The Second Chance for God’s People. Timothy W. Seid
a father and a son. Daughters were thought to be more closely connected to their mothers, while sons were considered to have received more “maleness” and, therefore, to be more like their fathers. We still use the expression, “He’s a spittin’ image of his dad.” In that patriarchal culture, being more like Papa gave sons greater respect and more power than daughters.
That connection between fathers and sons came to be symbolized in one of the most important figures in Israelite society. The king was portrayed as God’s son on earth. Psalm 2, the coronation psalm, depicts this relationship. In Ps 2:6 Yahweh states, “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” The king responds in vs. 7, “I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you.’”
Before Israel developed a monarchy, there was another group referred to as “sons of God.” Angels were designated this way in Gen 6:4, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.” The Psalms also speak of angels in this way. For instance, Psalm 89:6 asks, “For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings (lit. “sons of God”) is like the LORD?”
For the author of Hebrews, Jesus was the only one who fulfilled this role as God’s son completely. That which was said of others was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus. Everything pointed forward and had its culmination in Jesus, God’s son. In this first section of Hebrews, the author begins to draw a comparison of the son to angels in the way God has communicated to people over the thousands of years. Jesus is God speaking to us (1:1–2), the radiant image of who God is (1:3a), and is the effective agent of God in the world (1:3b–4).
Jesus is God’s Speech from God’s Own Mouth (1:1–2)
In biblical antiquity, God spoke to God’s people through a variety of emissaries. The author of Hebrews will come to focus more on the role of angels, but first he will mention the role of the prophets. The prophets talked about the future time as the last days or latter days. The author of Hebrews considers his own time as those last days. God now has spoken to us—not just to people a long time ago and in a far away place (1:1). In the past God spoke through angels and prophets in mysterious ways, but now God has spoken by God’s own Son (1:2).
Remember that sonship in Jewish thought was not just a family relationship. It was also used metaphorically to represent other roles. We noted earlier the text in Genesis that mentions the “sons of God” procreating with the daughters of men (Gen 6:2, 4). Those “sons of God” came to be viewed as angels, the angels that fell from God’s favor (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; cf. Matt 5:9; Luke 20:36). We also explained the way in which the king is called God’s son. Sonship, therefore, came to be a messianic title (Messiah or Christ simply meaning the anointed one, the king). We’ll also see how the role of messiah came to have two aspects. In the time after the Babylonian captivity and the return of the Jews to the land under the rule of the Persians, two figures came to power representing dual messianic roles. One was the king and the other was the high priest (Zech 6:11–13). In Hebrews, Jesus comes to fulfill both aspects. In fact, the role of high priest figures more prominently in Hebrews than that of the political ruler. Through his life and death, Jesus is named to be Son and is appointed to be God’s heir over all (1:2–4). Yet, Jesus existed prior to birth, life and death, since it is through him that God created the world of time, space and matter (1:2).
People search all their lives for the one thing that will give meaning to their existence. Maybe it will be the career they choose that defines them and gives meaning to the time and energy they expend in life. Maybe it will be in collecting meaningful things: house, car, land, art, music, books. Maybe it will be in the selecting of a soul mate, the coming together of two whole people who become two parts of one life. Many people find that life only comes to have ultimate meaning when they discover the finality of God’s voice in our world through the deep spiritual connection with Christ. God always has the last word, and God’s last word to the world was Jesus. We continue to hear whispers of God in worship and meditation, but Jesus was the shout of God, “My son, this is Him; this is Me!”
George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), looked for the one who would speak to his condition. He sought out the priests of the Church, but he was not satisfied with what they had to say. He turned to the protestants—the dissenters—and sought help among their pastors. Their words were also found to be inadequate. Fox tells in his Journal of the only one he found to meet his need.
And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do; then, Oh! then I heard a voice which said, “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.” When I heard it, my heart did leap for joy. Then the Lord let me see why there was none upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that I might give him all the glory.1
We are missing out if we have not heard God speaking in the person of Christ, if Christ has not come to be in the center of who we are. Our lives will be poorer for not defining our own existence in relationship to the person of Christ, the one whom the Scriptures identify as God’s Son.
Jesus is the Radiant Image of God’s Glory and Essence (1:3a)
The author of Hebrews attempts to tell us what kind of a being the Son is, what sort of nature he has. He explains the relationship of the Son to God with two terms that refer to copies or emanations from an original. The first term is “reflection.” You might say that, if you could hold a mirror up to God, what you would see in the mirror is the image of God’s Son. This same term appears in the Greek Bible to personify Wisdom: “For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness” (Wisdom 7:26). The second term is synonymous with the first. In the same way a reflection is a copy of the original object, so an “imprint” or “stamp” is the copy of an original object. God’s Son is the physical instantiation of the divine essence of God’s being. God not only created the worlds through Jesus (1:2) but holds the material universe together through “his powerful word” (1:3), the pronouncement of “Let there be . . .” (Gen 1:3, 6, 14).
Quakers often talk of Jesus as the Light or Inner Light. I think the author of Hebrews would say that God is the lamp, but Jesus is the light. It is hard for us to conceive of what the real difference is. The point is that Jesus is the expression of God’s presence, actions and power in the world: The doing of God is Jesus, the speaking of God is Jesus, the presence of God in our lives is Jesus. The mystery of God in our world is brought to life for us through the Son who shows us the will and work of God all around us.
Jesus is the Effective Agent of God (1:3b–4)
The angels of God and the prophets could bring messages from God and act on God’s behalf, but what they could not do was make a once-and-for-all cleansing of sins. Jesus was both high priest and sacrifice, who made the purification of sins—and then he sat down (1:3). His status as Son exceeded that of angels, and his inheritance was more distinguished than theirs (1:4). He had accomplished what others were not able to do for over a thousand years. The work was finished and Jesus sat down next to God at God’s right hand.
Remember blackboards? I don’t know why we went from blackboards to green boards and now to whiteboards. Sometimes the writing on chalkboards sort of stays there, even after it’s been worked over with an eraser. Sometimes the chalk just gets smudged around on the board. The worst situation with a blackboard is when in school your name gets on the board. Maybe you were talking, cut in line, or just forgot your homework—maybe worse. You can see your name on the board, maybe a few marks next to it. Even after the board is erased, there’s still a faint reminder of your wrongdoing.
It doesn’t matter what your spouse or your closest friend may tell you, you have not always been perfect—you have not yet arrived. I’m sure you are wonderful in every way, but you’re not perfect. You also may be great at forgiving others, making restitution, finding ways to make things better, but you can’t make up for the failures of others and especially for yourself.