Thoughts From Hebrews - Day 2

                                       Hebrews 1:4-9,14

⁴ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son”?

⁶ And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

⁷ In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels spirits,
    and his servants flames of fire.”

⁸ But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

 ¹⁴ Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

 

      As I picture Heaven, with the angels all around and Jesus sitting on the right hand of the Father, who is a Spirit and not three Gods but one and where is the Holy Spirit... You can see that I have trouble picturing it. But anyway, there is Jesus and what is He doing? First of all He is holding all things together which is no small task. Then we see Him judging which means giving out a whole lot of bad news and punishment 24/7. He doesn't get to go home, go to bed, and say, "Wow, that was a tough day, I need to rest" - He is always at it. Yet one of the things that distinguishes Him from the Angels is He is overflowing with joyfulness. In the midst of all He does, there is an overwhelming joy. And why is there that joy?

 

      Maybe it's like this. I can come home from work and ask Karen, "How was your day?" and some days there is joy and some days not. What distinguishes the joyful days from the non-joyful ones usually has something to do with the kids, either ours or the grandkids. If something great happened to our kids she is all excited and can't wait to tell me. If she got to spend the day with the grandkids she smiles and laughs as she recounts their escapades. You see, her joy is related to her children. In the same way, God gave Jesus a family and it is us, the Church - those who have believed and received. We are the source of Jesus' joy! We are the source of the angel's consternation, but we ignite Jesus with joy!

 

       The very thought that in a little while we will be called to be with Him forever fills Him with joy in Heaven. Personally, I would say, as I picture Heaven, I see Jesus with a sad face. He is sad about the sin, sad about all those who are rejecting Him and mocking Him. He is weeping for the Jews, His chosen people who have disowned Him. He is infuriated by child abuse, murder, prejudice, abortion and He is this powder keg that is about to explode on humanity but the rainbow promise is holding Him back. But that is not at all as He is described here. Maybe the angels are like that, but here it says that Jesus' overwhelming quality is joy. The thought of us overwhelms everything else.

 

        What should knowing that do to us? It should inspire us to do the same. We should be people of joy because we are looking forward to seeing Him again and being with Him for all eternity. That should far overshadow all the garbage going on down here. Second it should make us want to live lives worthy of that love for us. We should desire to be pure and Holy and a possession worth wanting. Lastly it should cure depression, self-loathing, worthlessness, etc. to know the God of the universe loves you this much and thinks that you are that special. The Psalmist says, "Why so downcast O my soul - put your hope in God."