“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. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.”
Welcome to our new series on Hebrews! You can learn more about the background and purpose of the book of Hebrews by watching this video from the Bible Project. I have always been fascinated by the fact that we do not know who wrote the book of Hebrews, with some scholars wondering if this book was written by one of the close female followers of Jesus. There’s no way to know, but ultimately Hebrews is written for a Jewish audience who would be very familiar with the Old Testament. Hebrews is a declaration of Jesus’ Messianic fulfillment of the systems established by God in the Jewish law and history.
In today’s beginning verses, we see that message right away in the phrase, “our ancestors” and a reference to the Old Testament prophets (such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Micah). There are some significant claims here when the author says that God has given everything to the Son, who radiates God’s glory, expresses God’s nature, and sustains the world by his command. This is a direct claim that Jesus is God himself, as his glory, nature, and power cannot be shared with a non-god. It’s also noteworthy to see the phrase, “now in these final days.” If it was the final days back when this letter was written, we are certainly still in them today. The end has been getting closer and closer for the past 2,000 years.
Why is the deity of Christ something that brings you freedom? Well, let’s imagine that Jesus is not God. Perhaps he was just a really nice, moral guy who tried to teach about God’s heart for the world. He died for a great cause. Ultimately, there’s no power in that. There’s no eternal freedom for you in that. But if Jesus is God, as the Bible claims, then he had the power to rise from the dead and conquer death. He has the power to set you free from sin and he has the power to lead and sustain your life. Jesus is on the throne today. No matter what you are facing he is still on that throne.