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. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs (Heb 1:3-4).

Jesus Christ is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,” and is “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” According to John, he existed as “the Word,” before the creation of this world, and he was God. Paul says in Colossians, “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” Yet, the same Christ “provided purification for sins” through the death on the cross, and “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” by having been raised from the dead. So, he has become “as much superior to the angels,” and inherited the name that “is superior to theirs.”

It is essential, however, to realize that before “he sat down at the right hand of Majesty” there was time when he had not sat there yet, and before he inherited “the name … superior to theirs,” there was time he had not inherited that name yet. Furthermore, before “he became as much superior to the angels,” there was time when he was not. In fact, if you go further in this letter, you find the following verse:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (v. 9).

Why was the Son, “the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of his being,” made “a little lower than the angels”? Aren’t angels creatures of God just as we humans are. But the Son is God, and why did he have to be lower than angels? What does this mean, and what happened to him?

We should keep in mind the following passage:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself and became obedient to death

—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,… (Phil 2:6-9)

First, we need to know that it was possible for God to change the way he existed as God. Second, he did not consider the way he existed as something to be grasped. That means, he willfully and willingly gave it up for us!

In Luke 2, we have the story of the birth of Jesus, which everybody is so familiar with. This is a true story, and we should try to see what happened to this Son God in another world. It was the summer of 3 B.C. Earlier in the spring of that year, John the Baptist was born, and about the same time, the decree to take a census was issued by Caesar Augustus. Mary was already about five-month-pregnant, and probably, it was early summer when Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem. While they were there, Jesus was born, maybe, in September. It was then when Astrologers in the East came to pay attention to the peculiar motion of Jupiter the King Star because it got so close to Regulus, the bright star in the constellation of Leo, that the two stars looked as if they were one giving more light. It was said that when Jupiter moves back and forth in the vicinity of Regulus, “someone will rise up, kill the king and seize the throne.” This motion continued to be observed till the early summer of the following year (2 B.C.). The Magi in Matthew began to travel to Jerusalem probably in the summer of 2 B.C. in search of this king. When they found Jesus, he was around one year and three months old.