1:3
After Moses had been with the Lord he had to veil his face (2 Cor 3:7; Ex 34:29-35). Jesus actually is the radiance of God’s glory, not just a reflection of it. Moses spoke God’s word, passed on His commands, Jesus is the exact representation of His being. When we see Jesus we see exactly who God is. Now this is quite amazing. It has implications for our perception of God, and also for our perception of ourselves. If anybody wants to know who God is or what He is like then they need to know Jesus. But think also the implications for what humanity is, if God revealed Himself completely through a man. Compare it also with the secular view of humanity as no different than any other animal. And this is consistent with the whole of the God’s revelation in the Bible, for right at the beginning He declared that we were made in His image (Gen 1:27). Moreover, Jesus is not just the representation of His being, He actually is God. He sustains the universe by His powerful word. He provided purification for our sins and then sat down at the right hand of the “Majesty in Heaven”. No Levitical priest could say this.
1:4
Why the sudden reference to angels? The Jews tended to revere angels, considering them to be the mediators of the Law (Heb 2:2). Colossians also warns against having too high an opinion of angels (Col 3:18). Even today in charismatic circles charlatans can gain a hearing by claiming to have had visitations from angels. Now angels are real and they play an important role in God’s economy, but compared to Jesus they are nothing. Jesus is vastly superior to the angels, and He has been given a name, (Son) vastly superior to theirs. The writer will expand on this in the following verses.
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