Hebrews 13: Enduring Reproach for Jesus

Should the Jewish Christian community before 70 CE have continued going to the Temple in Jerusalem? Should they have kept sacrificing animals?

If Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, this community was called to stop participating in animal sacrifices—even when facing bullying and social ostracization from their peers. We know that the Christians who fled Jerusalem shortly before its destruction in 70 CE escaped death because they held a mindset fundamentally different from that of their contemporaries, who remained tied to Temple sacrifices.

Hebrews 13 reminds us that a similar shift occurred with the tabernacle in the time of Moses. It was originally placed in the center of the camp, but because of the people's sin, it was moved outside. As Scripture says:

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. 13 So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

— Hebrews 13:10–14

Jewish Christians were called to step "outside the camp"—leaving behind the comfort of their traditional lives and accepting social rejection for Christ, knowing that Jesus is the ultimate, resurrected sacrifice.

Hebrews 12: The Cloud of Witnesses

 

We are like runners in an ancient Greek athletic contest. Surrounding us is a vast cloud of witnesses watching our course—faith heroes from Hebrews 11 such as Abraham, Enoch, and many others. They endured severe trials during their earthly lives, even without receiving the ultimate promise in this world.

Now, it is our turn to run. In many ways, we are in a better position than they were because we have witnessed the fulfillment of God's promise through Jesus' suffering and resurrection. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as the One who guarantees our heavenly prize, our resurrection, and our fellowship with the Father.

The original Jewish Christian readers were tempted to abandon Jesus and return to the Old Covenant under pressure. However, they—and we—are urged to fix our gaze on Jesus, who ran the perfect race and finished it victoriously.

Hebrews 11: Faith and comfort zone

 At the end of Hebrews 10, the author exhorts us to stand firm during persecution because endurance is directly tied to faith and salvation. Those who see the unseen are those who endure and are, in fact, saved. Hebrews 11 then presents a list of examples of those who persevered:

Verses 24–28:

By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them.

I am currently enjoying my retirement very much. Was Moses enjoying his life in Pharaoh's palace so much that he wanted to stay? Certainly not. Faith takes us right out of our comfort zone.

Hebrews 10: A New Heart

Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would write His law on the hearts of His people. The book of Hebrews sees Jesus' sacrifice and the coming of the Holy Spirit as the fulfillment of that prophecy. This new covenant is far superior to the old one because the Lord Himself is changing the hearts of His people.

Hebrews 10:11–18 (MSG) Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:

"This new plan I’m making with Israel isn’t going to be written on paper, isn’t going to be chiseled in stone; This time I’m writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts.”

He concludes, "I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.”

Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.

Hebrews 9: A Covenant Sealed by Blood

 

The Lord desires to make a covenant with us as human beings. In ancient times, a covenant was sealed with blood to signify that anyone who broke it would forfeit their life. As human sinners, we broke our covenant with the Lord. However, because God wants us to be close to Him, He provided a way of redemption even under the first covenant.

First, the high priest—who was himself a sinner—had to cleanse himself through blood sacrifices before entering the Holy of Holies to intercede for the people of Israel.

"He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." — Hebrews 9:12

Hebrews 9 shows us that this earthly sanctuary was merely a shadow of the new covenant to come. Jesus offered His own blood and entered the true tabernacle in heaven, interceding on our behalf once and for all.

Hebrews 8: The New Covenant Has Come

This chapter quotes Jeremiah 31:33 to highlight this transition:

“For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10)

Under this new covenant, Jesus serves as our High Priest in the true sanctuary in heaven. By contrast, the high priest in the Jerusalem temple was merely a shadow of the heavenly reality. The old covenant was declared obsolete, as verse 13 explains:

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

Historically, this shift unfolded rapidly. In 70 AD, the temple—the earthly shadow—was destroyed, the priestly lineage was lost, and the sacrificial system came to an end. It is no wonder the Letter to the Hebrews was preserved as sacred Scripture.

Hebrews 7: The Melchizedek Priesthood

 

The Jewish community in the first century had lingering doubts: Jesus brings pardon for our sins, but even so, is it still necessary to go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices? Furthermore, Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, whereas priests were required to be descendants of Aaron. The key to resolving this question lies in Psalm 110:4:

4 The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110 is the most cited Old Testament passage in the New Testament. Jesus is revealed as the Messiah in Psalm 110; therefore, He is seated at the right hand of the Lord until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet (v. 1). In verse 4, Jesus is declared a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, meaning He is far greater than any high priest in first-century Jerusalem.

Because the Letter to the Hebrews was preserved and remains in our hands today, I believe the early Jewish community took this appeal to heart and stood firm in Jesus. He is our great High Priest—One who understands our weaknesses, intercedes for our sins, and treats us with deep compassion.