THe Nature of the Son (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Introduction

As we come into these opening verses of the Letter to the Hebrews, we need to keep in mind the theme that is being expressed. We will see a transition from speaking about prophets of old to speaking about Jesus, and it happens right out the door. We learn that Jesus is the better. He is better than every prophet, every person of prominence from the Scriptures (the Old Testament), better than every ritual, sacrifice, and everything else that the Israelites understand. He goes on to say that Jesus is even better than any previous revelation of God with which man may have encountered. Why? Because Jesus is the pure revelation of God.

Hebrews 1:1–4 CSB

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Long ago God spoke by the prophets

Long Ago

This is such a powerful opening. One of the difficult aspects of studying Hebrews is that the letter was written to an audience that has a fairly wide grasp on the Old Testament. The author is writing to people that understand the Scriptures, and we are 2024 and part of a people who, by and large, do not have a grasp on the Old Testament.

Right here, as the author writes LONG AGO, we are being taken back to the Scriptures. And what is beautiful is that it sets our mind to the proper place. The Author is not starting with the birth of Jesus, instead God is taking us WAY BACK. How far back? Well, back to the prophets. And yet, we are still going to go back before the prophets! We are going to see that Jesus was there IN CREATION!

Expositors preach the grand story of the Bible. This is literally setting up solid exposition.

See the author is using words with a purpose! Why? Because our salvation, God’s redemptive work in Jesus, began all the way back then.

God spoke by the prophets

Obviously we can look all through the OT and see the many different prophets that God utilized to communicate with His people.

In these Last Days, God used His Son.

The Author of Hebrews does not waste any time as he gets to the point that the Israelites need to accept. Remember this was written to people who were clearly of Israel, and had been going through a time of persecution. It would be getting worse. There was likely recommendations to alter the teachings.

So the author writes to remind the people that God has sent His Son. Just as a prophet was a human being who walked the earth, the author is reminding the reader that Jesus was a man, who walked the earth. He also makes the connection that we already know: Jesus is the Son of God.

Luke 1:35 CSB

The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Look back at the baptism:

Luke 3:21–22 CSB

When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

We can continue through many other verses and reenforce the truth: Jesus is the Son of God, and reveals the Father.

John 14:6–7 CSB

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

But not only does this verse speak to how Jesus is the Son of God, but connects this reality to the Scriptures and prophets.

See that is the connection point. That God spoke through the prophets, which we know as revealed in Scripture (OT), and Jesus came, not to abolish the OT Scriptures, but to FULFILL everything!

Matthew 5:17 CSB

“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

Jesus is the fulfillment of everything that the Israelites had been longing for.

God Spoke through OT Prophets, and the author connects that God spoke in Jesus.

So the Old Testament has authority, and still has authority today by the way. The author goes on and says the story does not end with the OT, as the Israelites would know, the story was not over. We have the continuation, and that continuation is Jesus.

God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through him.

This is something that the Israelites knew was coming. It was prophesied in Psalms that the Messiah would receive all things.

Psalm 2:8 CSB

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession.

We see a fulfillment in progress and promised to come:

Philippians 2:10 CSB

so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth—

Let’s look back at John 14:6-7 again

John 14:6–7 CSB

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

This is the language that Hellenistic Jews would know. If someone was an heir, they would be invested in ALL THINGS of the Father. They were invested with everything. And when they were given authority they could do business on behalf of that father. To do business with the son was to do business with the father. Jesus is trying to get us to understand that He and the Father are 1, and that means in everything!

Romans 8:16–17 CSB

The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Quick side note: if we are God’s children, then we are heirs of our Father. We should equally be invested with everything and doing business with us should be like doing business with the Father. SO: Are you doing business in a manner that brings glory and honor to the Father’s name?

As for all things created through Jesus

we can tie this back to Scripture:

John 1:1–3 CSB

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

Colossians 1:16 CSB

For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.

The Son is not only the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the pinnacle of God’s saving works in history, he is also the agent of creation. Jesus is, thus, the beginning and the end. The Alpha and Omega!

He is the Creator and the telos of creation. It is significant that the author of Hebrews connects the doctrines of redemption and creation.

This is because the God who creates is the God who redeems.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we must recognize that if we do not have the right doctrine of creation, we will not have the right doctrine of redemption.

Creation and the gospel are inextricably connected!

Inextricably - it is impossible to separate the two!

R. Albert Mohler Jr., Exalting Jesus in Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 10.

The Son is the Radiance of God’s glory.

Hebrews 1:3 CSB

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The Word Radiance that we see here in the CSB is the perfect word. Some translations use the word Reflection; which diminishes the truth of Jesus. The word expresses the concept of sending light or shining. Radiance is so much greater than reflection because Jesus is not just reflecting God’s glory, Jesus IS God and is radiating His own glory!

Remember that the letter of Hebrews connects to the OT. So there must be a connection here.

The word Radiance connects back to the OT Shekinah glory.

The Shekinah was a shining, visible glory that demonstrated the majesty of God.

Exodus 13:21 CSB

The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night.

Exodus 40:34–35 CSB

The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

1 Kings 8:10–11 CSB

When the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the Lord’s temple, and because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

Jesus is the way we see the glory of God most fully.

and the exact expression of his nature

This is another powerful statement regarding Jesus. The author is trying to get the reader to understand Jesus using a concept that was known in the times, that of an imprint or stamp.

So the idea behind stamping or imprinting is that there is a repetition of an exact copy. You make the die, and then use the die to make exact copies. This was done in Roman times especially in making coins. It is known. It is an exact copy.

The Word of God says that Jesus is an exact expression of His nature. What this means is that Jesus is the perfect imprint, the exact representation of the nature and essence of God.

This is where the Trinity shines in a way that is above any possible example man may have. Jesus, the Son, is the exact expression of the Father. No human child is the exact expression of their father. Clayton is pretty close, and people make comments all the time. We even joke about how he is my clone. But Clayton is Clayton and Jacob is Jacob.

But Jesus is the exact expression of the Father. He and the Father are of the same divine essence.

sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Jesus sustains all things.

Colossians 1:17 CSB

He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

by Him all things hold together.

Jesus is the creator of all things, as through Him creation occured; and by Him all is held together. This implies movement and progression as well. Jesus is guiding all things toward the day of His return, according to God’s sovereign purpose.

after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Purification for sins

Revelation 1:5 CSB

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood,

This is again a connection to the OT. Specifically to the priestly work of the Sacrificial system. The connection is obvious: Jesus is the priest and He alone not only cleanses of sin, but purifies us so as sin has no evidence within the one cleansed. This is will be dealt with further in the letter, but to touch here:

The sacrificial system cleansed man of sin temporarily. We all know this. A wash cloth may be clean, but it still shows sings of the filth that once was. It is stained.

When water is cleansed, it man be safe to drink, but it may not look good. The difference between potable water and palatable water, one tastes well enough but may not be healthy, while the other may look nasty but be safe to drink.

When we were purified by Jesus, there is no evidence of the sin. There is no look of nastiness. There is only PURE!

seated at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Seated

It is finished

His complete atoning work. He won.

right hand

The right hand is the place of power, authority and honor.

The seat that Jesus took is the throne of God, where He rules as Lord of all.

He is our victorious Savior, not a defeated martyr.

Romans 8:34 CSB

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.

Greater than Angels!

Hebrews 1:4 CSB

So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.

So this may read a little confusing. Does this imply that Jesus was lower than angels, and only after the Cross did He become greater than angels? Absolutely not!

The wording here refers to a change of state, not a change of existence. Jesus eternally existed. He has always been and always will be. This cannot change. Angels are a created being. So Jesus is always superior is existence.

But for a while, Jesus humbled Himself lower than angels.

Afterwards, when His work here was finished, he was exalted to the glory that He always had.