Journal Heb 1 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: (The Supremacy of God’s Son)
“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.” Heb 1:1-4
Observation: The is one of the most majestic set of verses in the New Testament. Hebrews is worth the work to unpack and devour.
Analysis: How is Jesus supreme? The writer of Hebrews says:
- Jesus is the Radiance of God’s Glory;
- He is the EXACT imprint of God’s Nature;
- Jesus upholds the universe (!!) by the Word of His Power.
Jesus says of himself: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” John 3:35
Paul uses more words: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him (Jesus) all things were created…all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all things hold together…For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things…” excerpts from Col 1:15-20a
I notice how many times the adjective/pronoun “all” is used in the above. “All” means completely everything, the whole shebang. If I ever had to wonder about Jesus’ position, these sections of scripture nails it down: He is God.
Therefore, I can consider Jesus in the same breath, in the same thought, and in the same way that I consider God.
So, what does that mean? I am writing this and reviewing how cavalierly I treat Jesus in my prayers and my thoughts; I think and relate to Jesus most times like He is my bud (which is ok), and forget that He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Almighty, the fullness of God (which forgetting is not ok).
Jesus is so many things, I cannot put one aspect of Him over another—they all dwell in Him equally. But, because I do not have that omnipotent, eternal, perspective, I do tend to stack things in a hierarchy:
“He is high and lifted up, shining with the light of His Glory…” And maybe this is where the Gospel begins…
Prayer: Burn this in my heart, O God. Help me not be flippant towards You as I tend to be. AMEN