Monday 5 October 2026
- Bible Book:
- Hebrews
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son. (vs 1-2)
Background
God has spoken. (v. 2) For the author of Hebrews, that assertion begins an argument that continues throughout the letter. And the author begins by noting that the God who spoke in the past – ‘in many and various ways by the prophets’ (v. 1) – has now spoken to us ‘by a Son.’
This letter opening is unlike any other within the New Testament, leading some to suggest that this is more like a sermon or – as Hebrews later puts it – a ‘word of exhortation’ (13:22). While it does share some features of letters, however, it is striking that there is no claim to authorship. Perhaps – as some recent scholars suggest – this is because the author wishes to focus explicitly on the God who speaks. There is nothing more important than hearing and heeding what God says.
In the opening of the letter, the author emphasis that the speech of God comes to its climax in ‘a Son’. The Son is Jesus – whose identity the letter joyfully unpacks.
Here, the Son is described by who he is. He is the "reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being" (v. 3). The author is clearly striving for language which identifies the Son as closely as possible with God while also distinguishing the Son and the Father. Such 'distinction-in-unity' language prepared the way for later Trinitarian doctrine.
But the Son is also described by what he does. Jesus is the one through whom God has created the world (v. 2) and who sustains everything in existence (v. 3). The Son is also active in redemption as well as creation; having ‘made purification for sins’, he ascended and took his place at the right hand of God (vs 3-4).
The final verses of this section compare the Son to angels, and – drawing on Scripture (Psalm 2:7; Deuteronomy 32:43) – proclaim his superiority. The Son is higher than any created being, even angelic beings. In fact, he is the one whom even angels worship!
To Ponder:
- In what ways do you seek to hear God’s voice today, especially in the Bible?
- What strikes you about the way Jesus is described in this passage?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Ed Mackenzie
Ed Mackenzie works at Cliff College as the Programme Lead for the BA in Theology and Mission and the Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies and Biblical Theology.