In the opening verses of Hebrews, the author announces that God has spoken in many different ways throughout history, but now God has spoken through Jesus. The next question is what this means for the religious and political systems through which people have traditionally understood God's authority.
To make the argument, the author brings together seven passages from the Old Testament in a practice scholars call a catena, Latin for “chain.” There is a similar practice in Jewish interpretation sometimes called “stringing pearls,” where ancient passages are brought together to produce new theological insights. The pearls are ancient, but the necklace is new.
These seven passages describe Jesus as God's Son, the promised king, the one whom angels worship, and the one whose throne endures forever. But the author isn't trying to prove that Jesus is important, this audience already believes in Jesus.
The question at hand is “what does his authority means for the way they live?”
A Different Understanding of Authority
The ancient Israelites believed that God's law had been mediated through angels. Angels were understood as messengers who stood between God and humanity, communicating divine instructions. Religious institutions, priests, and rituals developed around this understanding of how people approached God.
The temple was a particularly important part of this system as once a year, the high priest entered its innermost sanctuary to perform rituals of purification. These rituals had to be repeated year after year. But Hebrews introduces a contrast. After Jesus provided purification for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).
There was no longer a need for an endless cycle of sacrifices. The altar could finally become quiet. God's work of reconciliation was no longer believed to require more bloodshed, more enemies to defeat, or more people to punish.
Instead, the kingdom of Jesus calls people toward reconciliation, generosity, and the restoration of relationships.
A Kingdom Defined by Righteousness
Much of the language in Hebrews 1 concerns kings, thrones, scepters, and authority. These were political images in a world dominated by Rome, where power was measured by military strength, wealth, territorial expansion, and the ability to control others.
But notice how the author describes the reign of Jesus:
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness” (Hebrews 1:8–9).
The defining characteristic of this king's authority is righteousness; not conquest, domination, or economic power. The rest of Hebrews will describe a king whose victory comes through suffering, whose priesthood is rooted in solidarity with humanity, and whose sacrifice is the offering of his own life.
This is a very different understanding of power from what the Roman Empire offered. Jesus possesses authority, but he does not use it to dominate humanity. He enters into human vulnerability and gives himself away for others.
Who Has Our Allegiance?
The Christians who first heard Hebrews were living under the pressures of empire wher following Jesus was difficult, so the temptation to return to more familiar systems of security and authority was very real.
We face similar temptations as our society has its own institutions that promise security, prosperity, identity, and salvation. Political leaders, military power, economic growth, and national belonging can all begin to occupy a place in our imagination that Christianity reserves for Jesus.
The problem isn't necessarily that Christians stop believing in Jesus. It is that we can continue believing in him while giving our deepest allegiance to other forms of power. We should noticed that Hebrews doesn't suggest that mediators between God and humanity are evil, neither are the mediators of law in our day. We all want to live in a world with just and good leaders who mediate morality and ethics in our own day.
Instead, the author of Hebrews insists that every authority in our lives is subordinate to Christ. This means that when Christians allow political leaders, religious institutions, or national identities to determine whom we should fear, hate, or exclude, we have allowed those powers to become mediators between us and God.
But Jesus has already shown us what God's reign looks like. It is a kingdom characterized by righteousness, mercy, self-giving love, and reconciliation. It is not enough to simply believe that Jesu sis Lord, we must also learn to disallow any other authority to occupy that space within us.
House Church Discussion Questions
Hebrews describes a king whose authority is characterized by righteousness rather than domination. Who have you known who exercised authority in a way that reminded you of Jesus?
What are some of the things in our society that promise us security, belonging, or a better future? Which of those promises do you find most compelling personally?
Have you ever felt pressure from a religious, political, or social community to believe or do something that seemed inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus? How did you navigate that experience?
What might change in our everyday lives if we consistently measured the people and institutions we trust against the life and teachings of Jesus?