Grace Fellowship 11/12/06 Infinitely Superior, but Made Like His Brethren, Pt. 1 Heb 2:5-18
Over the past few years, I have been exposed to a different culture than the one in which I grew up. Pennsylvania is quite different than South Carolina. But in moving to PA, I didn't need to learn an entirely different language. I had to learn a few things, but all in all, I suppose I have to admit that Pennsylvanians do actually speak "American."
On the other hand, there is another culture here that does not speak "American," or English, or any other language for that matter. Learning about Deaf culture has been quite an education. And I really did have to learn a different, unspoken language. There are things I understand now about Pennsylvanians and the Deaf, that I was completely unaware of seven years ago.
When we look at the book of Hebrews, we are looking into the Jewish culture of the first century. That is a culture that most of us have very little grasp of, if any at all. I do not believe any of us in this room are of Jewish descent, but even that might not help us much since we would still need to understand the Judaism of 2000 years ago, not contemporary Judaism.
We are also at somewhat of a disadvantage as non-Jewish Americans, 2000 years removed from our subject because as Christians, we tend to spend the majority of our study time in the New Testament rather than the Old Testament. The book of Hebrews is written to people whose Bible consisted of Old Testament books exclusively. Some of us struggle to even remember the names of the Old Testament books.
We've already noted that chapter one consists almost entirely of Old Testament texts that are being quoted by the author. Chapter two also contains quotes from four Old Testament texts: verses 6-8 are from Psalm 8:4-6; verse 12 is from Psalm 22; verse 13 quotes Isaiah 8:17-18. So we will be looking at some passages from the Old Testament today. But this one fact, the frequent citation of Old Testament passages in the New Testament, is testimony to the unity of the Bible and the authority on which Christianity stands. Christianity is not a new religion, separate from Judaism, but the next phase or the anticipated next step beyond Judaism. It is the substance of things hoped for in the years prior to the coming of Messiah.
Let's read the text for today, beginning in chapter 2, verse 1.
In verses 1-4, the writer has spoken of the necessity of believing the gospel that was first spoken by the Lord, and confirmed by other witnesses and by the miracles that attended His message. There is no escape from judgment for those who would treat this gospel lightly, or neglect the Lord Jesus. Why does he say this? Because of who the Son of God is. God has placed everything in subjection to Christ.
For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 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." (Hebrews 2:5-8a, NKJV).
This is a quotation of Psalm 8. Turn there with me, please.
O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen--Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalms 8:1-9, NKJV).
This passage speaks of the created order and God's decree that mankind would have dominion or rule over all of creation. Listen to Genesis 1:26-28.
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28, NKJV).
That does not seem to have happened for us. Does the name "Katrina" ring a bell? We exercise some rulership over the world, but it would be difficult to say that humanity actually governs over everything in the world. The Psalmist says that man has been given dominion over everything: "You have put ALL things under his feet." The writer of Hebrews takes that word "all" very seriously and even includes angels as part of the creation that is placed under the feet of Jesus. But Psalm 8 appears to be talking about mankind, not Christ, having all things under his feet.
In the Hebrews text, these verses are applied to Jesus as the one who will have dominion over everything, not humanity. But what is happening here is that both things are true in the one person, the Lord Jesus.
In verse 5, our writer mentions that he has been speaking of the "world to come." In what way has he spoken of a future world? In 1:8, he speaks of a future throne for the Son of God that will be established forever. He speaks in verses 10-12 of the heavens and the earth, and how they will be changed and folded up like a garment by the Son of God. In verse 13, he speaks again of a future in which the Son of God will sit at the right hand of God with all of His enemies under His feet. All of this is still future. That is the nature of the world to come. That future world is not placed in subjection to angels, but to the Son of God. That is why it is dangerous to neglect Christ and His message. The future of everything belongs to Him.
Then the author says that Psalm 8 is about the Son of God also. So not only are all of Christ’s enemies going to be under His feet, and not just angels, but everything. "All things" will be in subjection to Him. But it is all in subjection to Him as a Man. "What is MAN that You are mindful of him, or the Son of Man that you care for Him?" That is the point, and this is a transition in the writer's argument. The One who is infinitely superior to angels is a man like us. Not only that but,
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. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 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. (Hebrews 2:8-9, NKJV).
This future world in which all things are under subjection to the Son of God (not angels), has not yet arrived. But, we see the Son of God, or in other words, Jesus, who has come in the form of a man, made lower than the angels for a while, so that He might die. He was made a little lower than the angels for the purpose of the suffering of death. This is the express purpose of Christ coming into the world: to die. "That He might taste death for everyone." (v.9).
Having accomplished the suffering of death as a man, Jesus also becomes the captain or author of the salvation of many men and women, according to verse 10. The word could also be translated "pioneer" in the sense that Christ has actually blazed the trail into and out of death for many sons (and daughters) who will come after Him.
Having done all this, Jesus is the single human being who fulfills for the human race the purpose of God in creating us. In Christ, all of redeemed humanity will, in the world to come, have dominion over all things. What Adam could not do because of sin, Christ accomplishes for the fallen race and re-establishes our role in creation as having dominion over it. We will reign with Christ as co-heirs of the universe. We will, with Him, have dominion over ALL things.
In verse 9, we read that it is by the grace of God that Jesus suffered death for everyone. Death was an elective for Jesus. It was not part of some prerequisite core curriculum imposed upon God because we needed Him to do this for us, and therefore He HAD to. God was never compelled by any external influence or circumstance to send the Son of God to become a little lower than angels and die as THE human being for human beings. It was not necessary that Christ die FOR God. However, in order for the glory of God to be placed on full display, God CHOSE to accomplish this great salvation by means of the Lord Jesus because of His grace alone.
In the fall of Adam, the stage was set for Christ to become the captain of salvation, the pioneer who would pave the way to Heaven for the many sons whom God the Father determined to bring to glory. And the writer tells us in verse 10, it was "fitting" that God would make Jesus, the procurer of their salvation "perfect through suffering." It was right and proper that the Savior would suffer in the same fashion as those whom He came to save.
This idea of the perfection of Christ is found throughout the book of Hebrews. But it does not imply any previous fault or error or shortcoming on the part of Christ. It refers to how the perfect Son of God became the perfect human. By means of suffering, Jesus became the complete Son of Man, and a perfect, suitable Redeemer. Just as all men suffer and die, so our perfect human representative to God must become like us by sharing in our sufferings.
Question: If Jesus attained human perfection through His suffering, why do so many think we should be exempt from suffering? To go a big step further, why would any of us ever listen to a preacher who teaches that true Christians need not suffer? We’ll address that in more detail in chapters 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, (Hebrews 2:11, NKJV).
I suspect most of us have relatives that we are not particularly proud of. They have done or said things that have caused us to consider changing our names from time to time. Family reunions are less than they could be because of the presence of certain unsavory relations. Who would want the last name "Hitler?" In recent days, we've wondered if we should retain the label "Evangelical" because of the bad behavior of certain prominent people. They make us all look bad, and we feel a certain degree of guilt by association. So how should the Son of God feel when rubbing shoulders with sinners?
Sanctification is the act by which Christ sets a person apart for salvation. He makes us holy, separated for God, separated from the world. As the captain of our salvation, the Lord Jesus creates what F.F. Bruce calls "a new mankind" for God. We become the brethren of Christ because we have been set apart from the rest of the human race as sons to God. The work of the Son of God is to set apart many sons for glory. This makes God the Father of both Christ and those whom Christ sanctifies. Therefore, He is not ashamed to be related to us. His sanctification of us makes us suitable, or qualified to be related to Him. (See also Colossians 1:9-22.)
Then come three Old Testament texts that relate to the willingness of Jesus to identify Himself with us. . In verse 12, the writer applies the words of Psalm 22:22 to Christ. Those whom He saves He calls His brethren. We might wonder why this is a big deal.
First, he has been building a case for Christ’s superiority over the most highly exalted beings in creation, the angels. The holy angels are impressive and important and powerful, but Christ is better. In fact, angels are commanded to worship Christ. But the Lord Jesus calls those whom He sanctifies, those for whom He suffered through life and death, His brethren! Angels do not hold nearly as high a position of significance as those humans whom Christ sanctifies for God. Angels are Christ’s servants. But the saved are His brothers and sisters, His family, His fellow heirs.
Then notice verse 13a. I could not figure out why this brief statement had anything to do with the point the writer of Hebrews was trying to make: "I will put my trust in Him." This doesn’t make sense in the context here in Hebrews. It seems to be a misplaced statement taken out of context.
F. F. Bruce mentions something in his commentary that confirmed something I have suspected for some time. "…The principal Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are not isolated proof-texts, but carry their contexts with them by implication." In other words, whenever Peter or Paul or another New Testament author quotes an Old Testament text, they are quoting texts with which their readers are familiar. But rather than quoting numerous verses or entire passages, only one or two verses are mentioned. But the context in which those verses are found is implied and understood by their predominately Jewish readers.
So what is the context of the phrase, "I will put my trust in Him?" Since we are not as familiar with the Old Testament as we should be, we do not have the luxury of knowing the point he is making without looking at the text. Turn to Isaiah 8:16-18.
Like virtually all the other prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah was not heeded by the people of Israel. In verses 1-15, as well as throughout the rest of his prophecy, warnings were given concerning the coming of Assyria against the northern kingdom of Israel. They did not care. They did not listen. They did not repent.
So in verse 16, Isaiah binds up his words of testimony against Israel and gives them to his disciples, and waits. He is determined to trust in God and wait to see God’s word fulfilled in due time. This is a common pattern throughout the Old Testament: Trust in God during times of spiritual darkness, and rejoicing when God’s prophetic word is vindicated. Part of the prophetic word that will be proven is found in the names of Isaiah’s two sons: Shearjashub ("Remnant will return"), and Maher-Shal-al-Hash-Baz (Hasten booty, speed spoil). Therefore Isaiah says, in verse 18: Here am I and the children whom the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel From the LORD of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion. (Isaiah 8:18, NKJV).
When the writer of Hebrews mentions just the phrase, "I will put my trust in Him," along with the next phrase, "Here am I and the children God has given Me," the first century Jews who read this automatically apply the context of Isaiah 8 to these words and make the connection between Isaiah’s situation and the current situation about which he is writing. There is a day coming and a fulfillment of prophecy which has not yet been realized. But the day is coming when their trust in God will be realized and Christ will return.
At that time, the Lord Jesus will declare God’s name to his brethren, i.e. all those whom He has sanctified for eternal life, and He will present them all to God the Father as His Father and theirs. They are His children and Christ’s brethren, and He is not ashamed to be numbered among them as a man, a fellow member of the huan race. In the meantime, we wait, as did Isaiah, for the culmination of God's plan.
All of this clicks in the Jewish mind of the first century. It doesn’t come so easily to us. But the author of the book of Hebrews is leading his fellow Jews who are reading this to a grand conclusion: Jesus Christ, who is infinitely superior to angels, who is equal with God, is also the perfected human Savior, the Son of Man who calls all those for whom He suffered through life and death, His family. We are Christ’s brethren. We are the children of God by means of the work of our captain and our brother in tasting death for our sakes.
So we will conclude this section by simply reading verses 14 - 18.
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. 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. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18, NKJV).
Is this not a great salvation? Is the Lord Jesus not a great Savior? Just how good is it that the Son of God is not ashamed to call the likes of us His brethren? How grateful ought we to be?