Monday 09 October 2017

Psalm: Psalm 99

Background

At first sight the letter to the Hebrews may seem strange to us.It's really like a long sermon, written to a church which knew andvalued their Hebrew roots. Although they had pledged allegiance toChrist it seems that they were coming under strong pressure andwere considering turning away from the Christian path. Theletter/sermon both encourages them to see that Jesus is unique andwarns them against the danger of giving up.

We don't know who the author was. They were clearly very giftedin their use of language and ability to construct an argument. Thewriter used the Hebrew Scriptures very widely and expected them tobe taken seriously. You may note in some parts of the letter thereare references to angels. It may be that the first recipients ofthis sermon had a particular belief in the role of heavenly beingsand our author is taking this into account.

Today's short passage sets the scene, but paints a highlysignificant picture of Jesus as it does so. You may hear echoes ofthe first chapter of John's Gospel (John1:1-18), which sings about the manner in which all things weremade through the Word, and how we have seen his glory. Here the Sonis portrayed as being superior to prophets and angels, and the onethrough whom the Universe came into being. But our author adds thathe "made purification for sins". Jesus' work as both priest andsacrifice is a theme to which this letter will return.

To Ponder

• People often express a wish that God would speak to them. Herewe read that God has spoken through his Son. How would yousummarise what God has said through Jesus?

• In different parts of the New Testament (John1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1) Jesus is affirmed as the one throughwhom God created the universe. How does this insight enrich yourfaith?