Jesus is a Better Word | Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:1-4
Do you hear voices in your head? Around 30-50% of people frequently experience an inner dialogue in their minds. 83% hear a voice when they read. Around 4% of people hear different voices in their heads. Reality is we all have an inner voice. It is part of our verbal working memory system. It helps us memorize and analyze the world around us. In his book Chatter, Dr. Ethan Kross says, “Our inner voice is a tool. It can help us navigate our lives, but like all tools, it can be used in ways to harm us. We often become prisoners of our own thoughts, especially when those thoughts become repetitive, self-critical, or focused on past mistakes or future anxieties. The key is not to eliminate chatter entirely, but control it, turn it into a resource rather than a burden.” How do we do that? Last week, we talked about meditating on the goodness and mercy of God. It is the same thought: instead of listening to the voice in our heads that becomes self-focused and anxious, listen to the voice of Jesus. Jesus is the better WORD.
Hebrews was written to Christians who lived in the urban pluralistic cities of the Roman Empire. It was written in the early 60s, before the great persecution from Nero. We do not know who wrote the book, but it is more like one long sermon than a normal letter. The writer’s concern is for these believers not to give up and to go all the way with Jesus. These believers had faced severe persecution and suffering, with many of their friends departing the faith and returning to their old way of life in Judaism. They were tempted to abandon Christianity altogether to go back to a simpler, more familiar lifestyle. So, the writer is telling them not to leave the faith because Jesus is better. The only way we are going to make it in life is to keep our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews begins by telling us that Jesus is the exact, exalted, and exclusive Word of God and that no other voice should be louder in our lives than His.