Jesus is Greater than the Prophets (Heb. 1:1-3)

This sermon was preached on 23/12/2012

The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted to give up their faith. They were undergoing persecution on the one hand and derision on the other. Imagine their situation. They had believed the gospel and trusted in Jesus. What had happened to them as a result? Persecution and derision. Both may have come from their fellow Jews. The derision concerned their religious privileges. Their fellow Jews were saying to them, ‘We have the prophets, we have the sacrificial system given by God to Moses, we have the temple and its worship, we are in covenant with God, and we have the Word of God. You have nothing. You gave it all up in order to follow Jesus and what has he done for you? Look at us. We are practising our faith and even have government protection. Obviously God is with us and not with you!’ So those Jewish Christians were tempted to give up the faith and return to Judaism.

One man at least was concerned about them and sent them this message that we call the letter to the Hebrews. We can summarise his message in a fairly short sentence: ‘Jesus is better than everything found in the Jewish religion and if you stop following him you will suffer the consequences.’ He follows this pattern several times in his address: first, he says something about Jesus and then he gives a warning to his readers. He was not being cruel when he focuses on this twofold thrust to deal with the problem. Instead he was highlighting the seriousness of their possible choice. If they ceased to be Christians, they would be giving up the greatest blessings possible. Going back to Judaism would not be a temporary backsliding. Instead it would be saying that Jesus was not the Saviour promised by God.

Obviously we cannot go through exactly the same experience as did those Hebrews of long ago. Yet I would be surprised if at least some of us had not been tempted to give up the faith and go back to the world. Therefore the message of Hebrews has something to say to us. It cries out, ‘Don’t give up on Jesus! Think about who he is and think about what others thought of him (as in Hebrews 11)!’ We can give another summary of the message of Hebrews: ‘The best way to avoid backsliding is to think about Jesus.’

No doubt we all have heroes who inspire us. We love to read about them and we are delighted if a biographer points out aspects of their life and work that we did not see or fully understand before. The consequence of the author’s work has been to make our hero bigger in our eyes. We can do that with Jesus. We can look at what Isaiah says about him or what Daniel says or what the Gospel writers say or what Paul or Peter or John say. Each of them gives different slants on and details about Jesus. And so does the author of Hebrews. One thing can definitely be said about his understanding of Jesus. As far as the author is concerned, Jesus is the biggest and best person in the universe.

There are two ways in which we can use comparison to show the greatness of a person. One is to contrast him with the worst or the weakest person. After all, if someone compared Usain Bolt with me, it would not say much about his abilities. But if he is compared with all the other great runners, then his greatness is displayed because he is better than them all. In a similar way, the author of Hebrews takes what is best from the religious experience of Israel and shows that Jesus is bigger and better than them. He starts off by comparing Jesus with the prophets.

Of course, the Jews loved their prophets and loved to list their names. Each of them had done great things for the Lord and had the privilege of being his spokespersons. Yet despite what they had done, the author of Hebrews merely combines them all under the term ‘prophets’ and says they were inferior to Jesus in how they spoke and in who they were. They were important in God’s plan, but they were not as important as Jesus.

Although he does not say very much about the prophets themselves as individuals, the author has a great deal to say about Jesus. I want to briefly consider his description under four headings. The first is the role that was given to him.

His unique purpose – Heir of all things

We might be a bit surprised at the first detail mentioned by the author when he says that Jesus, although he was the Son of God, was appointed Heir of All Things. At first glance, it might seem as if this title suggests that Jesus is inferior to the Father. Yet it is not indicating such a possibility. Instead it reveals that the Father’s intention was to glorify his Son in as great a way as possible.

The first aspect to discover is when this appointment was made. It is clear from verse 2 that it was made before the universe was created. In other words, Jesus was given this title when nothing existed apart from the Trinity. So here we have a crucial element in the Father’s eternal purpose. He desired and decided that his Son should be the Heir of all things. Of course, this was his eternal purpose, which means that not only did it take place before creation, but that it was always his intention. This decision was Plan A, and God never had another plan.

The next aspect to note is what this appointment involved. Clearly it concerns the dignity of Jesus and the possessions he would have. It was the Father’s purpose that his Son should have whatever would come into existence in the universe that would be created. Whatever would appear would belong to Jesus.

A third aspect is how this appointment would first reveal itself. The author says how in the next clause: the Heir of all things created the universe. Normally an heir receives his inheritance, and there is a sense in which Jesus received his when he ascended to heaven. Yet here in Hebrews 1:2, he creates his inheritance. There are other verses in the New Testament which indicate that Jesus created everything:

John 1:3: ‘All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.’

John 1:10: ‘He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.’ 

1 Corinthians 8:6: ‘yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.’

Colossians 1:16-17: ‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.’

Revelation 3:14: ‘And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.”’

Today we know that the universe is much larger than the biblical writer would have known. I read the following details about the vastness of the universe:

·         We don’t know how large the universe is, of how many galaxies there are.

·         There are at least 100,000 million galaxies, and each galaxy contains 100,000 million stars.

·         Regarding our own galaxy, it would take 1,000 light years to cross it (the distance is 600 trillion miles).

·         The sun is big enough to hold two million planets that are the same size as the earth.

·         The star that is nearest to us (Alpha Centauri) is five times bigger than the sun and is twenty billion miles away.

·         The North Star is 400 billion miles away. There is also a star called Betelgeuse which is 880 quadrillion (1 with 24 zeros after it) miles away and is 250 million miles wide.

·         It takes over 4 years for the light from the nearest star to reach the Earth.

·         It would take a jet plane travelling at 600 mph seventeen years eight months to reach Mercury and 690 years to reach Pluto. As far as our nearest star is concerned, it would take the jet plane almost five million years.

The size of the universe takes our breath away. The Son of God made it all with a word. The Heir of all things created his inheritance. Jesus was greater than the prophets because they could not create one thing, never mind create all things.

His unique person – revealer of the Father

Sometimes when an individual is given an inheritance, we wonder what kind of person he is or will be. The author of Hebrews now tells us who the Heir of All Things is. In his description he also may be telling us what the Heir will do within his inheritance as well as what he is in himself. The author uses two illustrations to describe how wonderful Jesus is.

First, he says that the Son is the brightness of God’s glory; he is probably referring to the sun and its rays. Just as the rays tell us what the sun is like, so the Son of God shows us what God is like. The author’s language indicates this is an ongoing function of the Son; he is described as ‘who being the brightness of his glory’. This is who the Son of God is.

Second, the author says that the Son is the ‘exact imprint of his nature’. He is using the illustration of a seal or a badge being impressed on wax: the impression is exactly the same as the original. Similarly, Jesus reveals exactly the invisible God. He claimed this in John 14:9: ‘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’?”’ The apostle John summarised the life of Jesus in John 1:18: ‘No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.’

Jesus is greater than the prophets because they could only speak about God – they could not reveal God exactly. Further, Jesus is greater because he revealed God in different periods of history whereas each prophet could only minister at one period of history. Anything that the prophets taught about God was conveyed to them by Jesus. They spoke through the Spirit of Christ that was in them (1 Pet. 1:11). The fact is that God would remain a mystery to us if it was not for Jesus. But in Jesus we have a perfect revelation of God. Jesus revealed that God was full of grace and truth, compassion and patience. When we see him interacting with people in the New Testament Gospels, we see God. Jesus does this now in heaven and he will do so in the new heavens and new earth.

The author also mentions that the Son of God ‘upholds the universe by the word of his power’. What the author is stating is that the Son guides the universe. He is not merely maintaining the universe in existence, he also controls it to his purposed end. John Brown explains the meaning: ‘The term “uphold” seems to refer both to preservation and government. ‘By Him the worlds were made’ — their materials were called into being, and arranged in comely order: and by Him, too, they are preserved from running into confusion, or reverting back into nothing. The whole universe hangs on His arm; His unsearchable wisdom and boundless power are manifested in governing and directing the complicated movements of animate and inanimate, rational, and irrational beings, to the attainment of His own great and holy purposes; and He does this by the word of His power, or by His powerful word. All this is done without effort or difficulty. He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it stands fast.’

The fact that Jesus is exercising this control has two implications for believers. First, it means that they are never forgotten by him. Nothing happens outwith his control, including all the details in their lives. Second, there is no such thing as chance or luck. Nothing in the universe is self-sufficient.

This reality also reminds us that Jesus is never taken by surprise. He is always in complete control of all things. This does not mean that we can understand all that occurs. Yet it is our claim about Jesus. ‘Our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, hath the weight of the whole creation upon his hand, and disposeth of it by his power and wisdom’ (John Owen).

3. His Unique Achievement – purging our sins

The previous details describe wonderful activities and feats of the Son of God. While it is not within our power to weigh one divine action against another, yet we can say that this deed of purging our sins is the greatest of his actions. It was straightforward for the Son to create the universe and he could govern it without losing control even for a second. Yet when it came to his work on the cross, which was where he purged our sins, it was not achieved without great trial to himself and the exertion of great energy by himself in order to accomplish it. In a sense, the Book of Hebrews is concerned with explaining what was involved in this great work of purging.

The author stresses that the Son did this great activity by himself. As we think of this emphasis on his personal involvement, we realise that he did it without the input of others. The Levitical ritual had required an endless number of priests to offer sacrifices that only had a temporary effect. This action of Jesus showed that he was greater than all the Old Testament priests combined because their joint contribution had not accomplished what he had achieved.

This description of the cross-work of Jesus is a wonderful summary of what he did at Calvary. One important point to note is that the author stresses that the Son was active through it all. Sometimes our theological terminology can cause wrong deductions. It is common for us to hear the work of the Saviour on the cross being described as his passive obedience as distinct from the obedience of his life which is called his active obedience. The word ‘passive’ points to his submission to the Father’s will, but it does not mean that Jesus was inert on the cross.

Why did he have to do it? Many answers can be given to this question depending on which aspect of the cross is being addressed. We can narrow the questioning down and focus on the need of purging. It was us who needed to be purged. Purging in itself points to the need of cleansing. Our sins had defiled us and made us filthy as well as rebels. They meant that we are unfit for the presence of God.

This work of the Heir guarantees that we can now return to our proper place in the presence of God. Every believer has the standing of a saint, sanctified by the blood and able to enter the holiest of all places. In the Old Testament ritual, the people of God were not allowed to enter into the holiest place in the temple. This does not mean that believers such as David and Isaiah did not personally have access to God. But symbolically they did not. This ritual exclusion was a picture lesson that even the God-given Levitical ritual and God-authorised sacrifices in Israel could not give this precious access. These limitations informed the people of God that only the promised Messiah would accomplish this unique privilege for them. It is important to note that these Old Testament practices were not only lessons for Israelites. They are also lessons to us, helping us to understand our privileges.

Although every believer has this permanent status as a saint, his or her sins still affect their approach to God. Unconfessed sin bars the road to God’s throne of grace and will lead to divine chastisement. Yet we can know the blessing of defiled souls being cleansed by the blood of Christ: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9).  For this cleansing, they praise Jesus.

The provision of cleansing was made because the Saviour bore the punishment that we were due. Our sins had been committed against God the Lawgiver and his justice had to be satisfied before we could be forgiven. The cleansing of our souls depended on Jesus enduring the wrath of God against our sins to the extent that he fully paid the penalty that was required of us. This penalty he paid on the cross.

Yet the blessings of his death extend to more than to his sinful people. In Colossians 1:20 Paul states that it was the purpose of the Father ‘through [Jesus] to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.’ In addition to purchasing the deliverance of his fellow-heirs, he also took care of the defilement of his and their inheritance. At Calvary we observe the Heir dying on behalf of those who would be his fellow-heirs; as the Elder Brother he dealt with the defects of the family members and so ensured that they would be fit to enjoy his inheritance.

This doctrine is one of great comfort to all Christians. Through this work, Jesus has purchased them, paid the penalty they were required to pay, made peace between them and God. As Spurgeon put it, on the cross Jesus ‘effectually, finally, totally, completely, eternally purged all his people from their sin by taking it upon himself, bearing all its dreadful consequences, cancelling and blotting it out, casting it into the depths of the sea, and putting it away for ever: and all this he did by himself.’

His unique position – at God’s right hand

The Heir of all things, having made purification for the sins of his people, ‘sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high’. There is a connection between his sitting there and his work of purification. In the Old Testament ritual, when the high priest went into the presence of God with the blood of atonement he did not sit down. Instead, after bringing the blood of the sacrifice to the mercy seat, he continued walking and left the presence of God. The reason why he had to do this was because the work of salvation was not accomplished. But Jesus, when he entered the presence of God, sat down on the throne of God.

In addition, the author refers to the place where Jesus sits: it is the ‘right hand of the Majesty on high’. The right hand was the place of honour, so Jesus now sits in a place of honour. Where is this place of honour? It is beside the Majesty on high, the place where God reigns. The idea is not that Jesus sits on a separate throne beside the one on which the Father sits. Rather, Jesus sits on the same throne as God the Father. In the Book of Revelation, it is called ‘the throne of God and of the Lamb’ (22:1, 3). Jesus, the incarnate Son, has gone to where no human had gone before, indeed where no human could go before. Of course, Jesus can ascend there because he is also God and has the right to sit there. But he is also there as the triumphant Heir of all things, with all things now under his control.

Truly we can say that Jesus is greater than all the prophets. Probably we are in little danger of repeating precisely the sin about which those Christian Jews were tempted. The prophets don’t have the hold on us that they had on the Jews. We tend to accept that they were God’s spokespersons who looked forward to the coming of Jesus and his work on behalf of sinners. We know that they would have been appalled at the prospect of anyone placing them above Jesus. Yet while we do not put the prophets before Jesus, we can commit the same outcome as those early Christians were tempted with. Why were they attracted to the prophets? It was to make their lives easier and their troubles, indeed persecutions, disappear. So the application to us concerns whether the price of following Jesus is too demanding and if we are trying to discover ways of reducing the cost of commitment to him. If we are, the same advice would be given to us as was given by the author to his original readers: ‘Remember the glory of Jesus.’