In chapter 2 the writer of Hebrews issues a warning “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation.” The people that he writes to are warned since they are tempted to turn back to Judaism. The temptation is because of the hostility around them and the mounting persecution from Nero. The tensions left the believers lonely and insignificant- like a cork in the ocean. This chapter is written to show them that through Christ’s superiority they have significance and are reminded of His intention for His people.
There are four ways that their feelings are countered in verses 6 -18. Jesus Christ is presented as a pathfinder who shows the way for his brothers and sisters. (older brother) Jesus is presented as a champion (messiah) who defeats evil and the devil by freeing those in slavery. Jesus is the High Priest who offers sacrifice for sin. Christ is the advocate (Jehovah -El Elyon) who intercedes for those being tested.
Part of the problem is that when things are going poorly, people start to doubt that Jesus is Sovereign. They are reminded upfront that man was created to be responsible and have dominion in the world and how that was lost.
Hebrews 2:6-8a “But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him. He left nothing that is not put under him.”
When God created man, He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26).
When God made man, God put him and his wife in charge of His creation. God trusted man to represent Him and manage the created world. But that’s not what is seen? Look at verse 8.
As they are aware, Hebrews 2:8b “But now we do not yet see all things put under man.”
People did not display godly control then and they still don’t today. What we see is that people cannot control even themselves, much less their environment and the world around them.
God put man in charge of His creation, but man abdicated that role. What happened is that man gave that role to Satan when he yielded to the Serpent in the Garden.
More importantly, God NEVER lost control of the earth. There are some false teachers out there who teach that God gave control of the earth to man; and when man gave control of the earth to Satan, God lost His control. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible makes it very clear: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1); and the Lord “works ALL things after the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).
God NEVER lost control of the earth, but WE did. When we sinned, the world was cursed; we lost our status, our significance to have dominion of this world was lost and physical creation became a slave of Satan.
In verse 9 the Hebrew writer states, BUT…
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
Man was lost, but we see Jesus. We see Him, who became a little lower than the angels, just like us! We see that Man crowned with glory and honor. (Palm Sunday)
He reminds them that there is significance in life when we…LOOK TO JESUS WHO BECAME A MAN for US.
We must continue to worship Christ, who became fully human, who became lower than the angels, to be our Savior.
In Hebrews chapter 1, Believers are urged to worship Christ, because He is fully God and in a position higher than the angels. Now, here in chapter 2, Believers are urged to worship Christ, because He is fully human, who for a little while took a position a little lower than the angels to redeem us.
Jesus became one of us, in order to redeem what we lost.
As a man, Jesus never submitted to Satan like we did. As a man, Jesus elevates all men (and women) who align themselves with Him. When we repent of our sin and submit to Christ, our position is redeemed, because you are no longer slaves to Satan. Instead, we are under Christ who conquered Satan on the cross.
Joni Eareckson Tada, talks about visiting Corrie ten Boom in her later years, after she too had been paralyzed by a stroke. She says, “I recall how our eyes met as we were fed our cucumber sandwiches. Helpless and for the most part dependent, I felt our mutual weakness. Yet I am certain neither of us had ever felt stronger. It makes me think of the Cross of Christ – a symbol of weakness and humiliation, yet at the same time, a symbol of victory and strength.”
Joni continues, “A wheelchair may confine a body that is wasting away. But no wheelchair can confine the soul – the soul that is inwardly renewed day by day. For paralyzed people can walk with the Lord. Speechless people can talk with the Almighty. Sightless people can see Jesus. Deaf people can hear the Word of God. And those like Corrie, with their minds shadowy and obscure, can have the very mind of Christ. (Joni Eareckson Tada, quoted in My Heart Sings. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 1; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what it means is to be a Christian no matter how cruel, insignificant and weak or frail we find ourselves. All believers were told to worship the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and trust Him in life.
More than that, Jesus became a Man, so He could become our perfect Savior.
Hebrews 2:10 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”.
Jesus could not be our Savior unless He was also one of us. And since it was human beings who sinned, only a perfect (sinless) human being could pay the price for their sin. Jesus had to become one of us, so He could represent us on the cross and die in our place for our sin.
An actor described the time when his 6-year-old son saw one of his main moviesfor the first time:
He said, “Hey, Dad, you know that part in the movie where you swing from the rafters of that building? That’s really cool, how did you do that?”
“Well, I didn’t do that – it was a stunt man.”
“What’s a stunt man?” his son asked.
“That’s someone who dresses like me and does things I can’t do.”
“Oh,” the boy replied and walked out of the room looking a little confused.
A little later he said, “Hey, Dad, you know that part where in the movie where you spin around on that gym bar and land on your feet? How did you do that?”
“Well, I didn’t do that. It was a gymnastics double.”
“What’s a gymnastics double?” he asked.
“That’s a guy who dresses in my clothes and does things I can’t do.”
There was silence from his son, then he asked in a concerned voice, “Dad, what did you do?”
His dad sheepishly replied, “I got all the glory.” (Joel Sarrault in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching, Baker; www. PreachingToday.com)
That’s what Christ did for us. He took on human flesh and did what we couldn’t do. He paid the price for our sins on the cross. And now, those who look to Jesus stand forgiven and bask sheepishly in His glory!
They are reminded to TRUST CHRIST in this LIFE, WHO BECAME LOWER TO LIFT US UP.
Hebrews 2:11-12 “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
Christ who sanctifies and the sanctified literally “are all one”! That is to say, Christ puts believers in the same class as He is! He elevates you and me who have trusted Him as family.
This is a quote from Psalm 22:22, which describes the work of the Messiah 1,000 years before it ever happened.
The writer to the Hebrews encourages the people to rely on Jesus, who humbled Himself to exalt us.
Hebrews 2:13 And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
When Jesus became one of us, He set us apart as His children. On top of that He sanctified us as His brothers and sisters. There are two quotes from Isaiah 8 (verses 17 & 18), which talk about the coming of “Immanuel.” That’s one of the names given to Jesus (Matthew 1:23), which means “God with us! When God became a man, He was not ashamed to call us “brothers”! That’s hard to accept, because we know that we do NOT deserve it!
Years ago, the Chicago Bulls had a reserve player named Stacey King, who during the 1990 season started in just six games and averaged 15 minutes per game. Then one night, during an overtime game against Cleveland, he contributed to an important victory. He said it would always be the greatest memory of his life. It was the night he and Michael Jordan scored a combined total of 70 points in a NBA playoff game. It didn’t matter that Michael Jordan scored 69 of those points (his career high). King shared in the glory as Jordan’s teammate. (John Ortberg, “For the Glory of God Alone”, www.PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, those of us who have trusted Christ share in His glory. It’s not because of what we have done; we don’t even contribute one point to our salvation. It’s because of what HE has done.
Believers need to continue to trust Christ, because when Jesus became one of us He made us a “teammate”. Better than that, He set us apart as His siblings.
On top of that, when Jesus became one of us, He set us free from Satan and fear. He released us from the Devil’s power, who used the fear of death to enslave us.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
Through His own death, Jesus destroyed the one who had the power of death, i.e., the devil. Or better, Jesus rendered the devil powerless, who used the fear of death to enslave people. Now, because of Christ’s death on the cross, those who put their faith in Him, no longer need to fear death. That’s because His death opened the way to heaven, and death for the believer is but an entrance into glory!
The charge to these believers is to stand boldly against evil. Stand boldly against Satan, and stand firm in their faith in Christ because the worst evil can do in this world is to kill you, and that only leads to eternal life.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
A boy and his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful spring afternoon, when a bumblebee flew in the car window. The little boy, who was allergic to bee stings, was petrified. The father quickly reached out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then released it. The boy grew frantic as it buzzed by him. Once again, the father reached out his hand, but this time he pointed to his palm. There stuck in his skin was the stinger of the bee. “Do you see this?” he asked. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’ve taken the sting for you.” (Adrian Dieleman, Waupun, Wisconsin. Leadership, Vol.15, no.1; www. PreachingToday.com)
Jesus took the sting for us on the cross. He died in our place for our sins. Then He rose again. He is alive forevermore, and now He holds His hand out to you, offering you eternal life if you will just trust Him with your life. Look and see the nail print in His hand, the sting of death, and don’t be afraid anymore. Just trust Christ with your life and live forever!
Living a significant life depends on Jesus, who became lower to lift up believers. For when He became one of us to lead us in the journey of life, He set us apart as His siblings; He set us free from Satan and the fear of death.
And finally, when Jesus became one of us, He began to serve as our High Priest. He offered the sacrifice of Himself for our sins and continues to help us when we’re tested.
Hebrews 2:16-17 “For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
In the Old Testament, the High Priest had two duties: 1) To offer sacrifices for the sins of the people; and 2) to help people in times of suffering.
1st, He makes propitiation for the sins of the people. That is to say, He offers a sacrifice that satisfies God’s holy anger against our sin.
In the Old Testament, the High Priest sacrificed an animal to pay for the people’s sins. However, those animal sacrifices were not sufficient to cover their sins permanently. That’s why they had to be offered year after year.
On the other hand, when Christ came, He sacrificed Himself to pay for our sins. It was a once for all sacrifice that was sufficient to cleanse us from all sin past present and future forever and ever! Christ’s sacrifice satisfied the righteous requirements of God’s Law, which kept us from ever having to pay for our own sins.
A duck hunter was hunting with his friend in a wide-open desolate piece of land. Far away on the horizon they noticed a cloud of smoke. Soon, he could hear the sound of crackling. A wind came up and he realized the terrible truth: a brush-fire was advancing his way. It was moving so fast that he and his friend could not outrun it.
The hunter began to rifle through his pockets. Then he emptied all the contents of his knapsack. He soon found what he was looking for – a book of matches. To his friend’s amazement, he pulled out a match and struck it. He lit a small fire around the two of them. Soon they were standing in a circle of blackened earth, waiting for the brush fire to come.
They did not have to wait long. They covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs and braced themselves. The fire came near and swept over them, but they were completely unhurt. They were not even touched. Fire would not burn the place where fire had already burned. (Paul Zahl, Who Will Deliver Us? Wipf & Stock, 2008, pp. 42-43; www.PreachingToday.com)
Christ allowed Himself to be burned by the fire of God’s wrath against our sins! He sacrificed Himself so that when we stand in Him, that fire can no longer touch us. The Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
The Jewish believers were reminded that they were in Christ’s hands. They were to trust Him with their life. That’s why Christ came. He came to serve as our High Priest. 1st, He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
And 2nd, He helps those who suffer. He comes to the aid of those who are being tested.
Hebrews 2:18 “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”
Christ is no “ivory tower” priest. He is a priest who knows what it’s like to suffer. He knows what it’s like to be tested, so He can offer help to anyone when they’re tested.
Jesus knows exactly what you’re going through, so depend on Him in everything.
Jesus came to become one of us, He set us apart as His siblings; He set us free from Satan and the fear of death; and He served as our High Priest, sacrificing Himself for our sins and suffering so He could help those who suffer.
The significance of salvation can encourage us every day if we meditate on what Christ came to accomplish on our behalf! This passage is full and overflowing with significance if you will take the time to allow it to sink in and remind you of your amazing Savior.