will overcome all their enemies. The Jews did not understand the real nature of the *Messiah-even we,
having received the Holy Spirit who bears witness to Christ struggle at times to understand and comprehend who the Christ was
and all that He did and said. He is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The time had come for Jesus to do his work on earth. In the
past God told people something about himself. But now he has spoken in Jesus. He shows us what God is really like. God’s Son
Jesus became a *human being to show God to us. Jesus is God and so we can know God. What God had shown in the past
prepared the way for Jesus and what he would say and do.
The writer gives 7 facts to show how great God’s Son Jesus is:
1. God appointed his Son to own everything.
2. God created all that there is in space and time by his Son.
3. The Son shines with God’s light.
4. The Son shows us what God is like. When we come to know Jesus, then we also come to know God. Jesus said, ‘Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14:19), and ‘I and my Father are one’ (John 10:30). God is the Father.
5. The Son Jesus maintains all things (Colossians 1:17). Having made the worlds and all things, Jesus Christ is still in control of
them. His word of power maintains all things in their proper place. He has control of time and directs the future. He will cause all
things to complete his plan. He made all things and he owns all things in heaven and on earth.
6. The Son Jesus gave his life to make us clean from all *sin. All men and women have done wrong. There is not one person
who is right in God's sight (Romans 3:23). God is so holy that nothing that is wrong can live with him. This means that no person
can live with God. Jesus the Son of God came and was a perfect *human being. At the same time he was God in a human body.
Jesus had two purposes in coming into this world as a *human being. The first was to show us what God is like. The second was
to take away all our *sins (that is, all wrong doing in our lives). He took away all our *sins and accepted the punishment for them
by dying on the cross. By shedding His blood He made atonement for our sin by reconciling us to God. Later on this Book (9v22)
we are told that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin possible. Why? That is because the price that we
have to pay for our sin is death (Romans 6v23) and since life is in the blood (Leviticus 17v11) it meant that we would have to pay
with our own life blood to atone for our sin. Jesus however was and is and always will be, “…the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world.”(Hohn1v29). Jesus proved that he has taken away all of our sin by conquering sin by coming back to life from
the dead, conquering hell, sin and death. Now, if we believe in him, he will make us clean from all wrong. In that way Jesus
makes us fit to live with God.
7. Jesus the Son is now at God’s right hand. After Jesus had made the way for us to be clean from *sin, he ascended into
heaven. He sat down at the right hand of God. The right hand is a picture of the place of greatest honour. Now Jesus is the ruler
over all of *creation.
Jesus is superior to *angels in his person 1:4-14
Jesus the Son of God 1:4-5
v4 By what he has done, the Son of God is much greater than the *angels. God has also given to him a name that is greater than
theirs. v5 God did not tell any of the *angels, ‘You are my Son; today I have given you the honour that belongs to someone with
that name’ (Psalm 2:7). Again, he did not say about any *angel, ‘I will be his father, and he will be my son’ (2 Samuel 7:14).
Verse 4 To the Jews *angels were very important. *Angels are powerful agents of God. It was by them that God spoke of himself
in the old times. The Jews believe that the law from God came by *angels. They could not show us God as Jesus has done. They
could not take our *sins away and make us clean as Jesus did. God gave Jesus a better name than he has given to *angels.
Jesus alone was the Son of God.
Verse 5 The readers of this letter know that Jesus is the *Messiah. He is the person whom they were expecting to come. So the
author shows that Jesus is superior to *angels by using 7 verses from the Old Testament. God did not call any *angel his son. In
Psalm 2, God tells the *Messiah, ‘You are my son’. He adds, ‘Today I have given you the honour that belongs to someone with
that name.' Some take the word ‘today’ in this verse to mean ‘before God made the worlds’. That would show that Jesus was
always the Son of God. This shows that Jesus as a man was the Son of God. He was already God's Son before he came into
this world as a *human being. Some believe the day was when God raised him from the dead. In the letter to the Romans (1:4) it
says that by raising him from the dead the Holy Spirit called him the Son of God. The clear teaching of the Bible is that Jesus is
and always has been the Son of God.
Then there is another text from the Old Testament which says, ‘I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me’. God spoke
these words about king David's son Solomon (1 Chronicles 17:13-14). To the Jews, Solomon was a picture of the special king
who was coming one day. This special king would be from the family of David. He would always be king. So the Hebrews took
these words to mean that God will be the Father of the *Messiah. Jesus came as the *Messiah and God is his Father. God never
said that he would be the Father of an *angel. As Jesus is the Son of God, he is superior to the *angels.
Jesus is superior to *angels 1:6-9
v6 Again, when God brings his *firstborn Son into the world, he says ‘Let all the *angels of God *worship him’ (Deuteronomy 32:
43). v7 He says about the *angels, ‘He makes his *angels winds, and his servants flames of fire’ (Psalm 104:4). v8 About the
Son he says, ‘Your *throne, O God, will last for all time and always. You will rule your *kingdom in ways that are always right. v9
You have loved what is right and hated what is evil. That is why God, your God, has chosen you. He has given to you more joy
than he has given to anyone else ‘ (Psalm 45:6-7).
Verse 6 The meaning of this verse depends on the use of the word ‘again’. In the *Greek language that the author used, there is
a close connection between ‘again’ and ‘he brings’. This gives two possible meanings for ‘again’.
•The time when Jesus will come again to the earth. Then he will set up his government in the world.
•The time when God made Jesus king after he raised him from the dead.
Jesus is God’s *firstborn because he is God’s only Son and because he was first to be raised the dead. When God brings his
*firstborn into the world, he tells all his *angels to honour and praise Jesus. This shows that Jesus is as much superior to the
*angels as God is.
Verses 7-8 God then speaks about the *angels. He says that he created his *angels to be like winds and flames. They are quick
and powerful to do what God sends them to do. But God did not create Jesus. When the Father is speaking about his Son
Jesus, he calls him God. He says that his *throne is forever. God is saying that Jesus is the same as he is.
Jesus will rule his *kingdom in ways that are always right and good.
Verse 9 Jesus loves what is right. He hates all that is evil. In his life on earth he always did what was right. He taught what was
right. He told of the punishment that is coming on all that is evil. That is why God chose him and made him to be *Lord over all.
God has given him great joy and made him glad.
Jesus is the same forever 1:10-12
v10 He also says about the Son, ‘*Lord, you made the earth in the beginning. The skies are the work of your hands. v11 The
skies and the earth will come to an end, but you live forever. They will all wear out like clothes. v12 You will roll them up like a
coat and change them like clothes. But you remain the same, and your life will never end’ (Psalm 102:25-27).
Verses 10-12. The author now uses another part of the Old Testament (Psalm 102:25-27). The writer of the Psalm was speaking
to God. The writer to the Hebrews uses those verses as speaking of Jesus, because he is God. There are here 3 statements
about Jesus the Son of God.
1. The Son of God makes all things. He made the heavens and the earth.
2. He is the ruler of all things. He will cause things to change. One day he will bring them to an end.
3. He will remain the same. He will never be any different from what he is now. All else will change, but Jesus Christ will always
be the same.
Jesus sits at God’s side 1:13-14
v13 God never said to any of the *angels, ‘Sit at my right hand. Sit there until I make your enemies a place to rest your feet‘
(Psalm 110:1). v14 All the *angels are *spirits who work for God. He sends them to help those to whom he will give *salvation.
Verse 13 God the Father has said to God the Son, ‘Sit at my right hand’. He goes on to say, ‘while I make all your enemies a
place to rest your feet’ (Psalm 110:1). God did not say these things to any *angel. *Angels stand before God as his servants.
Jesus now sits with God, and so is much greater than the *angels. This means that Jesus is equal with God. He always was
equal with God before he came to earth. Now as a *human being he again sits in his place next to God. That is the most
powerful place that there is. Jesus still has lots of enemies, but with God he will overcome them all. In the old days the soldier
who won a battle put his feet on the neck of the defeated king (Joshua 10:24). This is the picture of the enemies as a place to
rest his feet. Jesus will be the master of all.
Verse 14 What is the role of *angels? *Angels do not rule. Their task is to serve. They are servants of God. God also sends them
as His messengers to accomplish His Will. Most often we see in Holy Scripture that these angels are ministering spirits who
minister to God’s people and help them during times of great struggle or distress. We are mostly unaware of there activity and
so it should be. We are not to try and make contact with angels or to have conversations with them-they are a separate part of
the created order that have a specific task or tasks to perform and we must leave it there. We must remember that even satan
masquerades as an angel of light (Mohammed listened to angel once in [present day Saudi Arabia and look where that got us!!)
and so it is wise counsel not to try and make contact with them or speak to tem in any way-despite what modern cinema, media
or culture might tell us. It is a great thing to know and consider the fact that even the most majestic of angels do not share with us
the privilege of being created in the Image of God-so we alone in all of the universe carry that distinction. Sola Deo Gloria.
1 Jesus, son of God, greater than all 1:1-2:18
The greatness of the son 1:1-3
v1 In the past God spoke to our *ancestors. He did this through the *prophets at many times and in various ways. v2 But in these
last days he has spoken to us by his Son. He appointed his Son to be the owner of all things. It was by him that God created
everything in space and time. v3 From the Son the honour of God shines like a bright light. He is really God and he shows us
what God is like. It is the Son who maintains all things in their proper place by his powerful word. The Son gave his own life to
make us clean from all our *sins. After this he sat down at the right hand of God in heaven.
Verse 1 As already stated, the first thing that we notice from (v1) here is the absence of a name-no identification of the author.
Remember how odd this would have been in a 1st century context to the readers of this Epistle (letter). It would be like me writing
a letter to any one of you and not signing my name at the end or indicating my identity in the letter itself. We have already
discussed the difficulty relating to this so we will not cover that again. From the start of this letter, the writer shows that God is real
and active. God often spoke to the Jews in the past. He spoke to them in different ways. God gave them dreams, sent *angels to
bring his words and used events to teach his people. He gave them his laws and taught them by the *prophets. He spoke
through all kinds of men and women. For example, God called Moses from a burning bush (Exodus 3). Elijah the *prophet, who
ran away from an angry queen, heard God in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Isaiah heard God’s voice when he saw him sitting high
above all as King (Isaiah 6:1-8). God did not speak all the time and he did not show what he was really like at any one time. He
chose certain men and women to show them something of himself to pass on to us. God spoke to these people a long time ago
and what he showed to them is in the Old Testament. The last book in the Old Testament dates from about 400 years before
Christ. After that, there was 400 years of silence from the prophets. This period is known as the inter-testamental period where
God’s voice was not heard in Israel through His prophets. The first real prophet in the Old Testament mould to come declaring
the Word of God again was John the Baptist and we can therefore understand why there was such a stir among the people of
Israel. We must also remember that in a very real way it is impossible to know God completely. We as the finite can only
comprehend the infinite as far as the infinite reveals Himself/Itself to us:
“The secret things of God belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever,
that we may do all the words of the law.” Deuteronomy 29v29 (ESV)
There is that part of God that will always remain an enigma to us and that we will never understand or comprehend but we take
comfort in the fact that He is self-revealing God who has revealed and does reveal Himself to us every day. The Orthodox
Churches call this unknowable part of God-the darkness of God. This does not mean that God is or has any darkness in Him but
that there is a part of God that will remain forever hidden from us on this side of eternity. If we could know and define God-well
then He would no longer be the Infinite God would He?
Verse 2 The phrase ‘in the last days’ often meant the time of the *Messiah. The writer uses it here to show that the
*Messiah/Christ has come. The Hebrews were always expecting this person to come. He will bring a new age to them. He will
be their king and he will overcome all their enemies. The Jews did not understand the real nature of the *Messiah-even we,
having received the Holy Spirit who bears witness to Christ struggle at times to understand and comprehend who the Christ was
and all that He did and said. He is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The time had come for Jesus to do his work on earth. In the
past God told people something about himself. But now he has spoken in Jesus. He shows us what God is really like. God’s Son
Jesus became a *human being to show God to us. Jesus is God and so we can know God. What God had shown in the past
prepared the way for Jesus and what he would say and do.
The writer gives 7 facts to show how great God’s Son Jesus is:
1. God appointed his Son to own everything.
2. God created all that there is in space and time by his Son.
3. The Son shines with God’s light.
4. The Son shows us what God is like. When we come to know Jesus, then we also come to know God. Jesus said, ‘Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14:19), and ‘I and my Father are one’ (John 10:30). God is the Father.
5. The Son Jesus maintains all things (Colossians 1:17). Having made the worlds and all things, Jesus Christ is still in control of
them. His word of power maintains all things in their proper place. He has control of time and directs the future. He will cause all
things to complete his plan. He made all things and he owns all things in heaven and on earth.
6. The Son Jesus gave his life to make us clean from all *sin. All men and women have done wrong. There is not one person
who is right in God's sight (Romans 3:23). God is so holy that nothing that is wrong can live with him. This means that no person
can live with God. Jesus the Son of God came and was a perfect *human being. At the same time he was God in a human body.
Jesus had two purposes in coming into this world as a *human being. The first was to show us what God is like. The second was
to take away all our *sins (that is, all wrong doing in our lives). He took away all our *sins and accepted the punishment for them
by dying on the cross. By shedding His blood He made atonement for our sin by reconciling us to God. Later on this Book (9v22)
we are told that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin possible. Why? That is because the price that we
have to pay for our sin is death (Romans 6v23) and since life is in the blood (Leviticus 17v11) it meant that we would have to pay
with our own life blood to atone for our sin. Jesus however was and is and always will be, “…the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world.”(Hohn1v29). Jesus proved that he has taken away all of our sin by conquering sin by coming back to life from
the dead, conquering hell, sin and death. Now, if we believe in him, he will make us clean from all wrong. In that way Jesus
makes us fit to live with God.
7. Jesus the Son is now at God’s right hand. After Jesus had made the way for us to be clean from *sin, he ascended into
heaven. He sat down at the right hand of God. The right hand is a picture of the place of greatest honour. Now Jesus is the ruler
over all of *creation.
Jesus is superior to *angels in his person 1:4-14
Jesus the Son of God 1:4-5
v4 By what he has done, the Son of God is much greater than the *angels. God has also given to him a name that is greater than
theirs. v5 God did not tell any of the *angels, ‘You are my Son; today I have given you the honour that belongs to someone with
that name’ (Psalm 2:7). Again, he did not say about any *angel, ‘I will be his father, and he will be my son’ (2 Samuel 7:14).
Verse 4 To the Jews *angels were very important. *Angels are powerful agents of God. It was by them that God spoke of himself
in the old times. The Jews believe that the law from God came by *angels. They could not show us God as Jesus has done. They
could not take our *sins away and make us clean as Jesus did. God gave Jesus a better name than he has given to *angels.
Jesus alone was the Son of God.
Verse 5 The readers of this letter know that Jesus is the *Messiah. He is the person whom they were expecting to come. So the
author shows that Jesus is superior to *angels by using 7 verses from the Old Testament. God did not call any *angel his son. In
Psalm 2, God tells the *Messiah, ‘You are my son’. He adds, ‘Today I have given you the honour that belongs to someone with
that name.' Some take the word ‘today’ in this verse to mean ‘before God made the worlds’. That would show that Jesus was
always the Son of God. This shows that Jesus as a man was the Son of God. He was already God's Son before he came into
this world as a *human being. Some believe the day was when God raised him from the dead. In the letter to the Romans (1:4) it
says that by raising him from the dead the Holy Spirit called him the Son of God. The clear teaching of the Bible is that Jesus is
and always has been the Son of God.
Then there is another text from the Old Testament which says, ‘I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me’. God spoke
these words about king David's son Solomon (1 Chronicles 17:13-14). To the Jews, Solomon was a picture of the special king
who was coming one day. This special king would be from the family of David. He would always be king. So the Hebrews took
these words to mean that God will be the Father of the *Messiah. Jesus came as the *Messiah and God is his Father. God never
said that he would be the Father of an *angel. As Jesus is the Son of God, he is superior to the *angels.
Jesus is superior to *angels 1:6-9
v6 Again, when God brings his *firstborn Son into the world, he says ‘Let all the *angels of God *worship him’ (Deuteronomy 32:
43). v7 He says about the *angels, ‘He makes his *angels winds, and his servants flames of fire’ (Psalm 104:4). v8 About the
Son he says, ‘Your *throne, O God, will last for all time and always. You will rule your *kingdom in ways that are always right. v9
You have loved what is right and hated what is evil. That is why God, your God, has chosen you. He has given to you more joy
than he has given to anyone else ‘ (Psalm 45:6-7).
Verse 6 The meaning of this verse depends on the use of the word ‘again’. In the *Greek language that the author used, there is
a close connection between ‘again’ and ‘he brings’. This gives two possible meanings for ‘again’.
•The time when Jesus will come again to the earth. Then he will set up his government in the world.
•The time when God made Jesus king after he raised him from the dead.
Jesus is God’s *firstborn because he is God’s only Son and because he was first to be raised the dead. When God brings his
*firstborn into the world, he tells all his *angels to honour and praise Jesus. This shows that Jesus is as much superior to the
*angels as God is.
Verses 7-8 God then speaks about the *angels. He says that he created his *angels to be like winds and flames. They are quick
and powerful to do what God sends them to do. But God did not create Jesus. When the Father is speaking about his Son
Jesus, he calls him God. He says that his *throne is forever. God is saying that Jesus is the same as he is.
Jesus will rule his *kingdom in ways that are always right and good.
Verse 9 Jesus loves what is right. He hates all that is evil. In his life on earth he always did what was right. He taught what was
right. He told of the punishment that is coming on all that is evil. That is why God chose him and made him to be *Lord over all.
God has given him great joy and made him glad.
Jesus is the same forever 1:10-12
v10 He also says about the Son, ‘*Lord, you made the earth in the beginning. The skies are the work of your hands. v11 The
skies and the earth will come to an end, but you live forever. They will all wear out like clothes. v12 You will roll them up like a
coat and change them like clothes. But you remain the same, and your life will never end’ (Psalm 102:25-27).
Verses 10-12. The author now uses another part of the Old Testament (Psalm 102:25-27). The writer of the Psalm was speaking
to God. The writer to the Hebrews uses those verses as speaking of Jesus, because he is God. There are here 3 statements
about Jesus the Son of God.
1. The Son of God makes all things. He made the heavens and the earth.
2. He is the ruler of all things. He will cause things to change. One day he will bring them to an end.
3. He will remain the same. He will never be any different from what he is now. All else will change, but Jesus Christ will always
be the same.
Jesus sits at God’s side 1:13-14
v13 God never said to any of the *angels, ‘Sit at my right hand. Sit there until I make your enemies a place to rest your feet‘
(Psalm 110:1). v14 All the *angels are *spirits who work for God. He sends them to help those to whom he will give *salvation.
Verse 13 God the Father has said to God the Son, ‘Sit at my right hand’. He goes on to say, ‘while I make all your enemies a
place to rest your feet’ (Psalm 110:1). God did not say these things to any *angel. *Angels stand before God as his servants.
Jesus now sits with God, and so is much greater than the *angels. This means that Jesus is equal with God. He always was
equal with God before he came to earth. Now as a *human being he again sits in his place next to God. That is the most
powerful place that there is. Jesus still has lots of enemies, but with God he will overcome them all. In the old days the soldier
who won a battle put his feet on the neck of the defeated king (Joshua 10:24). This is the picture of the enemies as a place to
rest his feet. Jesus will be the master of all.
Verse 14 What is the role of *angels? *Angels do not rule. Their task is to serve. They are servants of God. God also sends them
as His messengers to accomplish His Will. Most often we see in Holy Scripture that these angels are ministering spirits who
minister to God’s people and help them during times of great struggle or distress. We are mostly unaware of there activity and
so it should be. We are not to try and make contact with angels or to have conversations with them-they are a separate part of
the created order that have a specific task or tasks to perform and we must leave it there. We must remember that even satan
masquerades as an angel of light (Mohammed listened to angel once in [present day Saudi Arabia and look where that got us!!)
and so it is wise counsel not to try and make contact with them or speak to tem in any way-despite what modern cinema, media
or culture might tell us. It is a great thing to know and consider the fact that even the most majestic of angels do not share with us
the privilege of being created in the Image of God-so we alone in all of the universe carry that distinction. Sola Deo Gloria.
| Bible Study takes place at St Georges Presbyterian Church on Tuesday mornings at 10am to 12 midday and Wednesday evenings at 7pm to 9pm. All are welcome. The Bible Study is led by Rev. Mark Boshoff. These studies are not yet edited and anyone with editing suggestions can contact Mark. The study notes are used in the context of a congregation and should be viewed as such. |
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