His Supremacy
Through a series of comparisons, Hebrews demonstrates the supremacy of the Son over his predecessors.
The letter to the Hebrews is
addressed to a congregation facing pressure from outsiders. Some members are
contemplating withdrawing from the assembly and returning to the local synagogue.
The letter presents arguments for why doing so will have catastrophic
consequences.
The concern
is pastoral, and the purpose is to prevent Christians from leaving the congregation
and apostatizing. Repeatedly, the letter urges believers to remain faithful to
the teachings of the apostolic tradition.
Faithfulness
is the proper response to trials and persecution, and the letter warns of
the dire consequences of faithlessness to Jesus - abandoning the church and
returning to the synagogue leads inevitably to apostasy - (Hebrews
2:1-4, 6:1-12, 10:22-30).
COMPARISONS
The letter employs
the rhetorical technique called synkrisis. It consists of comparisons
that demonstrate the superiority of one thing over another.
For
example, Hebrews highlights the superiority of the “Son” over
what God did under the former covenant. The purpose is not to denigrate that past
revelation, but to emphasize how much the glory of the new surpasses
the old. Between each comparison, the letter presents dire warnings against apostasy.
The letter compares
the “word” of the Son to that of angels, Moses, and Joshua, his priesthood
with the Levitical priests, his one-time sacrifice with the repeated animal sacrifices
of the Tabernacle, and the former covenant with the New Covenant.
The
previous “words” in the “prophets” were partial (“in
many parts”), and delivered by various means (prophecy, visions,
dreams). The “word” spoken in the “Son” differs in at least three
ways. First, God spoke “of old,” but now, He speaks “upon these last
days.” Second, He spoke to the “fathers,” but now, “to us.”
And third, He spoke “in the prophets,” but now, “in a Son.”
As true and
gracious as His past disclosures were, they were promissory and incomplete.
Thus, a fuller word is needed. The past “word” was not incorrect, but partial.
In contrast, His complete “word” is now “spoken in a Son.”
“Upon the last of these days” provides the time element. With the death and resurrection
of Jesus, God’s people have entered a new era and the time of fulfillment has commenced
- (Acts 2:17, Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 1:10).
SON, HEIR, PRIEST
God appointed
the Son “the heir of all things.” This clause alludes to
the second Psalm where Yahweh promised to give His “son” the “nations
as an inheritance.” It is one of two messianic Psalms that figure
prominently in the epistle:
- (Psalm 2:8) – “Ask of me and let me give nations as your inheritance, and as your possession, the ends of the earth.”
- (Psalm 110:1-4) – “Yahweh said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool… Yahweh has sworn and will not repent, You will be a priest to times everlasting after the order of Melchizedek.”
But Hebrews
expands the original promise. The Son is the “heir of all things,”
not just the “nations” or the “earth.” And the mention of his “inheritance”
echoes the covenant promises to Abraham since Jesus is the true heir of the
patriarch.
And the “Son”
is the “eradiated brightness of the glory and the exact impress of His very
essence.” He reflects the very glory and likeness of his Father. The point
is not metaphysical speculation about his nature, but the surpassing greatness
of the position he now holds.
He gained his status as the “high priest forever” through his past accomplishment - “having achieved the purification of sins, he was appointed heir of all things.” This last clause anticipates the letter’s later discussions about his priesthood, covenant, and sacrifice.
Jesus “sat
down on the right hand of majesty.” While this applies to his
royal reign, more importantly, it refers to his priestly role and activities,
especially his entrance into the “Holy of Holies” on behalf of his
people.
The term “sitting
down” contrasts HIS priestly act with that of the Levitical
high priest who also entered the “Holy of Holies” but only on the annual
Day of Atonement, and only for a very brief time. The Aaronic high priest never sat down in the inner sanctum, but Jesus did exactly
that, only in the greater and true Tabernacle. His act demonstrates the completeness
of his sacrifice - (Hebrews 7:26-27, 10:11-12).
Jesus
entered the heavenly sanctuary “once for all” through his one-time
sacrifice, and thereby he obtained everlasting redemption for his people. And
stressing that he “sat down” indicates the permanence of his elevated position.
MORE EXCELLENT NAME
And he “became
so much better than the angels,” having advanced beyond them by
inheriting “a more excellent name.” And in this context, the “more
excellent name” is “Son.”
The “word
spoken in a son” is superior to past revelations in two ways. First, it is
the last word in a long series of revelations (“Upon these last days”). Second,
it is the culmination of all that preceded him, the “perfecter of our faith”
- (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The letter argues from
lesser to greater. Angels are God’s ministers. Moses was His anointed
servant. But the sonly word is vastly superior to any previous message whether
mediated by angels, prophets, or the great Lawgiver himself. Rejecting it results
in even greater punishment than disobedience to the Mosaic law.
Thus, for the
persecuted believer, returning to the earlier but partial revelation is not an
option, and doing so will result in disaster.
In summary,
the epistle compares the “word spoken in a son” with the past but
partial revelations made through prophets, angels, priests, and even Moses. In
this way, it demonstrates the surpassing greatness of the final revelation of
God provided in His Son, Jesus of Nazareth.
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