JESUS IS WAY ABOVE ANGELS
HEBREWS 1:1-4
HEBREWS 1:1-4 NKJ
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
OBSERVATION:
There is no denying that the book of Hebrews is one of the most in-depth of all the New Testament books. It is written to Jewish believers who are facing intense persecution due to leaving Judaism for Christianity. The temptation for these believers is to leave their newfound faith in Jesus and return to Jewish law.
The book of Hebrews shows how Jesus is far superior to angels, Moses, and the priesthood of Aaron. Jesus is also better than the law and is the mediator of a new and better covenant.
In our passage for today, the writer of Hebrews jumps in, right from verse one, and declares that God spoke before by the prophets. But now, God has spoken to us by His Son. So, the Son is a better voice than the prophets because God made the worlds, or ages, through Him. Right out of the gate, Jesus is better.
And if you hear me referring to the writer of Hebrews, it is because we do not know who the author is. Many Bible scholars believe Paul wrote this letter. But whoever it was, their knowledge of scripture and Judaism is rather extensive. We will most likely have to wait until heaven to know, but my money is on Paul.
The imagery in verse three is amazing. Jesus is declared to be the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person. I am not sure exactly what the brightness of His glory means, but it certainly sounds majestic. And the express image of God's person would imply when you have seen Jesus, you have seen God.
He upholds all things by the word of His power, which is another amazing characteristic of Jesus. That's a big concept to grasp. But I believe it. Just as I believe He, Jesus, purged my sins and has sat down at the right hand of God. And I easily believe Jesus is a name that's way above angels. He inherited that name due to His obedience and conquest over sin, Satan, death, hell, and the grave. He's the best by far!
APPLICATION:
Most of us raised in a non-Jewish environment have no problem believing Jesus is better than anything Judaism has to offer. But the book of Hebrews was not written with us in mind but to those leaving the ways of Jewish law and receiving Christ.
But we can still gain some amazing insight from this book as to who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, I believe in You and Your Son Jesus. I believe You created all things through Him and He is the exalted One and worthy of my worship and obedience.