Today’s lesson begins a new series on the book of Hebrews. If you’re following along, I encourage you to also read that book (as much at a time that you can) in your own Bible.
Now, before we get too far into it, the book of Hebrews has some interesting characteristics. For one thing, we don’t know who wrote it. Like the gospel of John (whose author we do know through other means), the book of Hebrews starts right in with a message about Jesus. There’s no mention of who wrote it; no greeting to someone that it was addressed to.
Of course, Bible scholars have tried for centuries to determine who wrote this book. If you have a preference, that’s fine, but it’s probably not worth debating, since the best conclusion I have found is that we don’t know for sure. However, as a commentator wrote, “…although the debate over authorship has extended over the centuries, the question of the letter’s canonicity (i.e., its inspiration and authority) has not.” [Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.12] Barring some skeptics, the content has been recognized as Scripture since before 400 AD. [Ibid., p.12]
Having said that, we do get a hint about the audience in the name of the book itself. Like many of the letters in the New Testament, this book is named for who it is addressing. While it doesn’t necessarily say so outright, it is written for those who are Hebrews.
Now, we rarely call people “Hebrews” today. Opinions vary, but the term “Hebrew” seems to be from either a descendant of Noah’s son Shem named Eber (“H-eber-ews”, so to speak), or a name that translates as someone who was an immigrant [see Who are the Hebrews? | GotQuestions.org]. Both of these interpretations fit Abram, who was described in Genesis 14:13 as a Hebrew, and Abram (later Abraham) was indeed a key ancestor of the Hebrew people.
We might think of the Hebrews as those who God delivered from Egypt, which is true. This people group was later called Israelites, after the new name that God had given to another one of their descendants: Jacob (or Israel), son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Later on, after the Israelites had lived in the Promised Land for a while and split into two countries, the northern part (called Israel) was conquered. The southern part, called Judah, remained for a little while longer. However, eventually it, too, was overthrown.
While the specific path of the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom is generally lost to history, God allowed His people to return to Jerusalem in the southern kingdom and rebuild. As a result, the name of the Jewish people that we know about today traces back to the land of Judea (Jew-ish / Ju-dea). When Jesus was born and ministered, as well as when Hebrews was written, Jewish people lived in Judea, although they also lived elsewhere (including Galilee).
As a result, throughout this study, you might find me mixing the terms like Hebrews, Israelites, and Jewish people to refer to the same people group, from Abraham and Isaac through the Jewish nation of the first century, and sometimes even extending to Jewish people today (both those who are also Christians, and those who are not).
In light of all of this, though, I’d like you to think about the book of Hebrews as a message about Jesus Christ written to Jewish people. It answers questions like:
- “How does the Old Testament fit with the New Testament?”
- “How does being Jewish fit with being a Christian?”
- “Is Jesus the Messiah that the Old Testament prophesied about?”
- “How does Jesus compare to some of the great people of the Old Testament?”
- “What timeless lessons does the Old Testament teach followers of Jesus about how to live?”
This book contains many references to the Old Testament, and it describes important lessons about Jesus in a context that is tailor-made for those who already knew the Old Testament and accepted its teachings as truth. However, it might seem unusual for Gentiles (like myself and many readers of this site) to be studying a book of the Bible that was written to Jewish people of the first century. Having said that, weren’t all the books of the Bible both, 1) originally written to someone else, and 2) inspired by the Holy Spirit for readers throughout history?
The Introduction to the College Press Commentary on the book of Hebrews starts with this: “It is difficult to overestimate the significance of Hebrews for understanding the nature of the new covenant.” So, if we want to understand the new covenant – the new testament – that Jesus introduced, this should be a good book for us to study.
And, even if learning about the new covenant seems a little “academic”, the NIV Introduction to the book of Hebrews says, “The recipients are Jesus-believing Jews who are in danger of falling away from the faith.” [see also Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.14-15] As a result, if your faith could use a boost (and, I suspect that our faith can always use a boost, even when it is doing well), this book should be a great place to start. Not only does this book provide encouragement itself, but it should inspire us to encourage others in the faith. If this series does nothing else but increase the amount that you encourage other believers to remain strong in their faith, I’d call that a good start!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for January 4, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 