An Expanded Paraphrase of the Book of Hebrews

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Introduction

As the name of the letter implies, Hebrews was originally addressed to a people who had only recently been devout followers of Judaism. Having now accepted the Christian faith, they would undoubtedly be facing many trials - not the least of which was severe persecution. No doubt some of these early Christians would have been sorely tempted to return to the relative security of traditional beliefs and practices by once again accepting Moses as their leader, instead of Jesus, by once again looking to Aaron as their High Priest, instead of to Jesus, and by once again offering animal sacrifices that pointed forward to the Messiah to come, instead of accepting Jesus as the Messiah who had come.

One of the author’s primary goals, therefore, was to persuade his reader to accept the fact that while Judaism certainly had its day and its God-appointed place, it was now time for God’s children to dispense with a system of worship that spoke to the heart through prophetic types, shadows and symbols and to accept Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy, as the great Antitype, as the Son of God who now speaks to the heart through His own shed blood, through His amazing grace, and through His boundless and unfathomable mercy. Eyes that had once looked forward to a coming Messiah, were now called upon to look back on a crucified King, minds that had once looked up to Moses, were now called upon to look even higher to Jesus, lives that had been touched by the high priestly ministry were now challenged to accept that the earthly ministry was nothing more than a shadow of that which takes place in heaven - where Jesus, the only true High Priest, ministers on our behalf.

With these all-important objectives in mind, the author launches into His task by declaring that Jesus is the Almighty God, that Christianity is the new and better way, and that followers of Christ have every reason to entertain a hope for salvation that is absolute. In no uncertain terms the author endeavours to release the reader from the limiting and erroneous traditional beliefs of the "old religion" by helping him to see over the heads of men and priests and angels, and to see, by faith, the glories of God the Son - the One who made all, the One who owns all, the One who is infinitely greater than all, the One who became a man and served as the representative of man, the One who lived a perfect life on behalf of mankind, the One who gave His very life as the all-sufficient sacrifice that made peace between God and man, the One who would thus make salvation available to all who choose to be saved.

While the letter to the Hebrews was directed at a people who lived a long time ago, its message is as ageless as its divine Subject. Jesus is the full revelation of God, He is the fulfillment and culmination of God's revelation through the centuries - completing and surpassing all other revelations that God has given.