Care is needed in comparisons so that Gospel truth is not obscured

 

There are ways of describing things that show their difference to other things which could be wrongly compared. In the case of an orange, for example, you could note its colour, texture, size, fragrance and taste. This would clearly distinguish it from everything else.

In this passage we see how the writer begins to expose a problem in the life of part of the early church. The problem was a very serious one. It was based on a misunderstanding of who Jesus was and is. The approach taken shows the difference between Jesus and other things which might be placed alongside him. In this case the angels.

The writer shows, by quoting from the Old Testament Scriptures, how vastly superior Jesus is to the angels. There was a great danger for them in placing too much emphasis on the wrong thing. It is only in and through what Jesus accomplished at the cross that a relationship with God can exist. This same message is vital today.