Digital Logos Edition
At first glance, the letter to the Hebrews can seem difficult to comprehend, requiring readers to be familiar with an intricate system of Hebrew sacrifices so intimidating that some might just set the whole episode aside. But William Barclay believed "that no New Testament book gives us such a glorious picture of Jesus Christ in all the splendor of his manhood and in all the majesty of his deity." So, amplified by his keen and vibrant commentary, this ancient letter emerges from apparent obscurity to be a vital resource of encouragement for Christians today.
William Barclay (1907-1978) was a world-renowned New Testament interpreter and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at Glasgow University in Scotland. Having written more than fifty books, he is probably best known as the author of The Daily Study Bible series.
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“God cannot reveal more than human beings can understand. His revelation comes through human minds and hearts. That is exactly what the writer to the Hebrews saw.” (Page 15)
“The fact that Jesus was without sin means that he knew depths and tensions and assaults of temptation which we never can know. Far from his battle being easier, it was immeasurably harder. Why? For this reason—we fall to temptation long before the tempter has put out the whole of his power. We never know temptation at its fiercest because we fall long before that stage is reached. But Jesus was tempted far beyond anything we might experience; for in his case the tempter put everything he possessed into the attack.” (Page 50)
“The basic meaning of teleios in the New Testament is always that the thing or person described in this way fully carries out the purpose for which he or she is designed. Therefore, the verb teleioun will mean not so much to make perfect as to make fully adequate for the task for which designed. So, what the writer to the Hebrews is saying is that, through suffering, Jesus was made fully able to complete the task of being the pioneer of our salvation.” (Page 32)
“If we want to travel far, we must travel light. There is in life an essential duty to discard things. There may be habits, pleasures, self-indulgences or associations which hold us back. We must shed them as athletes take off their tracksuits when they go to the starting blocks; and often we will need the help of Christ to enable us to do so.” (Page 203)
“He says that he entered the presence of God as our forerunner. The word is prodromos. It has three stages of meaning. (1) It means one who rushes on. (2) It means a pioneer. (3) It means a scout who goes ahead to see that it is safe for the rest of the troops to follow. Jesus went into the presence of God to make it safe for all to follow.” (Page 75)
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