Hubble, Webb, and God

Two recent scientific advances that I admire are the Hubble space telescope and the James Webb space telescope.  They were launched into orbit in 1990 and 2021 respectively.  Independently, they have produced images of space phenomena that were previously unimagined.  The real genius, though, is how they can be used in tandem to produce images beyond our wildest dreams.  Each telescope has a “sweet spot” in its sensor array that allow it to “see” above and below the range of visible light.  When combining all this data together, they probe into fascinating clusters of stars and galaxies that are almost beyond our ability to comprehend.  When you look at these images, you have to ask yourself, “What am I looking at?”

Part of what astounds me is that these things have always been there.  We’ve just never been able to see them before.  It raises the question, “Why would God put such beautiful artistry beyond the range of our ability to see and enjoy?”  Another way of asking this question is, “What is the theological point - if any - of God revealing Himself in “unobservable” ways (unobservable until now, that is)?”

There are probably many ways to answer that question, but here are three considerations that come to my mind.

First, we know that the timing of Jesus’ birth was in accordance with God’s divine plan (Gal. 4:4).  And we know that God is ordering all things based on the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11).  So, being able to see these things at this point in human history means . . . I don’t know!  I’m not going to presume to speak for God, explaining why this has happened now.  What I do know, what deeply reassures me, is that these discoveries are part of God’s overall purpose and His timing is impeccable.  In an age where there is greater and greater rhetoric against the existence of God, I find my knees go weak and my spirit soars when I see these previously unknown space phenomena.  Just when we think we have the definitive evidence that denies the reality of the Creator, just when we think we can explain everything that we can observe, we discover new stuff that has always been there, stuff for which we do not have an explanation.  We have a lot of data that we struggle to understand and explain.  Time to go back to the philosophical drawing board!

Second, since I do affirm the existence of a personal, Creator God, these phenomena also cause me to reflect on my understanding of His attributes.  A God bigger than our planet?  I can get my head around that.  A God bigger than the Milky Way?  I can sort of get my head around that.  A God so big that He can create all that interstellar stuff out there?  It boggles my mind.

When I say “big,” I’m not referring to three dimensional volume.  I’m referring to God’s authority, ability, power, and sovereignty.  Solomon understood this.  When he finished building the temple in Jerusalem, he stood in awe of God and said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1Kings 8:27 ESV)  The idea of “dwell” refers to “relationship with.”  Solomon recognized that the best efforts of the best craftsmen of the age were inadequate to house the magnitude of God - even all of the heavens could not do so.  And yet, God desires relationship with us as much as He did with Solomon.

Finally, speaking of magnitude, we know that the light from these newly observed phenomena represent distances we can barely fathom.  Since there is a relationship between time and distance, they represent huge numbers in terms of the age of God’s created order.  This is one of the great debates amongst creationists - is the world only a few thousand years old but created with the appearance of age, or is it really the billions of years old as suggested by the time and distances we can observe with these space telescopes?

My truthful answer is, “I’m not sure.”  Obviously, God could have created it either way.  Maybe He created the “stuff” of space before forming it during the seven days of creation?  I’m not sure.  Of this I am certain:  that either way, God created “out of nothing.”  He brought all things into existence.  The distant galaxies we are beginning to discover do teach us this truth:  that God is greater than any observable phenomena out there.  Even if the observable universe is billions of years old, it would only serve to remind us of what it means for God to be limitless in time and space.

Here’s the bottom line:  We are the object of His immeasurable and incalculable love.  We are finite, temporal specks on a small, finite, temporal ball of dirt.  Yet His love is of such a magnitude that our “smallness” is neither an obstacle nor a distraction.  His love is so great it has invaded our time and space - with no limit on Him.  Is this not the most mind-boggling thought of all time?

Do yourself a favour and take 120 seconds to search for a “Webb Telescope space image.”  Pick a picture.  Look at the beauty of the colours and structure.  Then, ask yourself, “What am I looking at?”

The answer is simple:  it is the majesty, glory, and love of God.