So many phrases from Hebrews resonate deeply in my heart. As I encountered these first few verses of Hebrews yet again, I have to admit feeling some conflict as I felt my way through the images in this chapter.
On the one hand, the wonder, mystery, newness, giddiness of Jesus coming into the world bubbles up from deep in my soul. The images of worlds being created (v. 2), of Jesus as the image of God (v. 3), of angels exalting him (v. 4) swirl like streams of sparkling water in my heart. Twinkle lights, stardust, and angel songs connect us to beloved ancestors through whom God spoke and dazzled our imagination.
On the other hand, I feel a little off-balance when Jesus is portrayed as an aloof, off-in-the-clouds, sitting-on-a-throne, apart-from-the-world king. I don’t know how to relate to this image of Jesus. It is distant. It is impersonal. It is inaccessible. Royal images, images of kingly figures, scramble my sense of Jesus’s nearness, of Jesus’s companionship, of the body of Christ.
Hebrews starts with familiar words that we often read during the Advent and Christmas seasons. “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…” (Heb 1:1–2a). These words are the start of an ancient sermon, perhaps one preached as God spoke to our ancestors—ancestors in Christ who were still trying to figure out who this Jesus guy is. As we read through the chapter, a clear question surfaces: Is Jesus just another messenger angel? Or is there something extra about Jesus?
The preacher answers by painting Jesus in the image of the most powerful figure known to the first readers: the Roman emperor. She quotes Psalm 45:6–7: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.” Eternity. Thrones. Scepters. Kingdoms. These are all terms of political power in the world of the Roman Empire. These terms certainly get the point across that Jesus is God’s begotten one, God’s son. There is power in that, for sure. Jesus is extra. But the end of the chapter suggests what might make him extra extra: all the messengers of God, including Jesus, “are sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14). While the images of imperial majesty illustrate Jesus’s power, he shows that power in the way he serves the creation he saves.
Katherine A. Shaner is a pastor in the ELCA and a professor at Wake Forest University School of Divinity specializing in New Testament. She lives in Winston-Salem with her family. For more than fifteen years Karl Bark, the dog-theologian, brought silliness and uncomplicated love into their home. She imagines that Karl now howls his “Holy, Holy, Holy” with the great cloud of witnesses from Hebrews 11.
To Consider
How does Jesus live in your imagination? What sparkles about Jesus? What draws you away from Jesus?
What is your image of Jesus’ power? How does that image relate to you, to the church, to the world?
Prayer
Speak, God, in our imaginations. Show us Jesus in both power and service. Connect your people to each other in many and various ways. Draw us into your mystery through Christ. Amen.