The Superiority and Safety of the Son (Hebrews 1:5–2:4)

Siblings may look a lot alike until they’re standing side-by-side. A forgery of a painting could fool many until it’s hung next to the original. A runner might consider themselves quite fast until they’re in the starting blocks next to an Olympian. Why? Because proximity can highlight dissimilarity. The original recipients of the letter to the Hebrews seem to have been forgetting the unique beauty, power, and authority of Jesus. In their immaturity and vulnerability, these believers were struggling to see the difference between Christ’s priesthood and the old priesthood, between his sacrifice and the former sacrifices, between Jesus and Moses, between the Son and the angels. So, the author sets them next to each other, confident that proximity can highlight dissimilarity and, if his readers can only see Jesus and anything else standing side-by-side, the unmatched magnificence of the former will be caught and be convicting.