A beloved LDS Hymn searchingly implores the Lord,
More holiness give me, more strivings within.
More patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin.
More faith in my Savior, more sense of His care.
More joy in His service, more purpose in prayer. (LDS Hymnbook #131)
The Letter to the Hebrews Invites Us to Experience More Jesus
The inimitable and beautiful Letter to the Hebrews represents in sublime words what we have all desired from Jesus: More. One of the major purposes of this letter is to demonstrate how Jesus is greater than any act of God, or revelation, or priesthood, or sacrifice, or theophany in the past.
Jesus represents all that we are not yet, but which we can become through Him. In a broken world, full of broken hearts and broken people, broken promises and broken dreams, Jesus is still more. Only Jesus, who is More, can give us more. Without more to offer, how could He answer the prayer of the longing heart that has less? Compared to Jesus Himself, we all lack. We all have need. We are all incomplete. We all fall short.
When our bodies quiver because of pain, Jesus offers more solace and peace. When our minds are clouded by questions and concerns, Jesus is more as the full intelligence that pervades the universe.
When our prayers seem to reach no further than the end of our lips, Jesus is more as the air that wafts to the heavens and the ears of God. When our most beloved human relationships are dimmed, broken, or compromised, Jesus provides more, becoming father and mother, brother and sister, son and daughter, to us.
When our journey on the covenant path is interrupted by the normalcy of life, that is, our fallen and sinful nature, Jesus is more, providing bridging guidance across the chasm of despair. When our souls are broken and our love leaks outs, Jesus is more offering soothing balm that penetrates and restores the brokenness into new life.
Jesus Is Greater Than All
- Jesus is more than all the prophets (Hebrews 1:1-3).
- Jesus is more than all the angels (Hebrews 1:4-14, 2:5).
- Jesus is more than Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6).
- Jesus is more than Joshua (Hebrews 4:6-11).
- Jesus is more than the Aaronic priesthood (Hebrews 5:1-10; 7:26-8:2).
- Jesus is more than the Levitical priesthood (Hebrews 6:20-7:25).
- Jesus is more than Abraham (Hebrew 7:1-10).
- Jesus’s ministry is more than the ministry of the ancient tabernacle (Hebrews 8:3-6; 9:1-28).
- Jesus’s new covenant is more than the old covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13).
- Jesus’s personal sacrifice is more than all the Old Testament sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1-14).
- Experiencing Jesus is more than the experience of Mount Sinai (Hebrews 12:18-24).
[The list above is modified from “The Greater Thans in Hebrews” page 2142 of the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible]
Because Jesus is more, we cannot exhaust or limit the descriptive illustrations for how Jesus is greater than all things. Where do we find more? Where do we find more of everything that is praiseworthy, lovely, desirable, and of good report?
Where do we find more holiness?
Jesus.
That is the message of the Letter to the Hebrews.
My two most recent books are now available!
More Content and Connections
Study the Scriptures like never before with this free app that I helped create: ScripturePlus!
Join my newsletter and receive a free humorous eBook Memoirs of the Ward Rumor Control Coordinator is a light-hearted look at our beloved Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints culture. When you join my newsletter, it’s a bit like voting for Pedro. Your wildest dreams might come true!
