"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs."

Hebrews 1:3-4

The original readers of Hebrews were tempted to give up, so the writer introduces them to the exalted Lord Jesus. The opening words of the epistle differ from those of the other New Testament letters, in which the writer identifies himself and greets his readers. This writer begins by identifying his central concern: the exaltation of God’s Son, whom he will later identify as Jesus. This paragraph is a single sentence in Greek, which boils down to ‘God has spoken in his Son’ and ‘the Son has sat down at the right hand of God.’ Everything in the sentence is subordinate to that.

The exaltation of the Son to God’s right hand is an allusion to Psalm 110:1, originally a command to the ancient Israelite king, showing that he ruled God’s people with the power and authority of God. Here God’s Son has obeyed this command by taking his seat at God’s right hand in heaven. He rules not just ancient Israel, but the entire universe with the power and authority of God. Finally, his exaltation was ‘After he had provided purification for sins’ (v. 3). This announces another central concern of Hebrews: Jesus is the Great High Priest who has dealt with our sins once and for all.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus, when you ascended into heaven, my redemption was won. Thank you for continuing to intercede for me and for your gift of the Holy Spirit who teaches and guides me.

(Edited from Encounter with God)