The Surpemacy of Christ
Reflection on Hebrews 1
When you ask people outside the Christian faith—and even, at times, those from other religious traditions—who Jesus was, the answers vary. Many will say He was a good man. Others may call Him a teacher, even a prophet. The Pharisees themselves might have tolerated Him had He claimed merely a human pedigree. But Jesus went further: He claimed divine origins as the very Son of God, equal with the Father, being fully man and fully God. The writer of Hebrews vigorously defends this truth in the opening chapter: in times past, “God spoke to the fathers through the prophets.” “But in these last days,” the author declares, “He has spoken to us by His Son” (v. 2).
This passage reminds us that Jesus is the eternal agent of creation, “through whom also He created the world” (v. 2). He is “the heir of all things,” the One who “upholds the universe by the word of His power” (v. 3). He has “become much superior to angels” and bears a name “more excellent than theirs” (v. 4).
No mere messenger—whether human or angelic—compares to the Son. Prophets delivered the Word of God; angels minister to those who will inherit salvation. But Jesus is Himself the Word made flesh, the eternal Son through whom all things came into being.
We are not to worship angels—something they themselves often reminded humanity of during their earthly visitations. Nor should we reduce Jesus to merely a wise teacher, a moral leader, or a prophet among many. He is Lord over everything, including all the enemies of God who have been made a “footstool for His feet” (v. 13).
Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.” In Him, the perfection, righteousness, and moral beauty of God are made visible. Paul added, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In him all things were created… all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15–17).
As a media professor, the word image makes me think of photography—the process by which light is captured by a camera and imprinted as an image of the subject in the frame. Without light, nothing is visible; darkness has no power of its own. Light reveals form and substance as it reflects into our eyes. But the light of God is too pure and powerful for human sight; it would overwhelm us like an overexposed image with no definition—indeed, it would consume us. “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews12:29; cf: Deuteronomy 4:24).
Only with God’s help are we able to behold him. Throughout Scripture, God’s presence has often been veiled—muted in glory lest it consume us. Moses encountered Him in the burning bush. Israel saw Him as a devouring fire on Mount Sinai. Jacob wrestled with Him in human form. When Moses pleaded to see God’s glory, the Lord replied, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). To protect him, God placed Moses in the cleft of the rock, covering him with His hand until He had passed by, allowing only a glimpse of His back. Again and again, God revealed Himself through theophanies—manifestations of His presence—sometimes in startlingly human-like form.
Jesus doesn’t merely reflect that light—He is the “light of the world (John 8:12),” the exact imprint of the Father’s nature, making the invisible God visible. As John declared, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he [Jesus] has made him known” (John 1:18). And Jesus Himself confirmed, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
He loves righteousness, hates wickedness, and has been anointed “with the oil of gladness beyond [His] companions” (v. 9). His life on earth was the visible expression of the invisible God, offering the world both a perfect example and the perfect Savior.
His divinity is unmistakably affirmed: complete oneness with the Father, yet distinct in personhood. As the eternal Son, He was uniquely appointed to accomplish the final atoning “purification for sins” before taking His seat “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (v. 3). His obedience flowed from His flawless image-bearing—He was, and is, the true and exact revelation of God to humanity, perfect in holiness.
The writer of Hebrews then connects the dots: it was the Son—the pre-incarnate Christ—present with the Father from eternity, eternally begotten, and fully God. The One who appeared in the Old Testament is the very same Jesus revealed in the New.
Hebrews 1 leaves us with no middle ground. Jesus is not simply an exalted heavenly being or one deity among many gods—He is the Creator, and with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, the only true God.
As Isaiah declared:
“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing” (Isaiah 40:25–26).
Or as the song of Moses celebrated:
“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11).
Not just a messenger, but the very Word of God. Not just the New Testament fulfillment of the promised Messiah, but the One who “was in the beginning with God” and “without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:2–3). Not merely a ruler, but the supreme King, enthroned forever, whose “years will have no end” (v. 12).
This is the One we worship: the radiance of God’s glory, the exact imprint of His nature, our eternal Lord and Savior. To think of Him as anything less diminishes His majesty. To know Him rightly is to see Him as highly exalted—worthy of our complete devotion, our steadfast faith, and our unending praise.
And it is here that Jesus’ own question comes to us with fresh weight: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Peter answered then, and we confess now: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).