The Supremacy of God's Son (Hebrews 1:1-4)

In the introduction to this series I mentioned all the mystery behind this book when it comes to who its author was and who it was written to historically and what was happening that sparked the need for its author to write to their fellow believers. I lean toward the audience being Jewish believers in Jerusalem and the main reason as to why the author was writing was because of the third party of Jews, the Essenes. It is how I am leaning and it is perfectly fine to have a differing view on this, as it could be that this was written to Jewish believers in Alexandria and it was to help with Alexandrian Judaism and its mixing of philosophy and Scripture.

When it comes to who I think wrote this book, I am not going to say, I do have a favorite; but it is not important. Overall the true author is the Holy Spirit who inspired its writing. I have a high view of Scripture and I believe that it is infallible, perfect; without contradiction, and it is the Word of the one and true living God. I have the view of Paul as he wrote to Timothy: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible in its entirety is the revealed truth of God.

The author of the Book of Hebrews starts the introduction with four encompassing verses. Each one builds atop the other and goes higher in its purposes. We begin with, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,” (v.1). Throughout the Old Testament we are shown that God is a God who speaks, He often spoke verbally. God spoke to His people through many different ways, sometimes it would be through dreams, out of a pillar of smoke, or out of a whirlwind. Then He spoke heavily to the fathers of Israel by the prophets. The office of prophet is different than the office of priest as the priest has his back to the people and his eyes on God as he comes to God on behalf of the people. The prophet stands with his back to God and his eyes on the people, always speaking with, “thus says the Lord”. The prophet mediates and comes to the people on the behalf of God.

God is a God who delights in revealing Himself to His people. He has revealed Himself bit by bit and then He sent His Son. “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world.” (v.2). Jesus Christ spoke to us on the behalf of God. The author is tying Christ to the office of prophet, and as the piece of the puzzle of revelation from God. How much did Abraham understand about the person and work of Christ other than it being vague, dim, and murky. How much did Moses truly understand as he prayed and spoke about the coming of the Messiah? For the people of Israel in the Old Testament the Messiah was not only a reality of hope spoken to them by the prophets, but they also created a legend as they came up with many ideas of what the Messiah would do once He came.

Those who see this book as an exposition of Psalm 110 see in this verse and verse three that follows as the connection to that Psalm as God appointed Christ as the heir to all things. Everything was created and done for the Son, and not only that but also by Him and through Him. The Son was instrumental in the creation of the world. Where else do we get language like this that has such a high stance on the second member of the trinity? The utter truth of Him and how in one perspective we should see the Son as separate from the Father, but in another perspective as God? Where else than the famous opening of the Gospel of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5).

Jesus is the Light of the World and His light shines through the darkness and saves those who believe in Him, so that they may reflect His light to the world, thus saving it. How fascinating that Jesus was with God in the beginning and at the same time was God. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (v.3a). The writer of Hebrews is making the same implication of the person of Christ and His exact imprint of the Father and His nature as Jesus gave response to Philip in John 14:8, 11, 13 “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us… Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves… Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Christ is God and thus Has all the sovereign power and as everything was created by and through Him the whole universe is held up by the word of His power. We must remind ourselves that with all the scientific exploration of how the universe came into existence and how it continues to exist, the worldview that we hold, heavily, influences the answers to the questions that science cannot fully explain. This is why the worldview you have is so important, and that the Bible has a worldview. Paul writes in Romans of general revelation, that God reveals Himself through nature; that would include science. There are things in this world that can only take us so far then it leads to the only true conclusion there is; it all points to God. It is through our fallen nature, our corrupted hearts and minds afflicted by sin that leads us to making idols and worshipping the creation and not giving honor to God and acknowledging Him. But as Christians we give all honor to God as He is the creator of all things it is how we can say, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17).

“After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (v.3b). The author is now invoking the work of Christ, as He had to be raised up to save whoever believes in Him of their sin. Christ is the perfect sacrifice, making so we never have to sacrifice again for sin as it has been covered by the blood of Christ. It is an effectual sacrifice. The use of sacrifice in the Old Testament was never truly a satisfactory payment for sins; as they would have to make another sacrifice for another sin. Christ’s work on the Cross mirrors the annual Day of Atonement. Annually the Israelites on the Day of Atonement would take a goat and the Priest would mark the goat with the sins of the people, it would then be sent out of the camp into the wilderness; which was often associated with Gentiles, another idea of the nations was the image of the sea. This is where we get the idea of making a scapegoat, and Jesus was the ultimate scapegoat. The religious elite (the priests) tried Him illegally and put all blame onto Him and then sent Him out into the wilderness, to the Gentiles to then be executed or sacrificed.

Upon His death and victory on the Cross, Christ was buried for three days then rose. Then as He stood in front of many of His disciples He ascended into the air where “He would sit down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (v.3b). As all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him. (Matthew 28).

“Having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (v.4). The writer of Hebrews is addressing the practice that some Jews did that of worshiping angels. Another is the idea that Jesus was an angel and not God. We have seen in the prior verses of the relation that the writer has given to Christ and the Father. Jesus was not an angel as He has become much superior to them as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. The idea of Christ being an angel is ill-founded as it ignores the many verses that treat the Messiah as higher than the angels. Even Satan knew that Jesus was higher than the angels as during his temptation of Christ he mentioned how the angels would not let Him strike His foot upon a stone.

There is the conversation that Pilate has with Jesus as he is deciding whether or not there is any guilt that can be found in Jesus. When asked if He is the King of Jews and why His people have handed Him over to the Romans. Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36). Or when He was being arrested He said: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).

The meaning of the word ‘Angel’ means messenger, it is a job description and often angels are ministering spirits. They ministered to Christ once Satan left Him in the wilderness. It is found throughout the Scriptures that angels serve Christ as they serve the Father. This alone denies the idea and belief of Christ being an angel. Jesus has inherited all things and He is ruling next to the Father. We share in this inheritance, as we share all things in Christ. We are co-heirs, and co-rulers with Christ, but the only way we can be seen as either is to be in Christ.