The Humiliation of the Son of God as Man
Hebrews 2:5-18
I. Vs 5-8a God's plan for man.
A. Vs 5 The Father's purpose is way beyond this world! It involves the world to come. II Peter 3:10-13.
1. This is the world that our author is concerned about! All that He says about Jesus isn't intended to enable us to live comfortably in this world, It is intended to enable us to endure in the Faith of the Son of God, to persevere unto the world to come. Heb 11:9,13-16
B. The Father's will is that man be the ruler of the earth. Man, not angels! This was the original design! Genesis 1:26-28. Psalm 8 describes the Divine Intent in detail and is the foundation for verses 6-/ here.
C. Vs 8b As in Gen 3, there is a "but". But now we do not see all things put under him. Man has not yet attained to God's purpose. All of man's vaunted intelligence an ingenuity has left him a failure as to God's design.
II. Vs 9 The second "but"—two negatives make a positive-at least here!
A. "BUT WE SEE JESUS" --The Jesus of chapter 1? Yes but there's more! Made a little lower than the angels, now pay attention!! For the purpose of suffering and death!
B. "Crowned with glory and honor"—that's all the stuff in chapter one--"that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." In other words, it took all the glorious stuff, all of the glorious "qualifications" of chapter 1 to enable Him to taste death for everyone. Any one less would never have come through that alive!
Jesus Christ is the only man who has ever "tasted death". Death has swallowed everyone else whole! Jesus savored every terrible morsel for us!
III. Vs 10-18 Here's the How!
A. Vs 10 First of all, here's the plan, and it is the Father's plan! Everything is for Him and by Him. "It was fitting for Him"—He thought it was a good idea! Any objections?
1. He is going to bring many sons to His purposed glory, through his author/captain/prince. (Daniel 9:25) He establishes a Champion for them.
2. "Perfect through suffering"—not perfect as in "no sin", for He never has had any sin, but similar to the idea in chapter 1:2. Just as the Son was the express image of the Father, so to now, through suffering, it will be manifest that He is the express image of man! He is one with us, just like us!
3. Vs 11-13 "are all of one". Both He who sets us apart unto God and we who are being set apart unto God are all of the same flesh and blood! He is not ashamed to call us brethren because He has stooped to become one with us!
"It is indeed a rich display of grace that Jesus should stand in sinners' likeness on this sin defiled soil. But it is grace above grace, that, in the fullness of time, He should take our manhood into God, and wear it on the cross, and in the grave: and then bear it to heaven, as His triumphal robe for ever!" Henry Law
B. Vs 14-15 Why? Because man is defined by death!
1. We are bound by death, the fear of death. Every decision man makes outside of Christ is a death decision. It is not eternal, so it is going to fail, it will eventually die!
2. The solution? Our Prince joined Himself completely with our flesh and blood, He shared in our very weakness that He might destroy that weakness and the Prince of Darkness who rules over it! He became weak that we might become strong. He came for this purpose—the suffering of death, that we might enter the glorious liberty of the sons of God. (Rom 8:21)
3. Vs 16 No aid to the angels, but "He does give aid to the seed of Abraham." We are in covenant territory here. Just as there was a lamb in the thicket for Isaac, Jesus is our "Lamb in our thicket." God has literally prepared Himself a Lamb!
a. And who are the seed of Abraham? Galatians 3:7, "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons (seed) of Abraham. (see also 3:16-19, 26-29), Romans 4:13-16, 9:6-8
C. Vs 17-18 These verses are the "main point" of the book of Hebrews. The rest of the book will be spent proving that, (8:1-2) "now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." Remember Henry Law's words! A man just like us but so much more than us!
1. "therefore in all things, He had to be made like His brethren." In order to give aid to the seed of Abraham, He had to become the seed of Abraham—the "Human of Promise"! And that is exactly what Galatians 3:16 says, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds", as of many, but as of one, "and to your Seed", Who is Christ." We have a savior eternally "robed in our flesh", in order that:
a. "He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God."—And everything pertains to God! No man can see God and live! (Ex 33:20) If you do not know the need for a High Priest/Mediator, may God have mercy on your soul. To encounter the God of Heaven in His Word is to feel the heavens tremble!
b. "to make propitiaton for the sins of the people." He is our Atonement, our Mercy Seat. He bore the punishment for every one of our sins—specifically, not generically. The blood of atonement is forever upon the Mercy Seat and ever between the Father's "Eyes" and us.
2. HE IS ABLE TO AID THOSE WHO ARE TEMPTED. Remember chapter 1:3 "When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High!" And recall 8:2 which speaks of Him seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. It is finished. He is our Victor!
Beloved, here's the point! We have a Champion (Author/Prince) Who has robed Himself inseperably in our flesh, walked with intimacy and understanding on this fallen earth, been tempted in every point like us but without sin, was by wicked hands nailed to the cross and killed, bearing the punishment for each and every one of our sins, past-present-future, and tasted death for all of His People, ascended to the Right Hand of the Majesty on High because the grave could not hold Him. Why? Because He had the Pronouncement of the Glorious Father upon Him—"This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased". The Son of Man is the Son of God! And in this truth lies you peace, joy, and your eternal Hope! Do you know Him? Do you believe in Him? Are you looking unto Him? Quit looking at yourself and your sins and beg the Holy Spirit for that Heavenly Vision of the Beloved Son!!!!!
And never forget, His purpose is not to make us comfortable and happy on this fallen earth. NO! His purpose is to enable us to endure and grow in anticipation of that new "world to come" where Righteousness dwells.(II Peter 3:12-13) That is the place of the "mansions" that He has promised us. (John 14:2)
Hebrews 2:5-18
I. Vs 5-8a God's plan for man.
A. Vs 5 The Father's purpose is way beyond this world! It involves the world to come. II Peter 3:10-13.
1. This is the world that our author is concerned about! All that He says about Jesus isn't intended to enable us to live comfortably in this world, It is intended to enable us to endure in the Faith of the Son of God, to persevere unto the world to come. Heb 11:9,13-16
B. The Father's will is that man be the ruler of the earth. Man, not angels! This was the original design! Genesis 1:26-28. Psalm 8 describes the Divine Intent in detail and is the foundation for verses 6-/ here.
C. Vs 8b As in Gen 3, there is a "but". But now we do not see all things put under him. Man has not yet attained to God's purpose. All of man's vaunted intelligence an ingenuity has left him a failure as to God's design.
II. Vs 9 The second "but"—two negatives make a positive-at least here!
A. "BUT WE SEE JESUS" --The Jesus of chapter 1? Yes but there's more! Made a little lower than the angels, now pay attention!! For the purpose of suffering and death!
B. "Crowned with glory and honor"—that's all the stuff in chapter one--"that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." In other words, it took all the glorious stuff, all of the glorious "qualifications" of chapter 1 to enable Him to taste death for everyone. Any one less would never have come through that alive!
Jesus Christ is the only man who has ever "tasted death". Death has swallowed everyone else whole! Jesus savored every terrible morsel for us!
III. Vs 10-18 Here's the How!
A. Vs 10 First of all, here's the plan, and it is the Father's plan! Everything is for Him and by Him. "It was fitting for Him"—He thought it was a good idea! Any objections?
1. He is going to bring many sons to His purposed glory, through his author/captain/prince. (Daniel 9:25) He establishes a Champion for them.
2. "Perfect through suffering"—not perfect as in "no sin", for He never has had any sin, but similar to the idea in chapter 1:2. Just as the Son was the express image of the Father, so to now, through suffering, it will be manifest that He is the express image of man! He is one with us, just like us!
3. Vs 11-13 "are all of one". Both He who sets us apart unto God and we who are being set apart unto God are all of the same flesh and blood! He is not ashamed to call us brethren because He has stooped to become one with us!
"It is indeed a rich display of grace that Jesus should stand in sinners' likeness on this sin defiled soil. But it is grace above grace, that, in the fullness of time, He should take our manhood into God, and wear it on the cross, and in the grave: and then bear it to heaven, as His triumphal robe for ever!" Henry Law
B. Vs 14-15 Why? Because man is defined by death!
1. We are bound by death, the fear of death. Every decision man makes outside of Christ is a death decision. It is not eternal, so it is going to fail, it will eventually die!
2. The solution? Our Prince joined Himself completely with our flesh and blood, He shared in our very weakness that He might destroy that weakness and the Prince of Darkness who rules over it! He became weak that we might become strong. He came for this purpose—the suffering of death, that we might enter the glorious liberty of the sons of God. (Rom 8:21)
3. Vs 16 No aid to the angels, but "He does give aid to the seed of Abraham." We are in covenant territory here. Just as there was a lamb in the thicket for Isaac, Jesus is our "Lamb in our thicket." God has literally prepared Himself a Lamb!
a. And who are the seed of Abraham? Galatians 3:7, "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons (seed) of Abraham. (see also 3:16-19, 26-29), Romans 4:13-16, 9:6-8
C. Vs 17-18 These verses are the "main point" of the book of Hebrews. The rest of the book will be spent proving that, (8:1-2) "now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." Remember Henry Law's words! A man just like us but so much more than us!
1. "therefore in all things, He had to be made like His brethren." In order to give aid to the seed of Abraham, He had to become the seed of Abraham—the "Human of Promise"! And that is exactly what Galatians 3:16 says, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds", as of many, but as of one, "and to your Seed", Who is Christ." We have a savior eternally "robed in our flesh", in order that:
a. "He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God."—And everything pertains to God! No man can see God and live! (Ex 33:20) If you do not know the need for a High Priest/Mediator, may God have mercy on your soul. To encounter the God of Heaven in His Word is to feel the heavens tremble!
b. "to make propitiaton for the sins of the people." He is our Atonement, our Mercy Seat. He bore the punishment for every one of our sins—specifically, not generically. The blood of atonement is forever upon the Mercy Seat and ever between the Father's "Eyes" and us.
2. HE IS ABLE TO AID THOSE WHO ARE TEMPTED. Remember chapter 1:3 "When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High!" And recall 8:2 which speaks of Him seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. It is finished. He is our Victor!
Beloved, here's the point! We have a Champion (Author/Prince) Who has robed Himself inseperably in our flesh, walked with intimacy and understanding on this fallen earth, been tempted in every point like us but without sin, was by wicked hands nailed to the cross and killed, bearing the punishment for each and every one of our sins, past-present-future, and tasted death for all of His People, ascended to the Right Hand of the Majesty on High because the grave could not hold Him. Why? Because He had the Pronouncement of the Glorious Father upon Him—"This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased". The Son of Man is the Son of God! And in this truth lies you peace, joy, and your eternal Hope! Do you know Him? Do you believe in Him? Are you looking unto Him? Quit looking at yourself and your sins and beg the Holy Spirit for that Heavenly Vision of the Beloved Son!!!!!
And never forget, His purpose is not to make us comfortable and happy on this fallen earth. NO! His purpose is to enable us to endure and grow in anticipation of that new "world to come" where Righteousness dwells.(II Peter 3:12-13) That is the place of the "mansions" that He has promised us. (John 14:2)