The Book of Hebrews “Jesus is Greater”
Scripture Reading
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110:1-4
Introduction
One of the first questions of Hebrews you will come across in studying this book is the question of who authored it. The author does not give his name, and so throughout the centuries many suggestions have been made. The most traditional is Paul wrote it, though there is enough difference between Hebrews and Paul’s letters to suggest this may not be the case. Other names that have been suggested are Apollos, Barnabas, and Priscilla. Perhaps Origen’s suggestion is the most helpful—“Only God knows.”
The reality is knowing (or not knowing) the human author does not detract from the fact we know who inspired this writing and knowing the message He intends for us. And the simple message that permeates the entire book is “Jesus is greater.”
He is greater than the old covenant having fulfilled the Law and establishing the new covenant.
He is greater than the old sacrifices being qualified to lay his life down as the final sacrifice for sin.
He is greater than the old Temple being able to enter the heavenly temple and be the intercessor between God and humanity.
He is greater than Moses able to lead God’s people to their true Promised Land.
Hebrews demonstrates how Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant allowing God’s people to enter a greater covenant with God.
The second question of Hebrews is who is the book’s intended recipients. Hebrews is a little different than many of the New Testament letters in that it falls under what is called “The General Epistles.” Paul’s letters are named for their recipients—1 & 2 Timothy are for Timothy, 1 & 2 Corinthians are for the Church at Corinth, Romans for the Romans, etc. The General Epistles are named for their author because the letter was to be circulated among many churches—James wrote James, Peter wrote 1 & 2 Peter, John wrote 1,2 & 3 John, etc. If you notice in your Bible’s Table of Contents, Hebrews is wedged in between Paul’s letters and the other General Epistles primarily because we aren’t sure if Paul wrote it, but also it is definitely meant for a wider audience than just one church.
But we can say for certain this particular book speaks directly to those who would argue Christians should return to the Old Covenant as their standard for living. In the first century, these would be Jewish Christians who argue to be a good Christian requires being a good Jew first. It would speak against the “Judaizers” Paul mentions in Galatians or the myriad of false teachers found in many other New Testament letters. Rather than maintaining the old covenant system, Hebrews reminds us Jesus fulfilled it all and supersedes its mandates.
Hebrews reminds us the only necessary component for salvation is following Jesus.
So let’s begin reading this great book and discover how Jesus is Greater.
Jesus the Son of God | Hebrews 1:1-4
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 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. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Hebrews 1:1-4
The quick summary of Christ here implies the author assumes the readers have already been well introduced to the story of Christ and his nature. Let’s take a closer look at how Hebrews describes Jesus, the Son of God.
First, Jesus is God’s Son. Now, this may seem a bit elementary for the Christian, but it needs repeating. Notice the contrast in verse 1. Long ago, God used prophets to speak to His people. But now God has sent His Son to speak to us. Right off the bat, the author is establishing the supremacy of Christ. God is speaking even clearer through Jesus because God the Son Himself has taken flesh and spoken in our physical existence.
Jesus is the Greater Prophet because He is God speaking directly to us.
While Jesus is a human who lived 2,000 years ago, He is also the Divine who took on flesh. This is what the author means by “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Of course, it is difficult to imagine the entirety of God being in one human, the words ‘radiance’ and ‘exact imprint’ help make the point. These are two words from two different metaphors.
‘Radiance’ is the light by which we see the light-source. In other words, Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Paul said it this way in Colossians.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 1:15
How do you know there is a fire in your place? You see the light and feel its warmth. We sense its radiance.
The second word ‘exact imprint’ is just one word in the Greek—charaktēr. It means literally how the ESV translates it, ‘a mark’. Have you ever watched a metal worker use sand to cast a new tool? Let’s say they have a gear for some machinery, but they need another. Maybe the first one is rusting out or broke, but they have another. They can press the part into wet sand to create a mold. Then, they pour the melted metal into the mold and, presto, they have another part because of the ‘exact imprint’ from the first.
The human Jesus was a man in time, but he was a man who also held the Divine nature of God (the Son of God) in him, because Jesus was the radiance and exact imprint of God.
It is vitally important we understand this fact first before we go any further in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews is building the case Jesus is greater than the old covenant, greater than the Temple, and greater than any other prophet, rabbi, or religious teacher, and his primary evidence is the fact that Jesus was God’s Son who took on flesh in order to bring us salvation and eternal life.
Now, at the end of verse 4, the author brings up angels, and this topic is not a random tangent. People in the first century were just as fascinated with the topic of angels and spiritual beings as they are today. Much of the recent resurgence of angel talk today is based on writings from the turn of the epoch. It may be the author is telling his first century audience something we need to hear today, as well. “There is no need to focus your attention on angels and spirits when you have direct access to the One who is greater than all heavenly beings.”
The Son is Superior to the Angels | Hebrews 1:5-9
For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
Hebrews 1:5-9
Here we have the first comparison in which Jesus is Greater. He is greater than even the angels in heaven.
Verse 5 quotes from Psalm 2 which is a psalm that describes the conquering reign of the Lord’s Anointed. It is also a verse that has been wrought with misinterpretations in history. We must keep in mind Hebrews is primarily focused on what God did in history, not on the pre-existence of Jesus before the Incarnation. The author, here specifically, is comparing the heavenly angels with the earthly Messiah. No angel has ever been called “God’s Son,” but the human Jesus whose earthly existence had a beginning is called God’s Son. Again, the author does not explain all of this here simply because his audience would already have this background.
In the same verse, the very next quotation is from 2 Samuel 7:14 which, originally, is Nathan telling King David it would be David’s offspring that sits on the throne of Israel. Even more so, there would come an offspring whose kingdom would last forever. David’s son, Solomon, would build an earthly temple for the Lord, but Hebrews will demonstrate later how Jesus built (and is building) an even greater temple. But these things happen in time.
Also, consider just a couple of verses down, he says, “when he brings the firstborn into the world.” Although God has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Spirit, we call God the Son ‘Son’ simply for lack of a better word. And so when we say “firstborn,” it has more to do with the nature of God than to imply the Arian error there must have been a time when the Son did not exist. That false teaching does not hold to the whole of Scripture, and it only works here if we mistake God’s work in time for God’s nature outside of time.
The divine nature of the human Jesus is understood because of his death, burial, and resurrection.
And then, the next phrase in that same verse gives a very important doctrinal point for those who find themselves wandering into angelology. God’s angels give worship to the Son. If you happen to find yourself in some spiritual situation in which an angelic being does not worship Christ, then this is not a spirit you should be associated with. John says to test the spirits because the spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the world. It is possible Hebrews is addressing an audience that was tempted to study angelic beings. The author is telling them the Son is superior to the angels, and the angels are called to give Him worship. Though it is somewhat tangential to the passage, we should remember the Son is superior to the angels, and we only give him worship. There is such a thing as too much attention to angelic beings and matters.
Let’s finish the chapter.
Christ the King | Hebrews 1:10-14
And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
And to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:10-14
Here, the author is making a clear connection between the man Jesus and the Lord of Heaven and Earth in the Old Testament. The quotations are from various prophets and psalms which all point to the Lord’s eternal nature. Likewise, the quotation from Psalm 110:1 (“Sit at my right hand…”) is the same psalm Jesus used to question the Pharisees. The full verse is,
“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Psalm 110:1
Jesus asked the Pharisees, “How can David call his descendant ‘Lord’?” Hebrews is making the same connection for us here. Jesus is the Divine Son of God who entered human history in order to bring salvation. The enemies that will be a footstool are Satan, sin, and death that have wrought havoc on this earth for thousands of years.
Only Jesus deserves the worship of angels and humans because only Jesus has brought salvation.
So what is the purpose of angels? The last verse tells us. They are ministering spirits for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.
Recap
There is more to come in our series on Hebrews, but for now, let’s consider what the Lord has shown us so far.
First, Jesus is the full revelation of God.
If we desire to see God, to know God, to know the One who made us, we only have to look at Jesus. Sometimes people ask, “If God is real, why doesn’t he make himself known?” The answer is “He did. His name is Jesus.”
Second, Jesus proved his divinity and power through the Resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. If Jesus died and stayed dead, he would just be another interesting teacher in history. But that’s not what happened. He went to the cross willingly to provide “purification for sins,” meaning he provided to cure to our sin problem, died and on the third day rose again.
He proved he was the Son of God by rising from the dead.
He proved he can give forgiveness and healing from sin because he rose from the dead.
He proved he can transform us into the people God designed and desires us to be because he rose from the dead.
Third, Jesus should be the focus of our life because only Jesus can save us.
In the first century, along with many other centuries, people were fascinated with angels and spirits. Today, we see a resurgence of spiritual fascination, but even if you do not fall into the category of “New Age hippy” or “pagan spiritualist,” we still deal with different spirits of our age. Cultural influences, digital influences, political influences, and the myriad of other things in this world that vie for our attention must take a backseat if we are to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews asks, “Why are you so concerned with angels when you have Jesus?”
I think today we could ask, “Why are you so concerned with political figures when you have Jesus?”
Or, “Why are you so concerned with being entertained when you have Jesus?”
“Why do you feel so defeated by your circumstances, culture, or family problems when you have Jesus?”
We are all being formed into the person we will be right now. What are you allowing to form you?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into his face, and let the things of this world grow strangely dim.