Attention Activity

Have class members take turns sharing a favorite movie quote (or line from a song) while the rest of the class tries to remember which movie (or song) the line comes from.

Introduce Hebrews

Note that the book of Hebrews was attributed to Paul, but scholars have questioned that attribution since ancient times and we don’t really know who wrote it. It got its name because it quotes so many Jewish scriptures.

Read Hebrews 1:1-4 together and discuss how the book was written to persuade people that Jesus is more than a prophet.

Assign class members verses to look up from the “Old Testament Scripture” list below. Tell them that their scripture corresponds to one of the verses in Hebrews chapter 1. Have them figure out which verse in Hebrews alludes to their scripture. (I found these references in the New Oxford Annotated Study Bible, NRSV.)

Note that people in New Testament times would have recognized the references to the Old Testament, just like we recognize movie quotes and song lyrics.

Discuss what Hebrews 1:5-13 is talking about (Jesus is above the angels and is honored by God).

Ask: Why there are so many allusions to Old Testament scripture? (A new way to understand old scriptures, ties Jesus to the authority associated with those scriptures)

Say that chapter 3 talks about Jesus being more worthy of glory than Moses. It talks about how the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years and God did not let them into his rest. Hebrews 3:7-11 references Psalms 95:6-11. Have someone read those verses from the psalm. When I read that Psalm, I thought about our hymn Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd. Maybe sing it together as a class. Note that in the Psalm and in Hebrews, God is angry with the people. Talk about how that would feel if you believed God was angry with you and your people. It would make me feel despair and hopelessness. Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd is not a hopeless hymn though. Why not? (Jesus loves and watches out for each sheep. He makes the pastures a place where the sheep want to be and teaches others to care for other lost sheep.) Talk about how the idea of atonement brings peace.

Remind the class that chapter 1 talked about how Jesus was above the angels. Chapter 2 talks about how when Jesus came to earth and experienced having a mortal body he was “made a little lower than the angels” (Heb 3:9). Write on the board “Why was Jesus’ mortal experience important for the atonement?” Invite the class to silently read Hebrews 2:9-18, then share their ideas. Relate Jesus’ experience on earth to our embodied experience learning to be “under-shepherds”. Talk about what it feels like to be at one with another person: you understand their emotions and wants and needs. Sometimes you understand how to best help or support someone else, sometimes they are willing to listen to your heartache, sometimes you just enjoy experiencing something together.

“Our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to atone for our sins. The Savior not only suffered for every sin, but He also felt every pain, sorrow, discomfort, loneliness, and sadness that any of us could ever experience. Is this not great love?”

Barbara Thompson, Second Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency
“Mind the Gap,” October 2009 General Conference