Daily Bread
Hebrews 1
The Son Superior to Angels
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Observation:
We now move on to the epistle (letter) to the Hebrews. Early in church history some have maintained that the apostle Paul was the author of this letter, but as time has gone by most scholars believe it was not Paul, because the style of the Greek writing is unlike any of Paul’s other letters. This book is clearly written to the Jewish community, as many of the Old Testament (Psalms) references in the 1st chapter confirm.
One of themes which is brought out right away in chapter one, is the superiority of Christ and the new covenant to the old covenant, which was received by the Jewish people through the covenants with Abraham and Moses. As it says in verse 1, in the past the people of God had received revelation through angels in many times and way ways, but in these last days, He has spoken by His Son! The writer then confirms the divinity of God’s Son and how Jesus was the exact representation of God and how after purifying us from our sins, He has returned to heaven.
So part of the purpose of this Gospel is to reaffirm the divinity of Jesus and to point out the role of angels, but also clearly show Jesus’ superiority to the angels. This would infer that the people were overly dependant on angels. So the first chapter begins with “Christology”, the theological term for teaching about who Jesus is.
Application:
The Jewish people had to be taught on how Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophets had predicted and what the angels pointed to. There were still some in the Jewish tradition who were overly reliant on their Judaic background and missed how Jesus was the fulfillment of all their prophets had foretold.
It is easy to get caught up in our traditions, but we must be careful our traditions always lead us to Christ. Especially at Christmas-time it is easy to get up in all the traditions and trappings that surround the birth of Jesus, and forget to honor the reason for the celebration, Jesus himself. At the heart of what we celebrate at Christmas is that Jesus is the exact representation of God himself. He is “Emmanuel, God with us, God showing us God.”
God’s final and clearest revelation of Himself has come through His Son, the firstborn over all of Creation. What we celebrate at Christmas is that God has made Himself known to everyone through His Son. And the greatest gift at Christmas is that we can know God through His Son. In Christmas the mystery of who God is has been made known through incarnation of His only Son. This is the reason for the season!
Prayer: God we thank you that You have made Yourself known to us through Your Son’s birth. Help us to enjoy this season as we celebrate Your Advent! We know that you also promise one day Jesus will return to bring all those who call on His name to be with You in heaven forever. As we celebrate this season remind us of these great truths early and often! Amen.
The Son Superior to Angels
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Observation:
We now move on to the epistle (letter) to the Hebrews. Early in church history some have maintained that the apostle Paul was the author of this letter, but as time has gone by most scholars believe it was not Paul, because the style of the Greek writing is unlike any of Paul’s other letters. This book is clearly written to the Jewish community, as many of the Old Testament (Psalms) references in the 1st chapter confirm.
One of themes which is brought out right away in chapter one, is the superiority of Christ and the new covenant to the old covenant, which was received by the Jewish people through the covenants with Abraham and Moses. As it says in verse 1, in the past the people of God had received revelation through angels in many times and way ways, but in these last days, He has spoken by His Son! The writer then confirms the divinity of God’s Son and how Jesus was the exact representation of God and how after purifying us from our sins, He has returned to heaven.
So part of the purpose of this Gospel is to reaffirm the divinity of Jesus and to point out the role of angels, but also clearly show Jesus’ superiority to the angels. This would infer that the people were overly dependant on angels. So the first chapter begins with “Christology”, the theological term for teaching about who Jesus is.
Application:
The Jewish people had to be taught on how Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophets had predicted and what the angels pointed to. There were still some in the Jewish tradition who were overly reliant on their Judaic background and missed how Jesus was the fulfillment of all their prophets had foretold.
It is easy to get caught up in our traditions, but we must be careful our traditions always lead us to Christ. Especially at Christmas-time it is easy to get up in all the traditions and trappings that surround the birth of Jesus, and forget to honor the reason for the celebration, Jesus himself. At the heart of what we celebrate at Christmas is that Jesus is the exact representation of God himself. He is “Emmanuel, God with us, God showing us God.”
God’s final and clearest revelation of Himself has come through His Son, the firstborn over all of Creation. What we celebrate at Christmas is that God has made Himself known to everyone through His Son. And the greatest gift at Christmas is that we can know God through His Son. In Christmas the mystery of who God is has been made known through incarnation of His only Son. This is the reason for the season!
Prayer: God we thank you that You have made Yourself known to us through Your Son’s birth. Help us to enjoy this season as we celebrate Your Advent! We know that you also promise one day Jesus will return to bring all those who call on His name to be with You in heaven forever. As we celebrate this season remind us of these great truths early and often! Amen.
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