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 (Hebrews 1:1-4).
In the original Greek, these opening lines are all one sentence, a series of dependent clauses, what scholars call a periodic structure. This type of extended sentence has a beginning, middle, and conclusion, an example of advanced rhetorical skills from the first-century Greco-Roman world.
Lost in translation is the memorable alliteration and assonance. Alliteration is when each word begins with the same letter, in this case, P or Pi in Greek. Assonance is when words sound the same, resulting in a resonance when grouped. Stylistically, all this can be cumbersome in written form but very effective when spoken.
The English Standard Version translators attempt to capture the sense of alliteration: many times in many ways, all to emphasize an awe-inspiring truth: God spoke. We tend to take this for granted, but it is truly extraordinary. The God revealed in sacred Scripture is a God who speaks to disclose his will and wisdom.
That was unprecedented in the ancient world—leading to the question, God spoke to whom? Our fathers. Paul uses the same language when writing to Gentiles (non-Jews) in 1 Cor. 10:1: For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea […]. The idea is quite profound. Paul includes Gentiles within the context of the commonwealth of Israel.
Israel’s patriarchs are now our fathers. All disciples of Yeshua will find their ancestry in the story of Israel.
I remember hearing TV personality and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey share that she could trace her ancestry back several generations through genealogical and DNA records, a popular trend. She was deeply moved to discover where her ancestors came from in the South and to learn that her great-great-grandfather, a former slave, had started a school for black children. It gave Oprah, already a highly successful woman, a sense of who she is and her calling in life.
The same should be true for you and me when, as followers of Jesus, we discover that our heritage records are not in town halls or county courthouses but in God’s Word, in the prophetic history of Israel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not just some strange Bible characters but rather your ancestors, your forefathers in the faith. That is the biblical worldview the author of Hebrews is sharing.
When he says that in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, we are reminded of his thoroughly apocalyptic perspective. Everything is coming to a consummation and closure. Wrongs will be righted; righteousness will prevail. To the early church, these last days were inaugurated when Jesus rose from the grave. Resurrection and Spirit were vital to the way they were to live their lives.
The author contrasts the many with the one, the prophets who have spoken before with the decisive word of the Son. The Greek text says a son, but the clear referent is Jesus, God’s Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things.
Sonship and inheritance were naturally linked together in the ancient Near East. God promised Abraham and his offspring an inheritance of land. The writer of Hebrews says that not only does Jesus become heir of that land, but he is also going to become heir of all things. Again, this is end-times or last days (eschatological) language. When God’s kingdom (which is now) is finally consummated (more to come), Messiah Jesus will be the heir of all things.
Everything will eventually be subject to Jesus, but it is not that way right now.
In Jesus, we will realize the promise of sabbath rest, eternal life, and full participation in the kingdom. All of these terms are interchangeable. The author continues his exalted description, through whom also he created the world […] and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
Not only is the Son one with the Father, but now the author of Hebrews alludes to the fact that he was involved in creating the universe and is active in governing the world. Jesus, the written word (Greek, logos) of God-made flesh, also sustains what he made by the power of his spoken word (Greek, rhema).
Just trying to wrap my head around this—to teach it to you—is mind-blowing.
He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature. The Greek word for glory typically refers to God’s visible presence in the midst of his people. It recalls that wondrous moment in Exodus, Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel (24:17).
Glory, kavod in Hebrew, is God’s visible, tangible presence, always associated with light. In Hebrews, it can be read in a passive or an active sense. In other words, it can refer to the reflection or the radiance of God’s glory. In Jesus, it is both.
This concept of glory will be repeated strategically and powerfully throughout Hebrews.
For instance, You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. […] But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (Heb 2:7-9).
Now listen to this: For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. (Heb 2:10).
Jesus the Messiah—the pioneer of faith—will lead many children to what? Glory. Did you get that? He is the one who made a way through the wilderness of sin and brokenness to show you a path into God’s presence and to the fullness of glory. That, brothers and sisters, is our destiny.
Now, don’t slip into thinking about heaven as in the sweet by and by. Instead of singing, “I’ve got a house in glory land,” we need to be overcome by the reality that God’s perfect temple will descend upon the earth. When the heavens and the earth are made new, you and I, in our resurrected physicality, will share in the glory of Jesus.
We catch a glimpse of this on the Mount of Transfiguration. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light (Matt 17:2). That same glory will fill you. You are going to be transformed into his likeness. Your destiny is glory!
We are to be made in the image of the Son, the Father’s imprint. The word character comes from the Greek word behind imprint. An example of the use of imprint from this period is that which an official seal makes when pressed into wax on a letter. It is parallel to the word for image (icon in Greek).
Jesus is the very imprint of God’s being and fundamental essence.
I know this can roll right over us, but I want you to see these statements as the high Christology they are. We don’t have to wait four centuries for a church council to declare that the Son is one with the Father. Early on, everyone in the Jesus movement knew his identity because of his resurrection. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, the very imprint of God’s being. He is the Word of God.
While we are still reeling in light of these cosmic realities, we are immediately thrust back to his humanity in a way that will be a central and pervasive theme in Hebrews, the high priesthood of Jesus. After making purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
He is both the sacrifice for sin and the High Priest who offers the sacrifice. And by the definitive act of voluntarily pouring out his blood, we are cleansed from all unrighteousness. He then sits down at the right hand of the majesty on high, a reference to Psalm 110:1, which was a classic proof text for the resurrection of Yeshua and is the most quoted verse in the New Testament.
When Jesus ascended, he entered fully into God’s life and rule. His enthronement inaugurated the eschatological kingdom with its proclamation that the risen Messiah is Lord.
And in case we need further help to grasp what’s going on here, verse four confirms that the Son shares in the very identity of his Father because he has inherited his name. Having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
