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Radiance

                 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

                J059-4351 (“Jay”) stretches about seven light-years across…the quasar shines more than 500 trillion times brighter than the star in our solar system… Nature Astronomy. Keep in mind that the sun is comparatively lackluster. Sort of like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Israelites, and the Christians for the first 300 years of their existence. Perhaps like you and me. Jay is beyond what we can imagine in terms of distance, size, and brightness. When the writer of Hebrews describes the Son as the radiance of God’s glory, this is what I think of. If anything, this underdescribes the difference between God’s glory and ours. At its core is a massive black hole that wields authority over all matter for seven light-years. We might say “only seven light-years,” but our authority tends to be over less than one billionth of a light-second. Some of us barely have authority over ourselves. Even someone like a world leader, Keanu Reeves, James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Chuck Norris has no power with which to compare.   

                And when Jesus completed the task of providing purification for us, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. We may think that sitting down refers to taking a rest, but that’s not the only reason we sit down, so why would it be the only reason Jesus does? This doesn’t have to be a case of, “Well, I’m glad that’s over. Now I can kick back and relax until it’s time to return.” It can be a case of, “Now let’s see what happens.” And yes, He knows, but you watch and enjoy shows and movies in which you know what’s going to happen. Is He leaning back? Or are His elbows on His knees, leaning forward in anticipation? I think the latter. This is a high-stakes situation in which He has a great interest.

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