November 2-November 8

Seeing The Big Picture
Mike James, PhD
Searcy, Arkansas

Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture.

Have you ever rooted for a favorite sports team, but after years of seeing no results, you may resort to “booing” the team? At times like this, at least in the spiritual realm, we may need some encouragement to see the “big picture.”

Such seems to be the case with the displaced Christian Jews. Many had been Christians for years, but after seeing no results, their enthusiasm began to wane. They had been told that Jesus would return, but they had not seen His coming. They started seeing strong opposition from religious political groups, and even lack of patience from their own churches. And some were even starting to “root” for another team – a non-Christian belief. Was not one religious group just as good as another?

This letter was written to buffer the tendencies that were seen in the church, and to strengthen the faith of “baby” Christians. The writer’s quest, it seems, was to show how much superior Christianity was over other religions, especially over Judaism. At almost every turn, he appealed to their logic by using examples showing the superiority of Christianity.

Later writers don’t agree with early scholars who said Paul was the author of Hebrews. Regardless, the author was well acquainted with Jewish traditions, because over and over he made strong comparisons that contrasted Christianity with Judaism.

And he starts at the very beginning. The entire first chapter paints a picture of a son, Jesus, who existed from the beginning of the world – much earlier than Abraham of old.

Our view of the priesthood comes from the Old Testament, and a special descendant of Israel – Levi. You don’t need to read very far into the law of this special tribe to recognize that it was difficult to live up to that strict code. The ONLY bridge was through a sacrifice of bulls, goats, and other animals to make up for their lack of perfection. If we were still under that “old” law, some of us today would need to slaughter a bull a day.

What a contrast for us! Amazingly, the God of Heaven gave a perfect sacrifice – a perfect man on earth, yet divine. In fact, it would take a perfect sacrifice to make a perfect substitution for our sins. The beauty of this sacrifice is that God’s sacrifice of his son was made once – for eternity of believers. Our sins are continually washed by blood given selflessly on the cross. Praise God!

The conclusion to this great offering begins at Chapter 6. “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”

With resolve, the author answers, “And God permitting, we will do so.”

The contrasts between the old and new laws are extreme and obvious. We have a high priest, Jesus, who meets all of our needs because he is holy, pure, and exalted by the angels. We don’t need daily sacrifices, because he sacrificed “once and for all” when he was nailed to the cross.

[Dr. Mike James was named Dean of the College of Communication at Harding University in August 2008. He had served as the department chair since 1993. James, a distinguished professor of communication, has served as a faculty member since 1979. Prior to that appointment, he had worked for the University as a staff member since 1973 as director of photography for the Public Relations Office. He holds the Bachelor of Science degree from Harding, Master of Science degree from Arkansas State University, and Ph.D. from Florida State University. He is an active member of and contributor to the Broadcast Education Association. James was one of 30 faculty members nationally and internationally selected as a 2007 faculty fellow for the National Association of Television Program Executives annual conference. Mike and his wife Beth have four children and five grandchildren.]