The first chapter of Hebrews dealt with the supremacy of Jesus Christ in being both God’s incarnate word, compared to the mere messenger status of prophets, and the very Son of God given dominion over all things, in comparison with the glory of angelic beings. The author is writing to a fellowship of Jewish Christians who are on the verge of falling back into their Judaism, or some mixed form of Jewish Christian pagan pre-gnostic mixture of religion, dropping Christ from the pedestal that He alone is worthy of occupying. Therefore, in chapter two, Hebrews, which reads like an orated sermon, continues exalting Christ, explaining His ministry, especially in relation to angelic beings. There is the first of at least five warnings to stand firm in Christianity.
1) V1-4 – 1We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
Don’t drift. That’s the warning in v1. Guard your ears, be on guard, pay attention, use your mind. All of these short commands are meant to keep our focus on what matters – Jesus is Lord. Don’t drift from that truth. The author says we can’t escape the judgment of God, the righteous and just punishment of God due our sins, if we ignore the message of salvation declared by the angels (v2-3). Think of the angelic message to the shepherds given at Jesus’ birth. They announced, “Today in the town of Bethlehem a Savior is born, who is Christ the Lord.” The author of Hebrews gives a threefold argument. First, the angels issued a binding message, that there is no savior other than Jesus; the apostles said the same thing, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Second, the author reminds his Jewish audience what they already know, but it’s something we need to acknowledge and repent in humility when we hear it: “Every violation and disobedience received its just punishment.” “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20); “There is no one righteous” (Romans 3:10); “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). We are all guilty before the Lord; we all like sheep have gone astray, and the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God. And third, there is no way out of our condemnation, apart from trusting in Christ for righteousness. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
2) V5-9 – 5It is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that You are mindful of him, the Son of Man that You care for Him? 7You made Him a little [or Him for a little while (also in v9)] lower than the angels; you crowned Him with glory and honor 8and put everything under His feet” [Psalm 8:4-6]. In putting everything under Him, God left nothing that is not subject to Him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
Again the author contrasts Jesus and the angels, pointing to the reality that God has given dominion over all things to Jesus, not to angels. Though it is true that Jesus was made for a little while to be lower than the angels, which might lead some to conclude that angels are greater, we must see that this was a temporary maneuver meant to increase the honor and glory due Christ in the end. His suffering, sacrificial, and substitutionary, atoning death earned for Him far more glory and honor that could have been given Him had He not fulfilled the Savior role on behalf of mankind. No mere angel could have ever filled this role or deserved this glory.
The author, acknowledging that Jesus is sovereign over things, acknowledges something very important in v8. “At present we do not see everything subject to Him.” This is a major obstacle for unbelievers; how can they worship someone who seemingly has no power or authority? The answer comes for the doubting Christian in v9: “But we see Jesus…now crowned with glory and honor.” We are, in a sense, worshipping the King who has not held His coronation feast yet. We see that He is King, though others do not. We know everything is His, but that He will claim all that is His, at His second coming; we worship while waiting. Unbelievers can’t do that; they lack the vision of spiritual reality, because they are spiritually dead.
We read in v9 that Christ, “by the grace of God,” tasted “death for everyone.” This is one of several verses in Scripture that has been misunderstood to refute the reformed (or Calvinist) doctrine of limited atonement (the L in TULIP). This doctrine says that Christ died for the elect only, that His death was not intended to accomplish anything salvific for the non-elect, for those who would in time refuse the gospel. At first, this can sound harsh, both to unbelievers and believers alike. Therefore, opponents of this view, adopting the acronym DAISY (either “Impotent Savior,” from the Calvinist perspective, or “Infinite Love,” from the Arminian outlook), suggest that – as this verse in Hebrews might seem to say – Christ died for every individual every to exist, paying for their sins whether they accept Him as Savior or not, and having the same value for unbelievers and believers alike.
The question arises, if Christ paid for the sins of someone who dies in unbelief, then why would God punish them in hell for all eternity. It seems that Christ already paid the price for them. We come to a discrepancy over the sufficiency and efficiency of Christ’s atoning death. Surely His death was sufficient for every individual. His life and blood are of infinite value in that regard; however, we get to His intention when we talk about efficiency. His salvific work was efficient only for those who come to accept it, or receive it, by faith. The death of Christ was propiatory; it literally removed the wrath of God from upon those who deserved it. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36). This verse alone explains that Jesus’ death did not remove God’s wrath from upon those who reject Him.
So if this verse, and others like it, doesn’t say what it seems like it says, what is the author of Hebrews trying to say? It’s simple, and it’s the case with the other verses like it as well. The author is not only saying that Jesus is the only available option for salvation for every individual man, though that’s true. The author is saying that Jesus tasted death in the propitiatory sense of the word for all kinds of men. The elect, whom God only knows in advance, are represented by people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The true children of God (John 8:31-47) will be in heaven thanks to the death of Christ, which is why He is to be so honored and glorified, and they come from all walks of life – young, old, male, female, dark-skinned, light-skinned, fat, thin, rich, poor, kings, and lowly laborers, and Jesus tasted death for all of them. In the message of Hebrews, one of the main points is to convince the Jewish Christians to get behind the gospel to the Gentiles with full support. That is made clear to the audience with this verse. Jesus didn’t just die for Jews, but for Gentiles too (1 John 2:2; John 11:50-52). Much more can be found on this topic in commentaries on other similar verses. For now, let’s move on, for v10 adds valuable context to v9.
3) V10-13 – 10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the Author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says, “I will declare Your name to My brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing Your praises” [Psalm 22:22]. 13And again, “I will put My trust in Him” [Isaiah 8:17]. And again He says, “Here am I, and the children God has given Me” [Isaiah 8:18].
In v10, the author of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus’ death wasn’t actually efficient as a propitiatory sacrifice for all individuals ever to live; rather, Jesus’ death brought “many sons to glory.” He bought the church of God with His own blood (Exodus 15:16; Acts 20:28), and only they are saved from God’s wrath. While this is true, v10 is moving on to a new topic, talking about the appropriateness of Jesus’ suffering. God the Father, creator and sustainer of all things through His Son Jesus and by His Holy Spirit, perfected Jesus, the Author of their salvation (emphasis added to say not certainly for everyone, not potentially for everyone, not potentially for the children of God, but certainly for the children of God), through suffering. The author is not saying that Jesus was imperfect prior to His suffering; rather, He became the perfect atoning sacrifice for His people by enduring humanity.
Paul says the same thing in a different way in Philippians 2:6-11: “[Christ], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In order to be the savior of humanity, Jesus had to become human, suffering the emptying of His glory, “Making Himself nothing,” to be a perfect savior of mankind.
V11 confirms the author’s intent in v10. Jesus and “those who are made holy are of the same family.” Isn’t it amazing that He is not ashamed to call us brothers! In becoming human like us, Jesus suffered, so that He could suffer for us on the cross, justly paying our debt to the Father, so that we would not have to suffer eternal punishment in hell. When the author quotes Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8 in the remaining verses of this passage, he is showing that Jesus is unashamed. In v12, a quote from Psalm 22:22, Jesus declares that He will make the Father known on earth and sing praises to the Father with His life in the presence of mankind. And then in v13, trusting wholly in God the Father, Jesus will stand before His Father, having perfectly accomplished the task set before Him, with those God gave Him to purchase. It’s a beautiful picture of the supreme value of Jesus, the perfect fulfillment of His duty, all from the Old Testament.
4) V14-18 – 14Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for [Or and that He might turn aside God’s wrath, taking away] the sins of the people. 18Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
As v10-13 explained the fact that Jesus became human in order to be the perfect sacrifice required by God the Father to atone for sin, so v14-18 elaborate on the reason for the fact. Specifically, v14 says that Jesus destroyed the devil by His death. John Owen wrote a book called The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Likewise, Jesus set the captives free with His death (v15); the devil enslaved all men with the introduction of sin into the world, but Jesus set us free by conquering sin and death once for all – that is, all of His sheep (John 10), which include all kinds of people. V16 is an aside, a parenthetical remark continuing the theme of contrasting Jesus and the angels, pointing out that Jesus is not concerned with the salvation of angels so much as He cares for His people. The work of Jesus was for humanity, not on behalf of angelic beings.
V17 offers an additional explanation for the necessity of Jesus’ human existence, one that really makes sense to the intended Jewish audience of the Hebrew writer. Jesus had to become “a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God,” the Mediator between God the Father, who is holy, and the sinful people of God. The first-century Jews would have understood this far better than we twenty-first century Gentiles ever could. Just as the high priest would enter the holy place once a year, on the Day of Atonement, so Jesus made atonement “for the sins of the people.” This is the propitiatory sacrifice mentioned earlier; Jesus was not only the high priest, a theme that the author of Hebrews will elaborate on later in the Epistle, but He was also the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). The work of Jesus actually turned “aside God’s wrath, taking away the sins of the people.”
Finally, v18 offers a more practical, more tangible, and less abstract benefit of Jesus’ humanity. Not only did Jesus suffer in becoming human; not only did He suffer in dying on the cross; not only did He suffer the pain of rejection when His friends betrayed and abandoned Him; not only did He suffer when mocked and ridiculed by the religious leaders of the day; not only did Jesus suffer emotionally on numerous occasions, such as the death of Lazarus, the sadness of those affected by pain, sickness, and/or the death of a loved one, and the rejection of His family members who wouldn’t believe in Him; but Jesus suffered when tempted. In Hebrews 4:15, the author will say, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” Therefore, “He is able to help those who are being tempted” (v18). He knows; He’s been there; He resisted. We haven’t; we don’t think we can; and we can’t apart from His help. But Jesus is able to help us – because He’s been there. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Footnotes
- 2:7 Or him for a little while; also in verse 9
- 2:8 Psalm 8:46
- 2:12 Psalm 22:22
- 2:13 Isaiah 8:17
- 2:13 Isaiah 8:18
- 2:17 Or and that he might turn aside God's wrath, taking away
Bible text from Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.