Kingdom Disciples

In the  Book of Genesis , God implemented His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His Covenant with Abraham, beginning with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland and sojourn to the “ land that I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from him, and the Covenant would bless all the “ tribes of the Earth .” Moreover, from its start, the promise of territory was and remains central to the Abrahamic Covenant.

The promise to bless all nations in Abraham is brought to fulfillment by Jesus of Nazareth, the true Seed of Abraham .  Basic to the biblical perspective of the redemption of humanity is the Covenant with Abraham and his “ Seed .” This Covenant includes the promise that “ all the nations of the Earth will be blessed in him ,” and that he will have innumerable descendants. But how and when will the nations be blessed by the Patriarch? Who are his descendants, and most importantly, who is the true “Seed of Abraham” destined to inherit the promises?

The Gospel proclaimed by Jesus is  NOT  about reforming society or fixing governments. His message summons all men and women to repent and join an entirely new social order and political reality, namely, the  Kingdom of God , and his message contradicts the political ideologies of the present “ evil age .” Responding positively to his invitation is vital considering the approaching end of the existing world order and its disappearance from the Earth.

Having established his priestly qualifications,  Hebrews  presents Jesus as the High Priest who intercedes faithfully and sympathetically for his people. He participated fully in the nature and sufferings common to all men, therefore, his priestly intercession for his “ brethren ” is characterized by compassion for them. The “ Son ” experienced the same death that is common to all men, and in doing so, he qualified for the priesthood “ after the order of Melchizedek ” even though he was not a member of the Tribe of Levi. What set him apart from other men was his sinlessness.

The  Letter to the Hebrews  is addressed to a congregation that was facing pressure from outsiders, and some members were contemplating withdrawing from the Assembly. It presents arguments for why doing so would be catastrophic, stressing the superiority of the “ Word of the Son ” over past revelations. The Letter urges its readers to remain faithful to Jesus and the Apostolic Tradition.