The book of Hebrews was written for the Jews who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah. They were in danger of slipping back into the traditions of Judaism and abandoning the Christian faith because they had not put down roots in the soil of Christianity.

The author of Hebrews is unknown but we know that God inspired him, just as He inspired the authors of the other books in the Bible.

The book of Hebrews appeals to the Greek mind as well as the Jewish mind. The Greeks saw everything on earth as the shadows cast by what was real, so they were always searching for reality. Hebrews presents Jesus as the reality. The Jews were searching for a way to approach God because historically they had felt too unholy to approach Him. Hebrews presents Jesus as the approach.

Readers are told that there can be no turning back to or continuation of the old Jewish system, which has been superseded by the unique priesthood of Christ. God’s people must now look only to Jesus Christ, whose atoning death, resurrection, and ascension have opened the way into the true, heavenly sanctuary of God’s presence.

Pastor C.A. Lundy