Christ of Hebrews and other religions, The

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Jun 2003 by Osborne, Grant R

In 2:5-18 a new emphasis develops, centering on v. 9, which introduces for the first time Jesus "tasting death for everyone." In his suffering Christ has achieved what Lane calls "solidarity with the human family."36 He died, so that all people could share his glory and holiness (vv. 10-11) and find in him the defeat of death and Satan, ending their slavery to sin (vv. 14-15). Mankind lost their dominion over God's created order, but Jesus has returned that dominion.37 In v. 8b we see that the promise of Ps 8:6 that "God has put everything under their (i.e. mankind's) feet," as "not yet" realized, awaited an expected future resolution. That resolution has now come to pass (v. 9), but only in Jesus, who suffered humiliation as the path to exaltation as not only Savior but the paradigm for the people of God.

The basis of the next great warning section (3:7-4:11, utilizing Ps 95:7-11 on failing to enter God's rest like the Hebrews in the wilderness wandering) is Jesus' superiority over Moses and the Law (3:2-6). As the one to whom God gave the Torah, Moses had an exalted place in judaism. After Antiochus Epiphanes outlawed Torah observance, Moses came to have an even greater position in the hearts of the Jews, a position approaching veneration. D'Angelo has shown38 that owing to his intimacy with God, Moses was viewed within some segments of judaism as actually greater than the angels. In showing that Jesus is "worthy of greater honor than Moses," there is one comparison (both are "faithful") and two contrasts with Moses here: (1) using imagery of the household of God, Moses was faithful as part of the "house," but Jesus was the builder, not only of the house but of all creation (as Lane points out,39 there is a chiasm in vv. 3-4 equating Jesus with God in creation a la 1:2b); (2) in terms of their functions, Moses is the "servant in all God's house" (a quote from Num 12:7), Jesus the "Son" who rules "over" God's house. This gives greater force to the warning regarding Israel in the wilderness from Ps 95:7-11. If they (the household of the servant) "failed to enter God's rest" due to unbelief, how much more those who constituted the household of the Son? Wray defines "rest" here as "participation in the completed cosmic work of God," anchored in Jesus as Messiah, Son, and high priest and demanding faithfulness on the part of the people of God.40

This leads directly into the best known aspect of Jesus' superiority to Judaism, his high priestly ministry (4:14-7:28). It is very possible that this is not just the creative contribution of the writer but stems from liturgical materials employed in the book,41 but the fact is that the author has presented a brilliantly constructed argument. Guthrie states42 that this theme actually extends all the way from 4:14 to 10:25, noting that 4:14-16 and 10:19-25 form an inclusio as "overlapping constituents" that introduce and conclude the theme of Jesus' high priestly ministry. As earlier, the purpose of this emphasis is to exhort the readers to "hold firmly to the faith" they profess. Since he is "a great high priest who has ascended into heaven," they can maintain their faith by "approaching God's throne of grace with confidence" (vv. 14, 16). DeSilva points out43 that the image of drawing near to God is found throughout the book (7:25; 10:22; 11:6; 12:18, 22) as the antidote for "shrinking back" or "turning away" (3:12; 6:6; 10:38-39). The Jewish high priest went into the very presence of God once a year on the Day of Atonement, but that was only because he represented the nation. Jesus as the greater high priest went into the actual presence of God in heaven itself and presented a once-for-all offering that sufficed for eternity (8:1-2; 9:11-12, 24, 26; 10:10).