The Superior Messenger - Part 3

READ: Hebrews 1:5-14
For to which of the angels did he ever say, "You are my son; today I have begotten you"?

And again, "I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me."

And again, when he introduces the firstborn to the inhabited world, he says, "And let all the angels of God worship him."

And to the angels he says, "He is the one who makes his angels winds, and his ministering servants a flame of fire."

But to the son, "Your throne, O God, is for the age of the age, and the staff of righteousness is your staff of the kingdom. You have loved righteousness and have hated lawlessness. Because of this, God, your God has anointed you with the oil of great joy in front of your companions. And you, at the beginning, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the works of your hands are the heavens. They will vanish, but you will remain, and all like a garment will be made old, and as if a covering you will roll them up; as a garment they also will be exchanged. But you are the same and your years will not fail."

And to which of the angels did he ever say, "Sit at my right until I place your enemies as a footstool for your feet"? Are not all of them ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those destined to inherit salvation?

REFLECT
This letter was written to people of Jewish descent who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, but who now, wearied by persecution, were on the verge of going back to living under the law of Moses. All of this comparison of Jesus to angels and quotations from the Old Testament may seem less relevant to us today who are not struggling with the decision to reverting to Judaism. However, what this section of Hebrews establishes clearly is that Jesus is indeed the Messiah; he alone is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophesies and that he alone is to be worshipped. For them to go back to the law as the basis of their relationship with God would be to miss out on the salvation that only Jesus can bring.

While not tempted to return to Judaism, we can and must grasp the reality that to walk away from our commitment to Jesus, we are at best going to something that inferior or even false. The angels worship Jesus. God the Father, himself, refers to Jesus as "God" and "Lord". The Son is the one who created all things and he is the one who will end all things, because he is eternal. Those who oppose Jesus (and his followers) will be defeated, as they are soon to be a "footstool" for his feet. And he ends this chapter by introducing the encouraging truth that the angels are sent out to minister to those who will inherit salvation (i.e., Jesus' disciples).

In the chapter, the Hebrew writer makes it abundantly clear that Jesus is the Son of God; he is God in the flesh and he is to be honoured, adored, worshipped and obeyed. He is our creator, our sustainer, our saviour and our Lord. The angels worship him and so must we!

PRAY
Father, thank you for sending your son into our world. I acknowledge that Jesus is your son, that he is my creator, sustainer, saviour and Lord. I desire to worship him in spirit and in truth, not just with my lips on Sunday morning, but with my life every day of the week. He, and he alone, is worthy of my total commitment no matter what that cost me. He, and he alone, is the only one through whom I have a relationship with you. Thank you for my salvation that comes to me completely undeserved. Thank you for the gift of your angels. I'm not sure, Father, exactly how they minister to me, but as I wait for the coming of my eternal salvation, I take comfort in the fact that you have provided for my needs. I love you Father. May my heart and my life be acceptable and pleasing to you today.

OBEY
Why don't you spend some time reflecting on who Jesus really is, as revealed clearly by these quotes from the Hebrew Bible, with the goal of refocusing on Jesus and honouring him as your God and your Lord?