He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. John 13:14-15

And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. Luke 22:2–6 (ESV)

Hebrews 9:1–10 brings us to a decisive moment in the story of redemption—a moment that forces us to ask where our hope truly lies. In a world that celebrates self-reliance and ingenuity, especially in cultures like New England’s, the text confronts our confidence in ourselves.

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:42–44 (ESV)

“The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:6-9

Hebrews 8 proclaims the heart of the gospel: Jesus is our great High Priest who mediates a better covenant, grounded in better promises, offering a better hope. Unlike the old covenant, which was external, provisional, and dependent on human obedience, the new covenant is internal, eternal, and secured by Christ Himself.

In Hebrews 7:11–28, we are drawn into one of the most theologically rich truths in all of Scripture: Jesus Christ is our perfect and eternal High Priest. In a world steeped in performance—religious or otherwise—this passage confronts us with a freeing reality: salvation does not come by effort, lineage, or ritual, but by Christ alone.

When life shakes us, our instinct is often to retreat to what feels safe and familiar. For the Hebrew Christians of the first century, that meant returning to Judaism's tangible rituals, its priests and sacrifices. Yet, Hebrews 7:1-10 points us unmistakably forward—to Christ, the eternal High Priest, whose priesthood far surpasses any earthly institution. The big idea is clear: How can we ever turn back?