Revealing the Father
What are the most important points the apostle makes about Jesus at the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews? (Heb. 1:1-4).
New Testament authors repeatedly accent a significant idea: Jesus comes to earth to show human beings who the Father is. In past times, God’s revelation came in a fragmented way through the prophets; in Jesus, however, the final and complete revelation of God has come.
Also, in His person, Jesus is “the reflection of God’s glory” (Heb. 1:3, NRSV). As sinful humans, we could not endure full access to the glory of God. As the incarnate Son, Jesus reflects that glory. It is muted in Christ’s humanity so that we might see it and understand clearly the character of God.
Jesus is also “the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3). The term used here, the Greek word character, is sometimes used of the impression a seal makes in wax or the representation stamped on a coin. So Jesus is “the exact imprint of God’s very being” (Heb. 1:3, NRSV).
If we wish to know the Father, we must listen carefully to what the Master Teacher says about Him. And we must watch the Master Teacher, as well. The Father is seen in the Son.
Compare Hebrews 1:1-4 with 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. In 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, who is Jesus, and what do we learn from Him?
As they educate others about God, Paul and his coworkers seek to reflect Jesus’ own teaching ministry about the Father. As “the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4), Jesus brought us knowledge about God the Father. Similarly, Paul avoids deception and distortion of God’s Word and, instead, sets forth the truth plainly (2 Cor. 4:2).
Just as God, at creation, used light to dispel darkness, He has given us His Son, Jesus, to dispel false views about Him and to show us the truth about God. It is in “the face of Jesus” that we gain the clearest knowledge of God (2 Cor. 4:6).
Jesus accurately reflected the Father, something we too are called to do since we are invited to “be imitators of God as dear children” (Eph. 5:1, NKJV). What does that mean, and what can we learn from Jesus about how to be “imitators” of God?
