The Amazingly Large Universe

In a BBC report, Dr. Alastair Gunn, a radio astronomer at the University of Manchester, reported that the universe has over two trillion galaxies, each with roughly 100 million stars and countless planets. This estimate is based on what modern technologies and telescopes can see, a fraction of the universe.

Centuries earlier, David looked at the same sky and said,

“When I look at the heavens and the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you placed, I think: What is humanity that you even remember them, the children of humanity that you visit them? Having made them a little lower than angels, you crowned them with glory and honor, setting them over the works of your hands, subjecting everything – the sheep, cows, all the animals of the plains, the birds of the heavens, the fishes of the seas and everything that passes through the sea – under their feet.” (Ps 8:4–9)

Being a shepherd from an agricultural world and knowing Genesis outlining creation in terms of God creating humanity to rule the created world, David thought only of domesticated animals, birds, and fishes. Even then, he was amazed that God created humanity inferior to angels but crowned them with glory, honor, and rulership.

Humanity’s rulership was challenged when a creature made Adam and Eve question God’s word and introduce death into the world. This demeaning of humanity was changed with the resurrection of Christ,

“Who – having been led into the heaven and having angels, authorities, and powers been made subjects to him – is at the right of God.” (1 Pet 3:22)

Peter, unlike David, thought of Jesus’s exaltation in terms of angels, authorities, and powers (most likely, allegorical references to heavenly beings) as subjects to him. If humanity was once created lower than angels but crowned with glory, honor, and lordship, now a human – Jesus Christ – by his resurrection from the dead (the consequence of the first parent’s disobedience) was given rulership over even angels and heavenly beings! Jesus, a representative of humanity, was at the right of God, in the position of power and privilege. He gave a clean conscience to those who ventured to identify with him and take the symbolic baptism.

In David’s psalm, God subjected all creatures to humanity. In Peter’s mind, too, God led Jesus into heaven and subjected the angels, authorities, and powers to Christ. We might not know where Jesus was during the time between his burial and resurrection, but we know what happened after his resurrection – God led him to heaven and subjected all heavenly authorities to him.

I began by mentioning how large the universe is. Seeing a fraction of it made David think so small about himself and humanity, while he also knew about humanity’s worth – crowned with glory, honor, and lordship over all earthly creatures. Now that we know Jesus Christ has been exalted over everything heavenly, and he calls us his siblings, it should give us a truer understanding of our worth in God’s sight. We are very special people to him.