17 Feb Pauls Footsteps #418
“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son, he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.” Heb1:1-4
Footsteps #418. The first 4 verses of Chapter one, which is just one sentence in the Greek, is a beautiful piece of rhetorical artistry: God has spoken to us through His Son. Through the Son, the worlds were created (worlds is plural in the Greek). He reflects the Glory of God and bears the very stamp of His nature. This ‘Son’ upholds the universe by His power. The Greek word translated ‘Reflects’ (NRSV) or ‘radiates’ (NLT) specifies a bright ray or shinning forth. This magnificent piece of oratory (vs1-4) is indicating that all God is, Christ is and that all God does, Christ does!
The portrait of Jesus in the Letter to the Hebrews is captivating and sublime. Jesus is described, first of all, as the Ruler of the universe, enthroned at God’s right hand. Innumerable angels celebrate Him, worship Him, and serve Him (Heb.1:5-14, Heb.12:22-24). He has won the right to rule because through His own death He has ensured the destruction of the devil (Heb.2:14-16). Jesus is also the exalted High Priest. Sinless, and perfectly holy, He lives forever to minister on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb.7:26-8:5). He has won the right to do so because He offered Himself as a perfect, once-for-all sacrifice, effective for everyone and forever (Heb.10:1-14). Jesus has also mediated a new covenant between God and His people that will stand forever (Heb.8:6-13).
What captivates listeners and readers about the portrait of Jesus, however, is not simply what Jesus has done but who He is. He was born from a woman, as we were, and He has been tempted and ridiculed, as we have been. Yet, still, He sits at the centre of power in the universe. When we gaze at the heavenly scene, with its diverse and fantastic celestial beings, our eyes are attracted to the One in the centre of it all, who, amazingly enough, looks like us because He had become one of us. Jesus, our Brother, is there, in heaven, representing us, despite the shame of our sin and fallenness.
In Chapter 1, Jesus is the Son of God, ruler over the angels. In chapter 2 Jesus is the Son of Man, made lower than the angels. He adopted human nature with all its frailty, including death (Heb.2:7-9). The theme of Hebrews, therefore, is access through what Christ has done for us.
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