It is a story often told, with a variety of versions, but they all illustrate a great truth. A
confederate soldier sat outside of the White House at the end of the Civil War. He was
depressed because he needed to see the President and tell him of how his farm in the
South was unjustly taken from him. He knew Lincoln was a just man, and that he would
help him with his problem. He could not get past the Federal soldiers who marched in
front of the gate and turned him away. All that changed, however, when a young boy saw
him and asked why he was so sad. When he explained his situation the boy took him by
the hand and led him through the gate as the soldiers stood aside, and then to the White
House library where the President was resting. He introduced the soldier to his father.
The boy was Tad Lincoln, the son of the President. The son could do for the man what no
one else could do. That is the case with all men and God. “No man comes to the Father
but by me,” said the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Son can take us where no man can go without the Son. This is often true on the
human level, and if you know the son of a famous or influential person you have the key
to their presence. God’s presence is the highest in the universe, and it is gained by means
of knowing the Son, and so this makes Jesus the greatest Son in the universe. He is the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. Knowing Him is the highest knowledge. Loving Him is the
highest love. Serving Him is the highest service. Heb. 1:5 has God saying to Jesus, “You
are my Son.” God said it again at the baptism of Jesus. God's voice from heaven
proclaimed: “This is my Son, whom I love." (Matthew 3:17). Again at the
Transfiguration: God's voice proclaimed: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him."
(Mark 9:7.).
Ray Stedman tells of his experience of knowing a son: “I once visited a ranch as the guest
of the hired man on that ranch. When we came onto the property we had to drive around the
big house and go to the bunkhouse in the rear. I stayed with him there in the bunkhouse and
never once got into the big house with him. There were some beautiful sorrel horses in the
pasture and I suggested we take a ride. He said, "Oh, no, I'm not permitted to ride those
horses." So we had to ride some mangy fleabags out to the pasture.
A few weeks later I became acquainted with the son of the household, and he invited me out
to the ranch. When I went out with him, it was entirely different. We went right into the big
house and he took over as all teenagers do. After a sumptuous meal we went out and rode the
sorrel horses all over the range. What a wonderful time we had.
That is the difference between a son and a servant, and that is the difference between
Christ and any angel. He is greater because of his relationship, the fact that he is a Son.
Blood is always thicker than water.”
Jesus was special to God, for He was the only person in history to have God speak
from heaven and acknowledge that He was His Son. This had to mean the world to Jesus,
for in His flesh He had to live a truly human life with so many limitations. He was still the
second person of the Godhead, but, as Paul tells us in Phil. 2, he gave up the equality He
had with the other two persons of the Godhead. He emptied himself and became fully
human and humbled himself even to suffer death on the cross. History has been filled
with many famous sons and daughters who did great things, but never has there been a
son or daughter who did for God and man what Jesus did. He made it possible for all
mankind to get a second chance to avoid judgment and achieve heaven. He made it
possible for God to forgive the sins of men and welcome them to come home as forgiven
prodigals. That is why Paul goes on in Phil. 2 to say that God exalted Him and gave Him
a name above all names. Someone wrote this song of praise to His precious name.
There have been names that I have loved to hear,
But never has there been a name so dear
To this heart of mine, as the Name divine,
The precious, precious Name of Jesus.
There is no name in earth or heav’n above,
That we should give such honor and such love
As the blessèd Name, let us all acclaim,
That wondrous, glorious Name of Jesus.
That is the name that Paul says will have every knee bowing and every tongue
confessing that He is Lord. Jesus is the sweetest name we know as believers, but the title
of Son is the focus of the verse before us. The author says that God never said to any
angel, “You are my son..” It is the title son that is being exalted here, for it is a title
exclusive to Jesus, and no other supernatural being is entitled to it. It is true that the
angels as a group were called sons of God, but never is an individual angel called the Son
of God. Redeemed humans are also called sons of God, but none are called the Son of
God. All of the saved can say “I am a son of God,” but none can say, “I am the Son of
God.”
Jesus is called “Son” eleven times in Hebrews. They are, 1:2,3,5,6,8, 3:6, 4:14, 5:8,
6:6, 7:3,28,10:29, 11:17,24, 12:6-7 Son of man in 2:6 The son was honored along with
the father in the Jewish heritage, for every father wanted his son to carry on the
family, the faith, and bring honor to the name. Genealogies were father’s begetting
sons. The full title of Son of God is used 4 times in 4:14, 6:6, 7:3 and 10:29. One
commentator writes, “What is distinctive about Hebrews, however, is its use of the
title without the definite article (1 :2; 3:6; 5:5, 8; 7:28). This anarthrous construction
with huios occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. As with "High Priest," so here
with "Son," the intention is evidently to lay stress on the nature or character, rather
than the personality, of Jesus. The point here is that when we see Jesus we see One
who is Son, that is, One who possesses all the characteristics and qualities to which
that title points.”
Oscar Cullmann, in his book The Christology of the New Testament, points out that the
kings in ancient Babylon, Assyria and Egypt were considered to be sons of God, and in Greek
religions those who were believed to possess unusual powers were called sons of God.
Another author writes, “We can produce a catalogue of Hindu, Sufi, and Hellenistic holy
men who made such claims, not to mention Mizra Ali Muhammad (the Bab) and Hussein Ali
(Baha'Ullah), founders of the Babi and the Baha'i Faiths respectively.” The point is, history
is filled with many who have made the claim to be a son of God.
Jesus has no competition when it comes to being the Creator and Sustainer of the
universe, and none claim to be the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation
of His being. None have claimed to have sacrificed their lives for the sins of the world, or
that they have been seated at the right hand of God. But when it comes to claiming to be
the Son of God Jesus does have competition. This means that people are always in the
same boat as those to whom the book of Hebrews was written. Jesus had to compete in
their minds with Moses, Joshua, the High Priest, the Law, and all of the heroes of the
past. The whole argument of the book is to show that Jesus is better and superior to all
the leaders that have ever been. That is really the goal of the whole New Testament.
Believing in the unique and exclusive Son-ship of Jesus is a vital aspect of New Testament
revelation.
Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69;
Matthew 16:16). Belief in the Son decides our destiny. “He who believes in the Son has
everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of
God abides on him.” (John 3:36; see also John 3:16-17). It is the spirit of antichrist that
denies Jesus as the Son of God. In Scripture we read: “Who is a liar but he who denies
that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever
denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the
Father also.” (1 John 2:22-23). “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). Andrew Murray commenting on Hebrews
sums it up this way: "Our whole epistle is the unfolding of the glory of the person and
work of the Son.” He could have said this of the whole Bible. The very essence of
Christian theology is belief in Jesus as the Son of God. It is His being the Son of God that
makes Him the greatest son in the universe.
There are those who doubt the Sonship of Jesus, but the Scripture leaves no doubt.
Just a portion of the texts that reveal it clearly are enough for those who accept the Bible as
God’s revelation. Here are some clear verses and thoughts collected from a number of sources:
They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He (Jesus) replied, "You are right in saying
I am." (Luke 22:70)
The Annunciation: The angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary that her son would be
called "the Son of God". (Luke 1:32,35)
The Baptism: God's voice from heaven proclaimed: This is my Son, whom I love."
(Matthew 3:17, etc.)
The Transfiguration: God's voice once again proclaimed: "This is my Son, whom I
love. Listen to Him." (Mark 9:7, etc.)
The Crucifixion: The Roman centurion and his men confessed at the time of Jesus'
crucifixion: "Surely he was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:54)
The Resurrection: St. Paul writes that Jesus' resurrection from the dead declared Him to be
"the Son of God". (Romans 1 :4)
Madmen and even unclean spirits confessed to Jesus: "You are the Son of God." (Mark
3:11; cf. 5:7; Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:41; 8:28) . Jesus' disciples also confessed that He is "the
Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16; cf. 14:33). Jesus, as a true Son,
preferred to give glory to His Father, but He too would not deny His Sonship (Matthew
26:63f.; Mark 14:62; John 10:36). Of interest in the first two of these passages (and others)
is the close association between the terms "Messiah" and "Son of God".
It is also interesting to note how closely Jesus' Sonship is associated with His suffering
(Romans 5:10; 8:32; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 5:8; 6:6) . When Jesus was famished after a
long fast, the tempter said to Him: "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become
bread" (Matthew 4:3, etc.). When Jesus was in agony on the cross, the passersby mocked
Him and said: "Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:40).
Matt 16:13-17 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His
disciples, saying, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?"
14 And they said, "Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias (Elijah); and others,
Jeremias (Jeremiah), or one of the prophets."
15 He saith unto them, "But Whom say ye that I am?"
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona (Peter): for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven."
Every man in history except Adam has been a son of someone, but Jesus alone is the
Son of God. By faith in Him we become a part of the family of God, and we are His
brothers, and that makes us sons of God, or children of God. We only become this by our
relationship to Jesus as our Savior, but He has been the Son of God for all eternity. Many
have the right to claim to be a son of God, but no one but Jesus has the right to claim to
be the Son of God. It is the uniqueness of His Sonship that is stressed in the words that
call Jesus the only begotten Son.
Abdullah Ibrahim has this interesting study on the word: “The Greek word for "one and
only son", "mono-genes", means literally, "one in kind, unique" and has sometimes been
incorrectly translated into English as "only begotten". This rendering is wrong because
"Mono-genes" is also used in Hebrews 11:17 to describe Isaac as Abraham's "one and only
son", namely the one who was promised by God to Abraham and his wife Sarah. (Genesis 15)
Since Ishmael too was Abraham's son, but through his servant Hagar (Genesis 16), the term
"one and only" distinguishes Isaac as being uinque in his kind but not as the only begotten.”
The point he is making is that no matter how many sons God may have, Jesus is unique in
His Sonship. He is not like any angel, or man, or any other being that God may take into His
family. He is one of a kind, and there will never be another like Him. He is the greatest Son
for all eternity past and future.
Jesus made His uniqueness very clear when He said in Luke 10:22, “All things have been
committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one
knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
(Luke 10:22) Other examples can be found in John 5:22-23, Luke 20:9-19 and Matt. 3:17. In
John 1:18 we read, “No-one has seen God; but God's only Son, He who is nearest to the
Father's heart, he has made him known.”
“Son of God, Thy Father’s treasure,
He yet gives Thee all to me;
Angels vainly toil to measure
What I have in having Thee.
Grace so vast bewilders heaven;
God to me His Christ has given.” Author unknown
When the text asks the question, “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my
Son; today I have become your Father?’” the implication is none at all. This means the
teaching of some cults that Jesus was the highest angel is false, for God never calls any angel,
not even the highest, by this name. C. S. Lewis points out that angels are all created beings,
and all that is made is of less value to one than what is begotten. What is born to you is a part
of you, and Jesus is the only begotten Son. He is a part of the very being of God and so far
more precious to God than any created being. What is begotten is like us, and what is made is
different from us. Jesus is just like the Father for He is begotten, and not just made, of the
Father.
Only the Son can be the exact image of the Father, and only the Son could be the spotless
Lamb of God to provide purification for sins and then set down at the right hand of the
Father. The cross is the center of history because of what Jesus did there for all mankind as
the greatest Son in history. An unknown poet expresses the conclusion of the centurion who
stood at the cross and saw the awesome events of nature surrounding that event.
Yonder - amazing sight! - I see
The incarnate Son of God
Expiring on the cursed tree,
And weltering in His blood.
Behold, a purple torrent run
Down from his hands and head,
The crimson tide puts out the sun;
His groans awake the dead.
The trembling earth, the darkened sky,
Proclaim the truth aloud;
And with the amazed centurion, cry,
"This is the Son of God!"
The glory and brilliance of all other beings fades into the shadows when we behold the
glory of God in the face of the Son. Even the glory of men like Moses and Elijah fades into
the background when Jesus is transfigured and we see who He really is. That is the major
point of Hebrews, that Jesus is so superior to all that has ever been and all that can ever be
that we must keep our eyes on Him and Him alone as the ultimate authority, and as the
ultimate basis for our hope of forgiveness and eternal life. No angel, and no man can ever be
adequate to do what Jesus alone can do, for He is The Son. To take your eyes off of Jesus as
you run the race of life is as foolish as running through a dense woods in the pitch darkness
of the night when you can choose to run in broad daylight. When the sun is available you do
not use a candle to light the way, and when the Son is available you do not use angels or any
other being for your guide to knowing and doing the will of God. The wisdom of Hebrews
and the whole New Testament is simply this: look to the Son, for He is the greatest.
Phillip Schaff said: "This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more
millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed and Napoleon; without science and learning,
He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars
combined; without the eloquence of schools, He spoke such words of life as were never
spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet;
without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more
sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the
whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."
The Hebrew Christians were in danger of drifting away from making Jesus the greatest
light in their sky. They were suffering for being Christians and the old ways of Judaism
looked so much more peaceful and free of trial. They were tempted to look away from what
they had in Christ and go back to the law of Moses and the worship in the temple. They were
forgetting what they had in Jesus that was of infinite value. Many years ago a man in North
Carolina picked up a beautiful rock from a stream-bed and used it as a doorstop for his
cabin. Years later a geologist was hiking in that area and noticed the rock. He had the
knowledge to be able to identify it for what it was. It turned out to be the largest gold nugget
ever found east of the Rockies. He was using a great treasure as if it were nearly worthless.
That is what these Christians were in danger of doing with the greatest Gem God ever sent
into this world. Jesus was their Rock, but they were tempted to use Him as a trivial part of
their lives and exalt angels and the Old Testament laws as having priority.
The goal of Hebrews is to so exalt Jesus that only the most blind and foolish would ever
dream of forsaking the Son of God as their Rock and turning to some other source for
salvation. No other person in history has had such things written of them as we have of
Jesus. Some unknown author has written a paragraph that has been published for all to read.
It has circled the world, and I want to share it again.
“Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on
humanity that we might put on divinity. He became Son of Man that we might become sons
of God. He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity,
and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born-and that in His
childhood. He had not wealth or influence and had neither training nor education in the
world's schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and un-influential. In infancy He startled a
king. In boyhood He puzzled the theologians. In manhood He ruled the course of nature. He
walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without
medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book and yet all the
libraries of the world could not hold the books about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has
furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. He never founded a
college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never
practiced medicine and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors have
healed broken bodies. This Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy, the rock of geology, the
lion and the lamb of zoology, the harmonizer of all discords, and the healer of all diseases.
Throughout history great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill
him. Satan could not seduce him. Death could not destroy him and the grave could not hold
him.”
Only a Son like this could be exalted to sit at the right hand of the Father on His throne.
No one else is seated there, for no one else is the unique Son of God. Being seated there
signifies that Jesus completed all that He came into the world to accomplish. It means that
He now has the authority and power He claimed when He said, “All power in heaven and on
earth is given unto me.” It means He is the closest person to the Father and is the only
intercessor needed. In Rom. 8:24 we read, "Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who
died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding
for us." He is the only one who has the authority to take us to the highest place and be
seated there with Him. In Rev. 3:21 we read these words of Jesus to the church: "To him
who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat
down with my Father on his throne." It is no wonder we are to look to the Son as we run the
race of life, for He alone has made it to the finish line, and He alone can make us ultimate
winners. Heb. 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God."
Jesus has always been the Son of God, but now He is the Son of Man also, and it is as the
God-Man that He sits at the right hand of God. God made a radical change in His very being
in order to save man and make him a part of His eternal family. Jesus will always be the
greatest Son, for He is the one that made it possible for others to become sons of God. In
Galatians 4:4 we read, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman . . .” He was already God’s Son when He came into the world. There has
never been a time when God was not a family in His very being as Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. As a man, however, Jesus became the Son in a unique sense that was not true for all
eternity past, for He became a mixture of deity and humanity, which He never was before.
He was the greatest Son forever in time past, but now He has become the greatest Son for all
eternity future as the God-Man Son. He was never this before, and so those who say God
never changes have not thought deeply about the implications of the Incarnation. The well
known hymn sung by millions around the world conveys the dual sonship of Jesus, and that
we worship Him as both the Son of God and the Son of Man. His sonship is one of ultimate
beauty, for He combines the best of both God and man.
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.
Jesus prayed in John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with
the glory which I had with You before the world was” Jesus was going back to the glory He
had for all eternity past, but He was going back as a Son with a dual nature so as to be both
God and man, and the ideal mediator between God and man. As the God-Man Son he has
equal honor with the Father. In John 5:23 we read, “All should honor the Son just as the
honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
Only one who is God or the Son of God could dare to receive worship. No angel can do so,
for they are created beings, but Jesus accepted worship as the Son of God. We see this in
John 9:35-38, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord,
that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He
who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.” History is
filled with sons who have brought great pride to their fathers, and son who did
great service for mankind, but none can compare with Jesus in what He did to glorify His
Father and benefit mankind by making their salvation possible. He, and He alone, deserves
the title THE GREATEST SON.
