I recently watched a documentary about the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable. It was a heroic enterprise. At the time, communication between Europe and North America was limited by the speed at which a ship could cross the ocean. The first cable allowed for near instant communication. It was described as the conquering of space and time. Today such means of communication seem quaint at best. Anyone with a cell phone knows what they have is just better.

The writer of Hebrews wrote to Christians who were tempted to return to keeping the Law of Moses. They were facing persecution and believed it would be better to abandon faith in Christ and return to faith in their own ability to keep the Law. The writer of Hebrews warns them against this decision. Central to his argument is the idea that Jesus and the new covenant are better than what they had before (vv. 3, 6).

It’s not that the old covenant was bad, it is just that the work Jesus does for those who trust in Him surpasses anything that came before. Jesus inaugurated a new covenant, which freed people from the obligation to keep the Mosaic Law as a means of relationship with God (Luke 22:20).

This was a hard thing for some early Christians to accept. They came from a Jewish background, committed to keeping the Law of Moses as a way of earning favor with God. But the writer notes that Jesus is a better high priest. While the Israelite high priests served in a physical Temple, offering physical gifts according to the Mosaic covenant, Jesus serves in heaven, the true sanctuary of God, according to a better covenant (vv. 1, 6). This new covenant is built on better promises (v. 6). Why would anyone return to the old covenant?

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