“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16
The letter to the Hebrews is anonymous. This, however, hasn’t prevented centuries of scholarly speculation as to the identity of the author, which includes Paul, Luke, Apollos, as well as Barnabas, Priscilla, Silas, and Philip the evangelist. While human authorship can be debated, the divine authorship of the Holy Spirit is unquestioned. The audience for the letter was Jewish believers who’d been through great hardship and were in danger of abandoning their faith in Jesus the Messiah due to their struggles. This letter encourages them to keep on believing and trusting in God, with a series of warnings to that effect (2:1-3; 3:7–4:11; 6:4-6; 12:25-26). To encourage them, the author sets out to show the superiority of Jesus over everything—angels, Moses, Joshua, the priesthood, the sacrificial system, and more. And not only is He superior; He’s also the model of true sacrifice and generosity. As we practice generosity, we reflect His heart.
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