Hebrews 8:1-6 | What's a lesson for the original audience?

As I read through this passage, I am left considering the audience and their perception of what is being said. Remember, no one at this point grew up Christian. You may have had a few in the audience who had heard of Jesus at an early age, but most of them were converts from a belief system that was known to them as truth. For many of them, most of their lives they spent obeying the law and honoring God through that. Suddenly, that is no longer honoring to God. Surely this threw many off. In fact, we know it did. That is part of what made going back so possible. That is why the writer of Hebrews argues against the old law so fervently. They may have received a good ministry through the law, but the Son offers a more excellent ministry.

The stage has been set up to this point for the writer of Hebrews to deliver his home-hitting message. Jesus is better. This has been the theme of Hebrews and continues to be. The ministry of the old may have been good, but it was insufficient. It even would have limited the Son to work in the capacity He did. He had to come through a different priestly order. The Levitical priesthood could never accomplish what Jesus did. The Law highlighted sin and allowed for a covering of sin, but never the removal. Through the New Covenant, there is a removal of sins.

We all have a conversion story. As such, we all have something we would return back to. What keeps us from turning? We have had to have this same realization that Jesus is better. He is worth the suffering we may go through in life that we may have Him. He is worth the discipline we must go through. He is worth the pain of transformation. Jesus is worth all of that and so much more. This is what the Hebrew audience is being convinced of. It is not worth departing from Jesus to go back to the old.

Let's conclude with this. I think of the words of the disciples to Jesus after thousands departed. Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them if they would go too. I want us to consider the words the disciples share because this is the conclusion we all must come too. Here is the disciples' response.

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
-John 6:68-69

What lesson are you seeing for the original audience?