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Jesus as the Firstborn

Some expressions used in the Bible were laden with meaning in the ancient cultures from which they spring, but are confusing to us living more than two millennia later. We de-emphasize the “random” givens which surround the circumstances of one’s birth. We attempt to convince ourselves and any who will listen that all persons are equal. Some go even further and support the idea that all sentient beings are equally valuable.

The idea of special honours and prerogatives of the “firstborn” seem quaintly old-fashioned at best and morally unsupportable at worst. However, earlier cultures felt no qualms about firstborn privilege. As you might expect, these privileges typically went to the... first born. However, you might not be aware, that the title “firstborn” had more to do with the honours that attended the title than birth order.

There are several examples of this. Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn, but the honours went to his second son, Isaac. Esau was Isaac’s firstborn, but he sold his birthright to his younger brother, who then, through trickery, secured their father’s blessing. Jacob’s blessing of his grandsons Ephraim and Mannaseh, gave the honours to the second born and bypassed his own firstborn Reuben and his sons.

With this in mind we’ll consider Colossians 1:15 where we read that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Jesus was not a “firstborn” in the sense of being born as a child of God or created by God. He was given the honours of the firstborn by God the Father. That is he had the place of preeminence in the universe. Though He was co-equal with the Father and had existed from eternity past, at some point God conferred on Him the designation “firstborn.” This One, who was God in every sense of the word, went on to create the material universe.

This title of “firstborn” of God gives Jesus a unique place in the universe. It is part and parcel of His Lordship and His being heir of all things. We can discuss these ideas with words as best we can, but the reality is beyond our intellectual grasp. We can understand a man choosing a child who is technically his second-born to receive the birthright of the “firstborn,” but how can we wrap our minds around the idea of the eternal Father designating the eternal Son as the “firstborn over all creation.”

(In passing I invite you to notice that the title is not “firstborn OF all creation.” He was OVER not OF creation and the passage goes on to say that “by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”)

This may seem like a rather technical issue and one with little practical significance, but I think it’s still valuable to ask ourselves what difference it makes to us that Jesus is presented as “the firstborn over all creation.” This title is always connected to privilege and inheritance. We’ve already seen that Jesus is “the heir of all things.” But the title “firstborn” also speaks of His Lordship. In ancient Hebrew culture, the one designated as the “firstborn” had a special place in the household. He was recognized and respected as the representative of the father and in the absence of the father spoke on his behalf.

When I think of Jesus as the firstborn over all creation, I am reminded of his special relationship with God the Father. I acknowledge that whoever else might call for my allegiance, I owe it first to Him. He must always have first place in my life for God has given him the preeminent place in all of creation.

Ron Hughes
© July 2007