The New Testament Book of Hebrews has an interesting argument. Coming off of St. Michael and All Angels it is fitting. In the intertestamental period, the time between the Old Testament and the appearance of Jesus, Jewish religion became infatuated with angels. If you wanted to see an example you could read an apocryphal work by the name of 1st Enoch. (Just google it and you’ll find multiple copies on the internet. Our age is not so different. Both ages that felt something in the air that wasn’t quite there yet.) The Jews had named a bunch of angels. They had created entire celestial hierarchies. They had job descriptions for all of those hierarchies. The closest analogy for the role these angels played in that time frame might be the role of Saints in the medieval church. You sought them out and asked for their assistance. The first argument of the book of Hebrews is the many ways that Jesus, the Son of God, is higher or better than the angels. These angels you so admire and fixate upon? Turn your eyes and prayers and worship to the greater one – Jesus. That kind of argument – from the lessor to the greater – will continue throughout the entire book. The author of Hebrews, who we don’t really know, starts off with angels, but proceeds with Moses, the Priesthood, the offerings and many of the staples of Jewish religious life. All of these have been fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus.
The church and the world around is always drifting off into these esoteric and gnostic forms. Now I’d bet that you might not understand those terms – esoteric and gnostic – but if I described them the lightbulb would go on immediately. Esoteric means slightly hidden. Agent Mulder in the X-files had his poster “the truth is out there.” That is an esoteric belief. There is truth. You must find or uncover the way to have it. And that search usually leads to all kinds of practices we might call witchcraft or similar: tarot cards, amulets, psychics, horoscopes. These are all esoteric ways to knowledge. The gnostic usually pairs with the esoteric. The gnostic is someone who believes in a spiritual reality, but it requires knowledge to access it. The most modern Gnostics might be those who are using ayahuasca, ketamine or other psychedelics, like QB Aaron Rodgers or most of Silicon Valley. They take part in shamanic rituals. They hire spirit guides. All in the pursuit of some greater knowledge. Esoteric or hidden practices lead to gnosis or knowledge. And the church and the world are both always drifting off into things like this because who doesn’t want to know. And God can always seem so frustrating in not giving us knowledge. He doesn’t answer the why too often. The intertestamental Jew would summon the angels. The modern Christian goes on a vision quest retreat.
The author of Hebrews tells us, “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1).” We might desire that esoteric knowledge, but the true stuff has already been given to us. God in his wisdom has chosen to reveal himself in His son Jesus. And Jesus has been proclaimed by the apostles, the church and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Proclaimed freely and openly. Why would we “neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)” Why would we turn away from this deep and true knowledge which God “bore witness by signs and wonders and miracles? (Hebrews 2:4)” Why would we neglect Christ proclaimed to play with trinkets? Why would we accept a lessor knowledge, when the greater has been given to us?
While right now we might feel lessor. And that lack makes us chase everything that promises knowledge now. Jesus himself was “for a little while made lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9)” but through his suffering and death was crowned with glory. So also us. Our salvation is made perfect in Christ and the sharing of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10). “This is why he is not ashamed to call us brothers (Hebrews 2:11).” Now we might feel lessor because we walk by faith, not by knowledge. But salvation only comes by faith through the one who is not ashamed to call us brother.