The Risen Saviour is Greater than the Angels (Hebrews 1:4-6)

This sermon was preached on 30/12/2012

The writer of this letter, having completed his evidence for how Jesus is greater than the prophets, now commences to explain how he is greater than the angels, and this explanation will run unto the end of chapter 2, although the author also will refer to several other aspects of the greatness of Jesus in this section. We may be surprised that the author would give such little space for the matter of the prophets in comparison to the extent with which he deals with angels because we might think the prophets were more important, given that they passed on God’s revelation. Yet the Jews gave a very high place to angels, and their estimation is what caused the author to explain several ways in which Jesus is superior to them.

So to begin with, I want us to think about what Bible says about angels because the more we know about their abilities and roles the more we will appreciate the greatness of Jesus.

The importance of angels

The first detail to note about the angels is that their existence is a matter of biblical revelation. There is not another way by which we would know who they are or what they do. In recent years, there has been an interest in so-called angels and this was reflected in a number of books, films and other merchandise that appeared. These kinds of angels are merely the product of human imagination and have nothing in common with biblical angels.

The next detail to observe about angels is that they appear throughout the Bible, from the first book Genesis to the last book Revelation. Altogether, they are mentioned about 270 times. We find them protecting the way to the tree of life after Adam and Eve fell (Gen. 3:24). And we find them in heaven at the end praising Jesus Christ. Therefore, they did not only appear at one specific stage but have been active throughout the whole of human history.

Further, although they have been in existence for the whole of human history, the Bible is also clear that they are creatures (Ps. 148:5).  While the Bible does not refer in detail to their creation, it is clear that they existed before the creation of the earth was completed because Job 38:4-7 depicts them as rejoicing over the beautiful state of God’s original created order. Some biblical scholars, taking into account the statement in Exodus 20:11, which says that all things in the universe were made between days one and six of the creation week at the beginning, are of the opinion that the angels were created during that first week of creation (because they must exist somewhere). Whether or not angels should be included in that description I cannot say.

Angels exist in large numbers. Hebrews 12:22 refers to an innumerable company of angels. Since they were all created at the same time, they do not increase or decrease in number, although the number of good angels decreased when Satan led a rebellion of previously holy angels. That rebellion means that there are now good angels and evil angels, and the size of each group is not revealed to us. Neither good angels nor bad angels will go out of existence. Because they are creatures, each angel will be judged by Christ when he returns (1 Cor. 6:3): the good angels will be rewarded with eternal bliss and the bad angels will be punished with eternal retribution.

Angels are personal beings. Each of them has reason (they can think), emotions (they can be happy, angry etc.) and a will (they make choices to obey God, or in the case of the fallen angels they chose to disobey him). They are spirits (without bodies), although at times they took on the appearance of men (as when angels appeared to Abraham).

There are different ranks among the angels. Paul refers to an archangel in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and Jude 9 states that his name is Michael (he is also mentioned in Daniel 10:21 and 12:1 as well as Revelation 12:7). It is likely that there is only one archangel. In addition to Michael, we are told about another important angel called Gabriel who also spoke to Daniel (8:16; 9:21) and then centuries later visited both Joseph and Mary in connection to the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:19, 26). In Isaiah 6, there are angels called seraphim, and other angels called cherubim appear in several places in the Bible.

Angels were involved in the life of Jesus. As well as the messages of Gabriel to Joseph and Mary, an angel warned them to flee to Egypt after Jesus was born in order to escape the wrath of Herod. Angels appeared to Jesus after his period of temptation in the desert (Matt 2:13). In his teaching, Jesus often refers to angels, which indicates that he was often thinking about them. Jesus indicates in Matthew 26:53, at the time of his arrest by the Jewish authorities, that armies of angels were ready to defend him. One angel was given the great honour of comforting Jesus during his agony in Gethsemane, although we are not told how he did so. Angels were present at the tomb on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection (Matt 28:2, 6) and also addressed the disciples on the day that he ascended to heaven (Acts 1). They will be with Jesus when he returns (Matt 25:31) and will be involved in the execution of the sentence on the impenitent (Matt 13:41-42).

As far as believers are concerned, Hebrews 1:14 says that they help all of God’s people. We join them in worshipping God (Heb 12:22) and they are present in the gatherings of God’s people (1 Cor 11:10). Ephesians 3:10 indicates that they learn about God and his purposes through observation of his people. God has used them as a means of answering prayer, for example when Peter was freed from prison (Acts 12:7). They rejoice when the church is successful at evangelism (Luke 15:10). When believers die, the angels take their souls to heaven (Luke 16:22). At the second coming of Jesus, the angels will gather God’s people from the four corners of the world (Matt. 24:31). In the eternal world, angels will join the church in praising Christ (Rev. 4, 5, 7).

Our response to angels should be one of thankfulness to God for their ministry, of respect to them as dignified servants of God, and of fear if God will use them against us. In the light of what the Old Testament says about angels, it is not surprising that many Jews revered angels. But they are inferior to Jesus as the writer will proceed to show, and he will do so with seven quotations from the Old Testament.

The fact that he uses the Old Testament is another reminder that it is full of Jesus. Six of the seven quotations come from the Book of Psalms and we will see through this and later studies that there is a sequential arrangement of their fulfilment in the experience of Jesus. Initially we may find some of the author’s Old Testament connections as a bit surprising because we may not see an immediate connection with the life of Jesus. In this sermon we will think about the first three quotations.

Christ is superior because of his name, Son.

The first argument that the author uses is that Jesus has inherited a superior name than the one which belongs to angels. The name is ‘Son’, and the first question that arises is, ‘When did he inherit this name?’ or ‘When did God call him by this name?’

Our initial response might be to say that Jesus is greater than the angels because he is divine. It is the case that he is the eternal Son of God, and perhaps we may assume that the author is referring to that eternal relationship because it certainly indicates that Jesus is greater than the angels. Yet the author says that Jesus has ‘become greater than the angels’. So he cannot be referring to the eternal aspect of Christ’s superiority because it does not involve him ‘becoming greater’ – instead he always was greater than all created things, including the angels. So the author must have another occasion in mind.

Nor can we look for an occasion during Jesus’ earthly life as suitable for when he was addressed as the Son, as described here in Hebrews 1. There were occasions when Jesus was described as Son, such as when Gabriel informed Mary that her child would be called the Son of God (Luke 1:32) or when Jesus was addressed as the Son of God at his baptism (Matt. 3:7) or at his Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). The reason why these occasions are not suitable options is that Hebrews 2:9 says that Jesus ‘was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death’; in other words he was lower than the angels throughout his earthly life until he died on the cross.

Hebrews 2:9 also suggests that Jesus’ being lower than the angels ceased when he was resurrected from the dead. We may wonder at the connection between his sonship and his resurrection. The author quotes two passages here in Hebrews 1 to prove his claim. First, he quotes Psalm 2:7 (‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’) and Paul cites the same verse when speaking about the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:33). It is clear that Psalm 2 describes events that took place after Jesus was crucified. The first verses depict the rebellion against Jesus, led by Pilate and Herod, and that resulted in his death. Yet in the psalm, the Son subsequently, in the language of prophecy, celebrates the fact that he was called Son when he was raised from the dead.

The second passage is 2 Samuel 7:14 (‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’). In that passage, God promises David that he will have a royal descendant who will always sit on his throne. This promise was not fulfilled in any of the natural descendants of David, but it was fulfilled when Jesus arose from the dead. This is how Paul puts it in Romans 1:3-4: ‘concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.’ The seed of David and the risen Son are the same person.

Both quotations from Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 indicate that the particular occasion the author has in mind as to when Jesus was addressed as ‘Son’ is his resurrection from the dead.

The Firstborn

The author then selects another Old Testament passage to prove the superiority of Christ: ‘But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him”’ (v. 6). There has been disagreement as to where the word ‘again’ should be placed in the verse. Some, as in the translation just cited, position the term ‘again’ so that the verse gives the impression that the author is referring to the second coming of Jesus. But it is best to place it in the same position as it is found in verse 5; the word is an indication to the readership that the author is using another quotation from the Old Testament.

In order to help us understand this verse, we have to ask what the term ‘firstborn’ means. It is probably an allusion to Psalm 89:27 (‘And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth’) where the Father promises to exalt the future King. In several places, the New Testament connects the title to Christ’s resurrection as well as to his authority. For example, Paul writes in Colossians 1:18: ‘And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.’ John writes in Revelation 1:5 concerning Jesus: ‘and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.’ So it is possible to see in this title ‘firstborn’ a reference to the resurrection of Jesus. The Father brought him into the world on several occasions. The Incarnation would be one such coming, but so would his resurrection when he was brought back to life. The latter option has the benefit of fitting in with other verses in this passage.

The Old Testament reference that the author quotes is Psalm 97:7. Psalm 97 celebrates the reign of God over the nations. Yet his reign is not one of which they have to be afraid because the psalmist exhorts them to be joyful and glad in the Lord (v. 1). Verses 2-4 inspire worship because the Lord has acted righteously. The result of this righteous action is that God’s people will know his blessing and can have great confidence in him (vv. 5-12). In verse 7, the psalmist calls on those who worship idols (that is, the Gentiles) to turn to the Lord. He also exhorts those he calls gods to worship the Lord. The writer of Hebrews says that these gods are the angels (he is citing the Septuagint rendering) and the One they are called to worship is Jesus. Is it not amazing to realise that Psalm 97, written in ancient Israel, describes the reign of the risen Jesus. The angels are called to worship him.

The risen Jesus is greater than the angels

Can we make any suggestions as to why this event shows Christ’s superiority to the angels because, after all, they cannot die? The answer to this question concerns the significance of the resurrection of Christ.

One way by which Jesus’ resurrection shows his superiority over the angels is that it was through death that he robbed the evil angels of their power and received unlimited authority over them. None of the good angels could achieve this great victory. Indeed, we are told that even the archangel Michael, in a dispute with the devil, could only appeal to the Lord for help (Jude 9). But Jesus entered into conflict with the devil and his angels and there on the cross he ‘disarmed principalities and powers’ and ‘made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it’ (Col. 2:15).

Another way by which Jesus’ resurrection shows his superiority over angels is that by it he proved that he had reclaimed for his co-heirs the inheritance that Adam had lost. When the risen Jesus stood alive on this earth on the Day of his resurrection, he was claiming the inheritance that had been lost and cursed. He had begun the process whereby it would yet be restored in its fullness.

A third way is that the resurrection of Jesus was followed by angels worshipping him.  His resurrection led to his ascension and on that second occasion the heavenly hosts praised him for his great achievements (Rev. 4-5). A most surprising incident in the Bible is when the apostle John, after seeing so much of the glory of Jesus, tried to worship the angel who was showing him aspects of God’s kingdom (Rev. 22:8). They don’t want to be worshipped. Instead they want to give all the glory to Jesus.

A fourth way by which the resurrection of Jesus makes him superior is that the angels never did anything that caused there to be a gospel for lost sinners. But Jesus did. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was a vindication of his atoning death on the cross. By raising his Son from the dead, the heavenly Father ensured there would be a gospel for lost sinners.