Not many people know that I did the easiest English subject in year 12 and when I was in primary school I saw a speech therapist, so I am always blown away by the fact that I can even give any talks at all. God does use the week sometimes.
I don’t know if you have seen kids trying to learn to ride a bike. They have to get their balance right and pedal correctly and know when to turn the handlebars. This can be hard when you’re a kid. It is funny sometimes watching them as they look down to pedal and when they do, when they lose focus they kinda turn and then look up and adjust again and wobble around. Or they are trying to talk to you while riding and when they turn their head when they stop looking ahead they turn and then try and self-correct and again wobble around. The best advice you can say is, “watch where you're going” “keep looking ahead”.
I remember when I got my P’s I would always be looking at the speedo. I would always make sure I was doing the right speed limit, which was good, but I would spend half my driving time looking at the dash. Which is no good. I remember when I got off my P’s and I had more points, and I was more familiar with the car and the local roads, I wouldn’t look at the speedo half as much. It was freeing and safer for my to always be looking ahead.
And that is the main point of Hebrews. Keep looking to Jesus, because he is a big deal.
And we saw this last week. So far the author has outlined seven aspects of Jesus: (1) He is God’s Son who is appointed heir of all things; (2) He is the creator of all things; (3) He reflects God’s glory; (4) He has the very being of God; (5) He sustains all things; (6) He is the perfect sacrifice and (7) He is exalted to the right hand of God.
And this is the main message of Hebrews. Jesus is greater. He is bigger and better than anything. I don’t know if you have ever got caught in conversations trying to outdo each other in stories. I did just this morning with this other lady after 10am church, we were sharing stories from growing up around Campbelltown. I must admit she had better stories.
Now the author of Hebrews, if he[1] was every in an out-do each other conversation he would go to Jesus. Name something that is grand, well there is Jesus. Tell me about something that was powerful, well there is Jesus. Tell me a story about great sacrifice, well Jesus trumps that.
And that was last week. Jesus is the best, he is the greatest. He made all things, owns all thing, sustains all things and rules over all things. Jesus is God and so shows us God. Not only that, Jesus the perfect sacrifice for us, to bring us to God.
Why angels? Who really cares?
And of all the things to start your argument proper, after your introduction, why go to angels? Later the author will compare Jesus with Moses, the High Priest, the tabernacle, the sacrificial system, deeply Jewish things, but why angels right off the bat?
In the Septuagint, which was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible of the day, it had angels on Mount Sina delving the law to Moses (Deut 33:2 LXX[2])
This idea comes up in Acts 7, at the end of Stephens speech when he is getting stuck into the Jewish leaders of the day. He ends by saying:
you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (Acts 7:53)His main point is the that Jews weren’t following the Old Testament, but in this verse he just mentions that the law was given by angels.
Paul in Galatians also says this. Chapter 3:19b says:
The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. (Gal 3:19b)So again, this is the same idea. Angels were important. They gave the law to Moses. This is a big deal. They brought the revealed message of God to the nation of Israel in how they were to live. Angels were great messengers. Faithful messengers and ensured that we could have the Old Testament. So right off the bat, the reason why we go to Jesus being better than angels is tied to the opening verses in this letter.
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,” (Heb 1:1-2a)In the past, we have the Old Testament, of which the angels brought the law. But now, in the last days, God has spoken to us by Jesus. And I think this is why the author goes on a quotation frenzy citing all these Old Testament verses. He is pointing out that Jesus, the Messiah was already intended by God to be superior to the angels and the law[3].
From using the message that was carried by angels, the Old Testament, the author is showing that Jesus is better. He Jesus is said to be better in at least five ways[4]. Jesus has a better title than angels, better honour then angels, a better job than angels, better existence than angels and a better status than angels.
We will look at this briefly and then think so what?
Better title (v4-5)
In verses 4 and 5 it says that Jesus has a better name than the angels. He asks, tell me where has an angel ever been called God’s Son? Where does God say to angels that He will be their Father. This question implies the answer: nowhere. God never says that, but from Psalm 2:7 and 2 Sam 7:14, both taken as messianic passages back then[5], the author is saying these verses are about Jesus. Jesus is the messiah. He is God’s Son. Jesus has a better title than the angels, because He is called God’s Son.Better honour (v6)
Riffing on the messiah idea, the author then has a tricky quote about how when Jesus comes angels will worship Him.This quote is a bit tricky in that they can’t really work out if it comes from Psalm 97:7 or Deuteronomy 32:43[6]. Maybe it is an interpretative citation from both sources, back then plagiarism laws were pretty relaxed and their citation standards were pretty low. It is also quite possibly pulled from the Greek version of either Psalm 97 or Deuteronomy 32 the day[7]. But the point here is that it is the angels that will be worshipping God’s Son. The angels are not the object of honour, they are doing the worshipping. That is what they do.
Better job (v7-9, 14)
Not only do they to the worshipping and the giving of the honour, they are in verse 7 called servants who are sent out. And in verse 14 angels are ministering spirits sent to sever those who will be saved. Their role is to serve, whereas by comparison we are told Jesus here sits on an everlasting throne where He is a righteous ruler. From this throne, he may even be doing the sending of the angels. Hands down, I think it is clear that the angels have to job to be servants and Jesus has the job to rule. There is a different, and one job is better than the other.Do you get the point so far? Jesus is called God’s Son and angels aren’t. In fact, the angels worship Jesus, even just that point shows that Jesus is better. Jesus is sitting on an everlasting throne whereas the angels are doing the serving. But the author goes on, there are two more points he belabours.
Better existence (v10-12)
From verse 10, he goes on, and also, in case you do have it yet, remember verse 2, Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things. He made the heavens and the earth and one day He is going to wrap it all up. Everything is dependent on Jesus and one day Jesus is going to update this universal, just like wardrobe upgrade, and through all of these aeons of time and change that passes, Jesus will stay the same.Now in this bit, angels have dropped off. There isn’t even a comparison with Jesus and angels here. You can’t compare them. Angels, like us, are created. Angels like us, are depending on God’s existence. We need Him to uphold the universe, Jesus doesn’t need the universe at all for His existence, He actually made it in the first place.
Better status (v13)
And finally, the last question the author asks rhetorically, is to which angel did God say to sit at His right hand. When did God say that He would make any enemies of angels so lowly that they would become their footrest? And the answer is none, so implicitly by comparison and from verse 3, we see it is Jesus who is sitting at the right hand of the Father. After Jesus has atoned for the sins of the world, after Jesus has made a way for us to come back to God, after Jesus has paid our price, by dying the death we deserve, Jesus rose again and sits down at the right hand of the Father. His work is complete and He now rules as the righteous King forever.Jesus has the ultimate status. As Philippians 2 tells us. Jesus is exalted to the highest place and given the name that is above every name, and that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and everyone, friend or foe, will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).
So what?
Hopefully you have got the main thrust of the passage. In case you didn’t, here it is: Jesus is better than angels. Angels are the messengers. They are good. They brought the law to Moses, they helped carry out God’s will, but don’t stop at them. The Old Testament itself points out that Jesus, God’s Son is better than the messengers.
Do you feel that sometimes? Wouldn’t it be easier sometimes if we didn’t have to have such non-PC stances on things? Wouldn’t it be easier if we didn’t have to come here on a Sunday night, the day before a big week at work? It would be easier and more comfortable for us to not believe in a deity that cares about our sex life. At work, it’s hard to tell the good news about Jesus when most gospel presentations starts off with the bad news about people being sinners. Why do that? Why take the hit that you know is going to come? It is easier and more comfortable to just watch netflix and talk about that with peers.
But the author of Hebrews is saying in a big voice, don’t go back. It’s not worth it. With Jesus it is better. Stick with Jesus because He is greater. He is better, hands down.
Don’t follow the messenger, follow who the message has always been about. The angels brought a message about the law, and the coming messiah, and a new kingdom, and now that message has been fulfilled.
Sometimes we are trying to find some great experience or a new revelation from God or an exciting encounter with God. But we don’t need to look anywhere else. Look to Jesus. Stick with him. Paul even says that if you do find an angel from heaven and they say something other than the Gospel then let them be under God’s curse (Gal 1:8). We have the Gospel. We have seen the lead up in the Old Testament and the fulfilment in Christ. If you are a Christian, Jesus has forgiven your sins, you have been rescued from darkness, you have been set free from the bondage of sin, you have been adopted into God’s family, all of that so that you can be brought to God, and all of this is by grace. You didn’t earn it. Jesus did it for you. So don’t go back.
If you think you are a moral person and generally pretty good, don’t go back to your self-righteous ways. Don’t slip into thinking that you church attendance makes you better with God than others. That your prayers, or insights in small groups shows how much more blessed you are. That the effort you make in trying to please others and getting them to notice you will pay off in the end. That you are in a perfect position of judging others actions and motivations. Don’t go back to that thinking.
If you know you are a sinner, and wretch saved by grace, don’t go back to your old habits either. Anger, rage, malice, slander, gossip have no place anymore (Col 3:8). Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed are to be put behind you (Col 3:5). Don’t conform to the patterns of this world (Rom 12:2a)
Don’t drift back to your past. You are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come. The law is only binding till death. Someone is free to marry again if their partner dies, for marriage is binding till death. So, it is with us (Rom 7:1-6). We have died with Christ, who died to the law (Col 2:20). We are now raised with Christ (Col 3:1) and now under Him. Don’t go back to the law or your old self. For under Christ it is better.
And don’t follow the messenger. Today we may not be tempted to worship and follow angels, but in our zeal, we can elevate Godly messengers too high. Don’t get me wrong. People like John Piper and Tim Keller and Kevin DeYoung are good guys to follow, but Jesus is better. I’m sure Tim Mackie from the Bible Project is a great guy, and at the start of this year nearly every small group I had someone would quote Him, and that is fine there is a place for that. But I know a guy who is better, and Tim Mackie does too. This guy said He was the way, the truth and the life, that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is worthy to receive all glory, and all honour and all power for by His will all things were created and have their being (Rev 4:11).
Let us not be like the kid learning to ride a bike. Don’t have an accident by trying to text and drive. Keep your eyes looking forward. Keep your eyes set to Jesus. Jesus is God and is greater than all things, so let’s listen to Him for He is our creator, sustainer and saviour.
[1] I contend that the author of Hebrews was a dude based on Hebrews 11:32 where the author refers to themselves using a masculine participle.
[2] “And he said, The Lord is come from Sina, and has appeared from Seir to us, and has hasted out of the mount of Pharan, with the ten thousands of Cades; on his right hand [were] his angels with him.” (Deut 33:2 LXX)
[3] Wright, N. T. (2003). Hebrews for everyone. London: John Knox Press, page 7
[4] This break up was from either or both: MacArthur, J. F. (1983). The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Hebrews. Chicago: Moody Press; and Hughes, K. (1991, September 15). Christ's Supremacy to Angels. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from Preaching the Word: http://www.preachingtheword.com/avmsdownload.asp?id=508
[5] ESV Study Bible footnotes
[6] A.T. Robertson (1932) and M.R. Vincent (1886) assert that the quote comes from Deut 32:43 but the sentiment of the quote could be from Psalm 97:7. Albert Barnes (1855), John Gill (1748), Matthew Henry (1706), N.T. Wright (2003) all think the quote is from Psalm 97:7. Adam Clark (1832) and Kent Hughes (1991) see Deut 32:43 as a Messiah reference and the source of the quote.
[7] “Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.” (Deut 32:43 LXX)
“Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship him, all ye his angels.” (97 [96]:7 LXX)
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