08/23/2026
Considering Jesus: Hebrews Introduction
By Jeremy Thornton
“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.” (Hebrews 3:1-2)
Technology has changed the way we live. Not that many years ago, people were told to allow six weeks for something to arrive by mail. Then five to ten business days became normal. Today we can order something from a phone and sometimes have it at our door the same day. We carry telephones, cameras, televisions, newspapers, maps, and libraries in our pockets. Information that once took days or weeks to receive is now available instantly.
Because of that, the thought of going back can almost seem comical. Who wants to trade online shopping for waiting on a Sears catalog order? Who wants to give up a smartphone for one telephone attached to the wall? Who wants to go back to a small black-and-white television with three channels, especially when the president is on all three? Once we have experienced something better, it is difficult to imagine willingly returning to what we had before.
That is one of the central ideas in the book of Hebrews. The original readers were Christians who were growing weary. They were facing hardship, persecution, discouragement, and the temptation to drift away from Christ. Some were apparently looking backward, considering a return to the old system they had left behind. Hebrews repeatedly warns them not to drift, not to turn back, and not to trade what is better for what could never save them.
The answer Hebrews gives is simple but powerful: consider Jesus.
God had spoken in the past “at sundry times and in divers manners” through the prophets. Moses revealed the Law. David wrote of the coming King. Isaiah described the suffering Servant. Jeremiah promised a new covenant. The sacrifices showed the need for blood. The priesthood showed the need for mediation. The tabernacle showed the need for access to God. All of those things were important, but all of them pointed beyond themselves. They were fragments, promises, pictures, types, and shadows that found their fulfillment in Jesus.
Hebrews begins by declaring that God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Jesus is not merely another messenger standing in a long line of prophets. He is the heir of all things, the Creator of the worlds, the brightness of God’s glory, the express image of His person, and the One who upholds all things by the word of His power. He purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. The prophets carried God’s message, but in Jesus, God’s revelation reaches its climax.
From beginning to end, Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is better. He is better than the angels. He is greater than Moses. He provides a better rest, serves as a better High Priest, gives us a better hope, ministers under a better covenant, enters a better sanctuary, and offers a better sacrifice. The old sacrifices had to be offered repeatedly, but Jesus offered Himself once for all. The priests under the Law eventually died, but Jesus “continueth ever” and has an unchangeable priesthood. The earthly high priest entered a copy of the holy place, but Jesus entered heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us.
Hebrews also reminds us that the better life in Christ is not merely something to admire; it is something to hold onto. “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” The danger was not that Christ would fail them. The danger was that they would stop considering Him. Their attention could drift. Their hearts could harden. Their confidence could weaken. Their eyes could move from Jesus back toward the world.
That same danger remains.
We live in a world that constantly offers substitutes for Christ. Sin promises pleasure. The world promises satisfaction. Human traditions promise religion on our own terms. Discouragement tells us that giving up would be easier. But Hebrews calls us to look beyond all of those voices and “consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” Later we are told to run the race “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”
Why would anyone who has received something better willingly return to something worse? Why would we exchange forgiveness for guilt, hope for despair, truth for error, fellowship with God for friendship with the world, or eternal life for a moment of earthly satisfaction?
The world changes. Governments change. Circumstances change. Our bodies change. People disappoint us. Earthly security disappears. But “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
When life becomes difficult, consider Jesus. When temptation becomes strong, consider Jesus. When faith grows weak, consider Jesus. When the world looks attractive, consider Jesus. When you are tempted to turn back, remember what you would be leaving.
We have something better in Christ. Let us not drift from Him. Let us hold fast our profession without wavering. Let us draw near in full assurance of faith. And above all, let us keep looking unto Jesus.
