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Jesus Is Better

 

(Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV)

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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. 3 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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

There are certain templates for Christmas sermons that you cannot go wrong with:

1) We need to celebrate Christmas every day of the year (this can work with Easter too)
2) Christmas is an opportunity to examine and reflect on the year gone by.
3) Everyone celebrates Christmas but very few appreciate the reason for the season, that reason being Jesus Christ.

It is particularly the last type that is popular in churches around Christmas time. Such sermons bring out a valid point: the world has indeed forgotten (or has chosen to forget) Jesus while nominally celebrating His birth as an excuse to gather around ‘family, friends and food.’ They come bearing gifts to each other while forgetting the gift of God to them in His Son.

However, there is a danger in such sermons, one that we do not usually think about. Such sermons can easily lull us into a sense of complacency; by blaming the world for forgetting Jesus, we can subconsciously be congratulating ourselves for not forgetting Him. “Oh those worldly people (or nominal Christians)! All they think about is shopping and eating! They even have the audacity to not call this day Christmas any more! Happy Holidays, they say!” In our ‘righteous’ outrage, I find what is left unsaid more interesting sometimes: “We are not like them! We realize who is the reason for the season, and we have come to remember and celebrate Him.”

The problem with such an attitude, as right as it may be, is that we may never truly consider what is the extent of our knowledge of Jesus, and what implications such knowledge has for our lives. Have we truly come to know Him in all the glory and majesty of His attributes? Do we understand what it is that He has accomplished on our behalf? Or are we still satisfied with the elementary doctrines of our faith, believing those are enough since those make us stand apart from the world?

The problem with such complacency is that it cannot be discovered unless we reach a point where those beliefs and doctrines are called into question. This was certainly the case for the small group of Christians in Italy (probably Rome) to whom the epistle of Hebrews was written. They were among the earliest of churches and in their ranks were those who had abandoned their former faith (Judaism) and lifestyles in order to follow Jesus. In the beginning of their Christian walk, they had been committed and devoted to their new faith and to the Lord of that faith. But over time, they had become tired of being separated not just from their families and friends who were still Jews, but of being separate from the culture and rituals of their old faith [cf. Moo and Carson (bibliography is noted at the end)]. They were constantly reminded of their ‘outsiderness’ and at some point, many of them probably had enough. Of course, they were also probably concerned about the increasing persecution of Christians by the Roman empire: the Romans lived quite peacefully with the Jews but they were quite intolerant of this new and upstart ‘sect’ that had been started in the name of a troublemaker from Judea who called Himself the Messiah. Faced with this barrage of pressure from those on the outside and perhaps, those who were still family, these Christians were now in danger of returning back to their old faith and their old ways. They were in danger of losing everything they had stood for so courageously against the world. But most of all, they were in danger of rejecting and turning their backs on Jesus Christ.

It is to these Christians, in this juncture of their lives, that the author of Hebrews addresses his message. We do not know who this author is (we can only speculate). We believe that like his intended recipients, he is a second-generation Christian (that is, someone who did not hear the gospel from the Lord in person, but from others as pointed out in Heb 2:3.) and he had some sort of pastoral responsibility over this church. He was well-educated and a stylish orator, and he was impeccably well-versed in the Old Testament. He had come to hear of the present state of these Christians and he wished to preach to them in person, but he has to content himself with writing out his sermon in the form of a letter (Heb 13:22). And all of his literary skill and Scriptural knowledge is put in service of the message which he has to convey to them: do not reject Jesus Christ; maintain your confession and devotion to him; do not return back to the futility of your old lives. He begins his letter straight and to the point.

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…

His argument begins with the affirmation of a fact that both he and his readers are agreed upon - “God has spoken” [cf. Bruce]. He has spoken not like the pagans think of gods, exclusively through nature and conscience. That is part of His general revelation to all men but the author of Hebrews is talking about God’s special revelation of Himself. He has spoken through history and in our language. I like the title of Francis Schaeffer’s book about God - ‘He Is There and He is Not Silent’. How do we know God exists? Because He is not silent! If God had chosen to remain silent, we would not be able to know anything about Him and He would remain a mystery to us, no matter how ardently we searched. We would know nothing about sin and our need for salvation. We would know nothing about the fate which is destined for all men and women who remain apart from Him. But He is not silent; instead, He has chosen to graciously reveal Himself to us so that we can come to know of Him and to know Him.

God’s special revelation of Himself has come to us in two progressive stages. In the past, God spoke to our ancestors (that is, the forefathers of the audience of this letter) through the prophets. He spoke through Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the Old Testament prophets. He spoke in many ways: in storm and thunder to Moses, in a still small voice to Elijah [cf. Bruce]. He also spoke ‘at many times’ - that phrase, as rendered in most English translations, is probably better rendered as ‘in many parts or pieces’ [cf. O’Brien]. The idea being conveyed is twofold-

a) The revelation of God in the Old Testament came in many fragments to many people, all of them authoritative proclamations of God.
b) Because of the fragmented nature of these revelations, the people of God awaited a final, unified and decisive revelation from God.

The Old Testament revelation, full of truth and power, nevertheless remained incomplete and ‘did not add up to the fulness of what God had to say’ [Bruce]. There remained one final word to be uttered before God’s speech to His people could be considered complete. The Old Testament saints awaited this final word of God with expectation. It was to come in the last days when their faith would be rewarded and the word of the prophets would be fulfilled. Isaiah puts this into words:

Isaiah 2:2–3 — It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Imagine their disappointment when instead of this prophecy being fulfilled, God remained silent for 400 years (between the Old and New Testaments). Then one night, over Bethlehem, the angels announced that the last days had come with the birth of the child who was the very Son of God.

In these last days, in this present time of fulfillment, God has spoken once and for all in His Son. He is not merely a messenger like the prophets; in the original Greek there is no definite article for ‘Son’ in verse 2 - it literally reads ‘God has spoken in Son’. It is not just what the Son says that is the message of God but the Son Himself is the message of God. Unlike the prophets who were men who spoke the word of God, the Son is the Word who became flesh (Jn 1:1). He is the final Word. As Paul says,

2 Corinthians 1:20 — For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

There is no more need for revelation from God because God has spoken once and for all in the revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Why is the Son qualified to be the final Word of God? The author of Hebrews gives us 7 reasons in verses 2-4, 7 facts that point to His unique aptitude to be the highest possible revelation of God.

2 ...whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 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.

1) He is the heir of all things - The Father has willed that all things in the universe will one day belong to His Son. We see an allusion to this in Psalms 2:8, where the Lord’s Anointed is told by God:

Psalm 2:8 — Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

Whereas the Psalmist’s conception of this inheritance was limited to the earth, the author of Hebrews makes it clear that everything in the universe is the rightful inheritance of Jesus.

Hebrews 2:7–8 — ... you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control...

The Son’s inheritance is complete and universal; all things are and will be the rightful possession of Jesus Christ.

2) He is the creator of the world - The destiny of Jesus Christ as inheritor is not ‘charity’ from God. Rather, the Father has made Him heir because that is the Son’s right. God spoke the universe into existence by His creative word but it was the Son who was the agent of that creation. He carried out the work of creation - ‘All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made’ (Jn 1:3). Christ is the heir of everything because everything has always belonged to Him. [cf O’Brien].

After showing the Son’s mandate over the world, the author now establishes the relationship of the Son to the Father.

3) He is the radiance of the glory of God - If you notice, the subject of verses 3 and 4 is the Son, where it previously was the Father. The author is getting to the core of his appraisal of the Son. He is the radiance of God’s glory. He is not the reflection of a glory that is not his own; He is not like the moon that reflects the light of the sun. Rather, He is to God as the rays of the sun are to the sun. His glory is God’s glory. As John says

John 1:14 — And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

4) He is the exact imprint of the nature of God - The word ‘imprint’ here means stamp (as on a coin) or representation. The word translated ‘nature’ is the Greek word ’character’, from which we get the corresponding English word. The Son is the complete representation and embodiment of what God is, so that to see the Son is to see the Father [cf O’Brien].

John 14:8–9 — Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

5) He sustains all things by His powerful word - The universe was not created by a blind watchmaker and left to run on its own. It is Jesus Christ who is ‘personally and continually involved in sustaining it.’ [O’Brien]. The word of the Father brought the world into existence, but the word of Son sustains it. Everything that Jesus Christ has done and will do in the future is the outcome of this God-given role as sustainer. As Isaiah said “The government shall be upon His shoulders.” He sustains everything with the purpose of bringing all things to their appointed end.

If you were to pause and reflect at this time, ask yourself this question: who is this Son, who is the radiance of God’s glory, who bears in Him the exact nature of God, and who undertakes the government of God’s universe? Jesus is no ordinary man who ‘lived and died in Palestine’ [Bruce]. The author is trying to show us that it is undeniable that He is God - He is not God the Father, but truly, He is God, the eternal Son.

This Son became our Immanuel, God with us, God in the flesh. The occasion of that incarnation is the reason for our celebration of Christmas. But notice what the author of Hebrews highlights about the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. He has given us five facts highlighting the divine glory of the Son. His 7th fact will be a reaffirmation of that glory (‘He sat down at the right hand of God.’). Sandwiched in between this movement from glory to glory is the entirety of Jesus’ work in the flesh while He was on this earth.

6) He made purification for our sins - Why is there no mention of the circumstances of Jesus’ birth? Or of the hard-hitting moral and ethical concerns of His teaching? Or perhaps of the countless miracles which He did while He was here on this planet?

Here is the stark reality: if Jesus Christ had not died to purge our sins once and for all, all of the other facts we have seen are useless information. Such knowledge will not save us; if anything, it will serve to condemn us in our sins while offering us no way out. We were dead in our sins and trespasses, destined to live in eternal separation from God. Instead, the Son came onto this earth to provide us a way out by means of His sacrifice on the cross.

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"

The writer of Hebrews is captivated by the wonder of the cross, which he will continue to expound in the chapters ahead. Jesus Christ did not come to give the world an example to live by, or to provide it with ethical and moral instruction, or to serve as the forerunner of Gandhi, King and Mandela. He came to reconcile sinners with the God they had rejected. There was only one way; He would die in our place, in our stead, bearing the wrath of God so that whosever believes in Him would be able to stand before God, justified by His righteousness.

Consider the strangeness of the cross in light of everything we have just read about the Son [listen to Martyn-LLoyd Jones speaking on this at http://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/the-wonder-of-the-cross/]. He is the heir of all things, yet for our sake He became poor (2 Cor 8:9). He is the creator of the universe, yet He thirsts as He lies dying. He is the radiance of the glory of God, yet here He is crucified on the tree as one who is cursed. He bears the imprint of God’s nature, but here then is God crucified in the midst of two common criminals. He sustains all things, and yet He gives up His Spirit and dies. Why?

The Old Testament priests would go and stand before the altar everyday, and especially on the day of Atonement, carrying the blood of bulls and goats in order to cover the sins of their people and hide those sins from the presence of God. They had to do these sacrifices repeatedly because the blood of bulls and goats was not enough to save people. All these men, the descendants of Aaron, could do was to temporarily cover our sins; it took God, in the form of perfect man, to purify us from our sins once and for all, removing them from the record and from the sight of God Himself. Jesus, the Son of God, has achieved that which was impossible for anyone else. And because of the majesty of His wilful sacrifice, He is now exalted with a glory that is greater than what He had before the incarnation.

7) He is seated at the right hand of God - After completing His work of purification, Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of God. He shares the throne of the Father as His chosen King in a position of unparalleled honor. The Old Testament priests remained standing because their work was never finished but Christ is seated on the throne.. He declared ‘It is finished’ on the cross; by sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on High, the Son declares ‘It is done!’. There shall be no more sacrifices because the perfect sacrifice has been offered. There shall be no more revelation because the final Word of God has been revealed.

Thus, the writer of Hebrews has unfolded the perfection of the Son.

4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Therefore, Jesus is superior to angels because His name is more excellent than theirs. His name is ‘the Son’. That title has been His from eternity past but at His exaltation, it is reaffirmed to highlight the supremacy of His person. Why are angels brought into the discussion here? In the Old Testament, angels performed many roles but particularly, they brought the revelation of God to people. It was an angel of the Lord who appeared to Moses in the burning bush. It was believed that the Law had been given to Moses through angels (Gal 3:19, Acts 7:39). The author is pointing out to his Jewish audience that though angels might have been the chosen messengers of God in the past, the Son is superior because God’s final message has been given in Him.

Theological words have a tendency to become abstract due to overuse; it is primarily this verse and many others like it in Hebrews from which we often derive the theme of this epistle; the supremacy or the superiority or the pre-eminence of Christ. That is a fine theme but there is much to be gained in using a simpler, more understandable word in lieu of ‘superior’.

That word is ‘better’. The underlying Greek word is used 19 times in the New testament but 13 of those occurrences are in Hebrews. Jesus is better than the angels. His sacrifice is better than the Old Testament sacrifices because His blood is better than the blood of Abel. His ministry is better than the ministry of Moses because the covenant He has given is better than the old covenant. The hope we have in Him is better than any hope that the world provides because the life He promises His people in eternity is better than this life.

What, then, is the ultimate point of all the eloquence and wisdom of the writer of Hebrews? In fact, what is the point of all theology and preaching? It is simply this: Jesus is better!

For the original audience of this epistle, the author has already pointed out that Jesus’ revelation is better than that of the Old Testament prophets; hence, He is a better prophet. His sacrifice has accomplished that which the priests of old could not; hence He is a better priest. And today and forevermore, Jesus rules at the right hand of God and His kingdom is established by His own power and by the will of God, not by the force of a military. He will not be overthrown by elections or by a coup and yet in everything He does, He is supremely benevolent to His people; He is a better King. And if He is better than Moses and the Law and the Old Testament sacrifices, the writer of Hebrews is telling his listeners that Jesus is better than their heritage and their traditions and the best of their expectations. Then why would they abandon Him and return back to their old ways?

And what about us? Perhaps, for us, there is lesser danger that we will turn our backs on Jesus but the question that is more pertinent for us is this: do we live believing that Jesus is better than everything, rather than Him being the best for some things? Do we tell our children that Jesus is better than whatever education and jobs they get or do we tell them that all they need to do is to work hard at school and get the best job possible? Do we have the courage to tell them to not put their trust in the sustenance of this world but to put their faith and hope in the sustainer of this world, He who is the heir of all things and whose children are fellow heirs with Him (Rom 8:17)?

Do we tell our children that Jesus is better than whoever will be their husband or wife in the future? That He is the only person who can meet all of their needs and expectations in relationship and that if the husband and wife both have that relationship with Him, then their relationship with each other will be so much more blessed?

Do we tell them that Jesus is better than the children that they will have? Or do we tell them that family is all that matters in this world and everything else is secondary? Even the best of families need the smallest of reasons to have tiffs: a snub, a missed invitation, a snarky comment. Some of us are so let down by some of our family and friends that the only time we call them is Christmas! And yet, in spite of everything we might have done to the Son, the indifference we show Him, the prevalence of our private sins, the lack of adoration we give Him, Jesus says He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters (Heb 2:11). Do we have the guts to tell our children that Jesus is better than family and to depend on Him alone?

Do we live our lives as if Jesus is better than life itself? In the famous passage containing the ‘Faith Hall of Fame’ (Heb 11), we come across this verse

Hebrews 11:35 — Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

What an amazing testimony! These people rejected the chance they were offered to live if they denied their faith. They believed that Jesus was better than their passing lives on earth, and they died for their belief, hoping to awake to a better life in a better country in which they could live forever with their Lord.

We might not be called to such daring acts of testimony but even in our lives, I hope we can live inspired by the knowledge that Jesus is better. This Christmas, let us consider Him, the Son of God who is the final Word, the heir of all things, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature. Let us consider what He has done for us, laying aside the privileges of His eternal glory to die on the cross in order to purge our sins. Let us consider what He does for us today, sitting at the right hand of the Father always interceding on our behalf, and what He will do for us in the future, when we will reign with Him for eternity. He is worthy of more than just our gratitude; let us offer up to Him our lives itself.

What equal honors shall we bring
To thee, O Lord our God, the Lamb,
When all the notes that angels sing
Are far inferior to thy name?
Worthy is he that once was slain,
The Prince of Peace that groaned and died;
Worthy to rise, and live, and reign
At his Almighty Father's side.
Power and dominion are his due
Who stood condemned at Pilate's bar;
Wisdom belongs to Jesus too,
Though he was charged with madness here.
All riches are his native right,
Yet he sustained amazing loss;
To him ascribe eternal might,
Who left his weakness on the cross.
Honor immortal must be paid,
Instead of scandal and of scorn;
While glory shines around his head,
And a bright crown without a thorn.
Blessings for ever on the Lamb
Who bore the curse for wretched men;
Let angels sound his sacred name,
And every creature say, Amen.

- Isaac Watts

Bibliography

Carson, D. A., & Moo, D. J. (2005). An Introduction to the New Testament (Second Edition.). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Bruce, F. F. (1990). The Epistle to the Hebrews (Rev. ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

O’Brien, P. T. (2010). The Letter to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.