Peter Howard
Hebrews (part 2): The Cornerstone
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Heb 2:17 NASB)
Hebrews really is a crucial book for a critical time, both in the decade of AD 60 and in the time in which we now live. Pastor Peter explains the historical scenario into which the book of Hebrews was first presented. The Christian church in Jerusalem was struggling with doubt and fear, and Paul, writing from Rome, sought to strengthen and encourage them, reminding them of their roots. The number of apostles and disciples who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ message and miracles had dwindled markedly in the four decades since Jesus’ ascension. False teachings and an apprehensive future had led them to loose their path, forgetting that Jesus is the way. In the decade in which Paul wrote Hebrews to remind these people that Jesus was the Messiah and their new High Priest as promised in the Old Testament writings, the rest of the New Testament was still largely yet unwritten. Paul spells out that the man Jesus who they follow spoke for God and was God.
Peter reminds us that today we live in a world full of the same doubt and fear, and in a world where largely the existence of God is denied. Hebrews exhorts us to remember that our dying world needs the same saviour as the Jews prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and we need the same grounding in certainty to survive our final conflict.