"Like Father, Like Son"

Scripture Passage

2 Timothy 4:19-22; Hebrews 1-4:13

Scripture Focus

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2 NLT)

Observation

What a great verse to read so near to Christmas Day! What a great way to open a letter celebrating the superiority of Jesus! What an incredible truth that “in these final days, [God] has spoken to us through his Son” (Hebrews 1:2 NLT).

I remember as a young boy visiting a church where my father had attended services in his youth. I was probably 5 or 6 years old at the time. My dad introduced me to a matronly woman (or so she seemed to me) who had apparently known him when he was a boy. “You wouldn’t need to tell me he’s your son,” she said. “I can tell from looking!”

It took me a minute to figure out what she meant.  I'd never before thought about bearing any resemblance to my dad. Since then, the resemblance has been pointed out many times.

Indeed, I’m enough like my father that simply knowing me will tell you more about who my father was than any other source from which you might draw (siblings excluded, of course). Oh, I suppose through diligent research you might learn from other sources more facts about my father. But the truth is, given that my father is with the Lord, you’ll never come closer to knowing him—how he thought, what he loved, his unique traits and distinctive mannerisms—than by knowing me.

Given all that, I still remain an imperfect representation of my father. But Jesus, the Bible says, is “the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV). Jesus himself said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NIV). There’s simply no stronger representation the Father could send…no greater revelation of who He is…than the Son, Jesus the Christ. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV). That’s good news!

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