WHAT DOES THE OLD TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT JESUS? Posted: 07 Nov 2013 03:00 AM PST For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom (Hebrews 1:5-8). The idea of the supremacy of Christ was not a New Testament invention. The concept of God the Father and God the Son is not a New Testament invention, either. The writer of Hebrews wanted his readers to understand that, so he referred to some Messianic passages found in the Hebrew Scriptures and showed how they related to Christ. First he quoted Psalm 2:7, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” Then he quoted 2 Samuel 7:14, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be a son to me.” By doing so, the Hebrews writer stressed the equality that Jesus shares with His Father. He then quoted from the book of Deuteronomy. “Let all God’s angels worship him.” The writer of Hebrews clearly emphasized that Jesus is not just an angel. First century Jews believed in angels to a great extent. Of course, the Bible affirms the existence of angels, but teachers of Judaism embellished the biblical teaching with a number myths and legends. They believed that the angels were so great in number that every blade of grass had its angel. They also developed the idea in some rabbinic schools that angels lived only one day. There was a saying, “Every day God creates a new company of angels who utter a song before Him and are gone.” It was commonly believed that angels did what was necessary to bridge the gap between God and man. The writer of Hebrews did not argue with them about their angelology, he just told them, “God has spoken to Jesus in ways he has never spoken to an angel” (see verse 8, a quotation from Psalm 45). The writer of Hebrews said that these verses which have always been associated with the Messiah apply to Jesus. Jesus is God’s chosen Messiah. What the writer of Hebrews wanted his readers to understand that Jesus is supreme. He is above all – above the prophets, above the angels, above all creation. This world belongs to Him because He made it all. Our sins can be forgiven because He paid it all. He is Lord of all, and for that reason He is all we will ever need. You can know Him personally. You can talk to Him anytime. When you fall down, you can ask for forgiveness and He will pick you up. When you are lonely, He will comfort you. When you are afraid, He will give you courage. When you are weak, He will strengthen. He is there for you, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and He lives to intercede for you. That’s who Jesus is. You can call upon Him now! Because of Jesus, Ken Schroeder
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 13:13:38 +0000