³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3; read vv. 1-4).

Introduction

Is there a God? If so, who is God? What is he really like? How do you access God? These, and other, questions have lingered in the minds of people for generations. Some have attempted to investigate these questions from a mystic perspective, an intuition of some sense of an encounter with transcendence. Others have applied the methods of rationality to determine these answers, all with varying results. Different religions have pointed to diverse answers as well.

Enter the Preacher of Hebrews. In a burst of dizzying rhetoric, he argues that God has always been communicating his presence and essence. Throughout the centuries, in various portions and a diversity of ways, God was revealing himself to generations past through ancient speakers and writers—the prophets. Through narratives, speeches, prayers, oracles, allegories, etc., God was giving glimpses and sketches of his glory, purpose and power.

Now, says the Preacher, God has brought forward a Son who, though he, too, speaks with a prophetic voice, his revelation of God moves beyond words. As Son, he has a unique relationship to the Father. And, rather than being a mere “chip off the old block,” the Preacher says he is the very “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being!” In other words, as Son, Jesus in his very essence, reflects the true presence and reality of the God of all history. In short, Jesus is both “fully God and fully human,” as the ancient creeds affirm.

If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus—not his mere teaching, but what he did, and how he acted. The Preacher reminds us, therefore, that we must pay attention to this Son!

Some Background

The word used for “precise expression” is the Greek word χαρακτὴρ (character). This word is the origin for our English word as well. Behind this term lies the idea of engraving, or of stamping soft or hot metal with a pattern which the cooled metal permanently bears.

Ancient Emperors would employ an engraver to carve his royal portrait, along with suitable words or abbreviations on a stamp or die. The engraver then used the stamp or die to make a coin, so that the coin gave the exact impression of what was on the stamp. The Preacher uses this word to emphasize that Jesus, as Son, is not an approximation of divine truth, but that the very nature of God shines forth brightly through him. Jesus is not a word from God; he is the divine word.

Discussion Questions

What did you hear in this morning’s message that stood out to you? What was interesting, important, or confusing?

How is Jesus the “radiance of God’s glory” and the “exact representation of his being”?

How does Jesus “sustaining all things by his powerful word”?

Why did the Preacher of Hebrews emphasize the points about Jesus? How did they contribute to his sermon?

How do these descriptions affect your understanding of Jesus?

Reflection

The Preacher of Hebrews knows we all hunger to know God the Father. We are on a desperate search for information about our real heritage, intimate knowledge of the one who gave us life. All spiritual quests are, in their own ways, attempts to answer the deep questions of life: Who am I? What is my purpose? Where do I go to find these answers? The Preacher says that, when we have seen the Son, we have seen the Father. Or as John Calvin put it, “The Father, however infinite, become finite in the Son…He shows himself only in the Son—as though he says, ‘Here I am. Contemplate me.’” When was the last time you really contemplated who Jesus is? This is the only way to know God.