Hebrews, Its Message, Part 10 - The Heroes of Faith

As the writer to the Hebrew Christian community of Rome draws his sermon to a conclusion, he employs the rhetorical device of using exemplary heroes to urge his fellow congregation members to endure and remain faithful to Christ. In his absence, his fellow congregants were under a barrage of attack from Judaizers to deconvert back into Judaism. He has already shown throughout this sermon that Judaism was always meant to be superseded by a new covenant, which Christ has now delivered. He has also shown his audience that Christ is superior to angels, Moses, the priesthood - including the High Priest, and even the Tabernacle/Temple. Added to this, he has shown his audience that Mosaic Law with its ceremonies, rituals, and sacrifices all pointed to Christ. These things were mere shadows of Christ, who was the cause of these shadows. As he brings his sermon to its culmination he now reminds his fellow Jewish believers that the heroes of their Old Covenant were all commended by their faithful endurance. His list names ten men and women. This was not a typical list like the Greco-Roman lists of their heroes, this list included people who were martyred, who suffered, who experienced deprivation, and were shamed by their kin. Yet they endured in faithful commitment to Yahweh (Christ). These heroes thus buttress the author's call for them to do likewise and endure. This makes this sermon incredibly relevant for believers today who are often misled into watered-down presentations of Christianity and deceived by prosperity-preachers who misuse this text to claim that 'faith' is a force that can be used by believers to obtain health, wealth and happiness and be shielded against sickness, deprivation, or scorn.