Hebrews 1
Outline
1-4 | Jesus, God’s Son Greater Than Prophets
5-14 | Jesus Is Greater Than Angels
Reflections
The writer of Hebrews is unknown to us or even to the early church fathers. (You can see the full outline for the book of Hebrews for a fuller discussion of this subject.) We do know this about the writer.
- He was well versed in the Old Testament scriptures because of his many quotations.
- He was a Jewish believer in Jesus and writing to fellow Jewish believers.
- He knew Timothy (Hebrews 13:23).
- He wrote prior to the destruction of the temple in ad 70.
In this first chapter, the writer seeks to show that Jesus is greater than both the Old Testament prophets and angels. Jesus is greater than the prophets because they only spoke for God, where as Jesus was God’s Son. He knows the Father better than any human could and so He was a better messenger than the prophets.
Jesus was also better than the angels, who were simply other beings created by God for a specific purpose. Jesus is God’s Son, not just a created being, but God’s very image and appointed for a better purpose.
Thus begins our glimpse into what makes Jesus Greater!
Lord God, in Your wisdom You have appointed Your Son as Your representative to Your creation and to mankind. We pray that Your Spirit will guide us to greater understanding of You and Your Son Jesus as we contemplate the message in the letter to the Hebrews. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
