Over the next several weeks, I want
to draw our minds back to the Letter of Hebrews and meditate with you on
several aspects of the glory of Christ. The author begins his letter with these
words: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by
the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son...” (1:1-2a).
Here the author draws a comparison between two things that begin to establish the
superiority of Jesus over all things.
One the one hand, God spoke and
spoke and spoke over a period of about ten centuries, through a number of
people, and in a variety of ways. He spoke to Adam and Noah and Abraham and
Moses and many others by means of commandments, exhortations, oracles, stories, miracles,
visions and dreams, theophanies, natural and supernatural events, pillars of
fire and smoke, the Urim and Thummim, a still small voice, and so on. God
issued an extensive amount of speech, over an extensive period of time, through
a number of people, and in a variety of ways. But as powerful and important as that
speech was, in the end it was preparatory and partial. It was begging for, and
pointing toward, something outside of itself. Something greater. Something that
would fulfill what it promised and anticipated.
On the other hand, in these last days, God has spoken
once for all, at one period of time, through one person and in one way. Namely,
in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son. And when he spoke in this
way, he was not simply
offering new or more information about himself, rather, he was providing a much
fuller image of himself. He was saying, “Here I am, here’s what I’m like,
here’s a display of the fullness of my glory.” So the speech of God by the Son
includes the words of Jesus, the deeds of Jesus, but more importantly the very
being of Jesus. Jesus reveals the Father to us by revealing himself to us
because in him all the fullness of deity is pleased
to dwell (Col 1:19 and 2:9).
Now,
this does not mean that God’s former speech is irrelevant. To the contrary, all
of God’s speech is still speaking and all of God’s speech is still pointing
toward his Son. This is why the author of Hebrews quotes or refers to the Old
Testament over one hundred times, often introducing the quotes with, “The Holy
Spirit says.” Not said, but says. So all of God’s speech is still speaking, but
in the end, God has nothing more or less to say than what he’s spoken by his
Son. God has fully revealed himself in Jesus, and he has nothing more to reveal
than Jesus.
O Beloved, since God has spoken so
completely and decisively in his Son, may we listen to that speech until we
hear, meditate until we comprehend, consider until we receive, and apply until
we truly understand. May God reveal to us the fullness of his glory through his
most precious Son, Jesus.
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