Keep Holding On

This semester for Sr. High Sunday school, we've been looking at the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a difficult epistle for many reasons, but mostly because so much of it is a mystery. We're not sure who wrote it or who it was written to. Yet even though the historical background of this letter is a puzzle, there is much that we can discern about the original audience.
Namely, they were hurting. Scared of losing their lives. They knew that they faced considerable opposition towards their faith in Christ. Many years ago they had already endured severe persecution and they were not sure that they could do it again. Some of their believing friends had already been arrested. They were afraid of allowing strangers into their community of faith. One slip might mean the death of the whole house church. Backing down from Christianity seemed to be the most reasonable option. Just a little compromise would alleviate the pressure.
In the midst of this crisis, the author of Hebrews, their friend and mentor, penned this letter of encouragement. He wanted them to know that Jesus is better than any other belief system. He wanted to strengthen them by telling them that Jesus, the author and perfector of their faith, had already been in their shoes. He had faced opposition, persecution, and even execution. Yet he didn't back down. He obeyed the Father. And now Jesus would give them the same courage, strength, and grace to hang on for the long haul.