Lesson Three
Jesus
Understands Us
Hebrews 2:5-9
Theme: Jesus Christ is not inferior to angels because of his humanity. Christ,
through His humanity, secured our great salvation which involves the exaltation
of believers, freed us from the fear of death, and affords us the help of a
compassionate High Priest in Heaven during temptations. Christ’s humanity enables Him to understand
our needs and challenges fully.
Reflection
Begin
your study by sharing thoughts on this question.
1. Where do you usually turn for comfort when you are hurting?
Perhaps you would say, “my spouse,” “my Bible,” or “prayer,” maybe “my Lord,” or your parents or perhaps the pastor. It is good if we turn to one of these especially if we go to the Lord Jesus first. There are however, some less honorable options we sometimes resort to, like food (chocolate, cheese cake), shopping, a movie (escape), or travel (escape). Some of us even retreat within ourselves to nurse our wounds. Some people also seek comfort in the abuse of alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, illegal drugs, and even prescription drugs. Even Christians sometimes deal with hurts in ways that seldom include looking to Christ for comfort.
During
the winter of 1777–78 the Continental Army of the rebelling American colonies
shivered in Valley Forge while the British forces occupied and rested in
Philadelphia. Conditions at Valley Forge were so miserable and supplies so inadequate
that the desertion rate from the ranks of the Continentals exceeded the rate of
arrival by new recruits.
The
only reason the Continental Army survived at Valley Forge was because George
Washington was with it. The impression Washington’s character had made on his
men through months of service together inspired enough loyalty to keep the
Continental Army intact and the British army bottled up.
Washington
suffered with his men. He endured their privations and continually interceded
with the Continental Congress for provisions and supplies. The troops in the
huts who lacked boots, blankets, and food knew the General was their
fellow-sufferer and champion with the powers-that-be.
Washington
had come out of retirement to lead the Continental forces, and once the
Revolution was successfully completed he tried to retreat once more to the
beauty of Mount Vernon.
Man of Destiny
The letter to the Hebrews opened with grand assertions about the deity of the Son of God, His role in sustaining all of creation, and His superiority over the angels as the Revealer of the Father to humanity. This tribute of praise set the stage for the main idea Hebrews wants to express about the Son. This awesome Being has shared human nature and experience so fully that He is both Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Man. Hebrews emphasizes the genuine humanity of Jesus as well as Christ’s deity. It was this unique combination of humanity and deity that enabled Him to be both our Savior and our High Priest. Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Bible
Reading
Read
Hebrews 2:5–18.
*In His humanity, Christ, our Sacrifice, restores
dignity to mankind (2:5-9).
*In His humanity, Christ, our perfect Captain,
releases the suffering (2:10-16).
*In His humanity, Christ, our compassionate High Priest, relieves the tempted (2:17-18).
In the first chapter we saw that Christ is superior to the angels as the Son of God. Now it will be shown that He is also Superior as the Son of Man. It will help us in following the flow of thought if we remember that, to the Jewish mind, the thought of Christ’s incarnation was incredible, and the fact of His humiliation was shameful. To the Jews, Jesus was only a man, and therefore He belonged to a lower order than the angels. The following verses show that even as Man, Jesus was better than the angels. –MacDonald, William
This
passage affords us some insight into this great salvation we have in the Lord
Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:5–18). What is the “great salvation” that the writer described? Hebrews
views salvation as nothing less than the exaltation of humanity to resume our
dignity lost to sin (2:5–13), and as a release to freedom or escape from spiritual
enslavement (2:14–18). Through the grace of Christ, we have been ushered back to our
original glory
and honor; no longer primarily viewed as “sinners,” but glorious
sons of God—Christ’s brethren!
Of
course, we all have sinned. All humankind, apart from Jesus, lies dead and
deadened underneath the curse. But still, life is possible through Christ.
Before
the Fall, man lived. Then because of the Fall mankind died. We could only wait for the divine rescue. Christ stooped low to claim, quicken, and
restore us to life.
Quoting
from Psalm 8:4–6, the writer recaptures the wonder of the psalmist who has
discovered man’s lost identity:
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that
thou visitest him? 7, Thou madest him a
little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and
didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8, Thou hast put all things in
subjection under his feet. (Hebrews 2:6–8)
When
God created the first man and woman, He gave them dominion over His Creation
(Gen. 1:26–31). David marveled that God would share His power and glory with
feeble man! Man was created “a little lower than the
angels” (and therefore inferior to them), but man was given privileges
far higher than the angels. God never promised the angels that they would reign
in “the world to come” (Heb. 2:5).
Discovery
Explore the Bible reading by discussing these questions.
2. What was God’s primary intent for mankind? (Heb. 2:5-8)
A.
Explanation. This section serves as an explanation (Heb.
2:5–18) as to how Christ, with a human body, could still be superior to angels
who are spirits.
Jesus Christ is not inferior because of
his humanity.
a.
The fact that angels are “ministering spirits” without human bodies would seem
to give them an advantage over Jesus Christ who had a human body while He
ministered on earth. (Today He has a glorified body that knows no limitations.)
b.
The entire passage explains why our
Lord’s humanity was neither a handicap nor a mark of inferiority. Note how this is expressed.
i. Because
Christ became human he could regain man’s lost dominion and jurisdiction
(2:8-9).
ii. Because
Christ became human he could pioneer the way for many sons to enter glory
(2:10-13).
iii. Because
Christ became human he could defeat Satan and deliver man from the fear of
death (2:14-16).
iv. Because
Christ became human he could assist us as a compassionate high Priest when we
are tempted (2:17-18).
B.
Exaltation. God made man in original
glory, “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27) and God gave him “dominion” (v. 28).
a.
God did not appoint angels to control the future world, this he
appointed to man. The “world to come”
(2:5) is the golden age of peace and prosperity spoken of frequently by
the prophets—the Millennium (Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-9; Isa. 2:2-4; 11:4, 6, 8-9; 35:1-2;
Jer. 3:7; Zech. 14:9). Eventually
dominion over the earth will be given to man, not to angels.
b.
In a sense, man is insignificant,
and yet God is mindful of him. In a sense, man is
unimportant, yet God does take care of
him (2:6).
i. “Visitest” means to look upon, to look after, to go to
see (Matt. 25:36).
ii. The
word means “to look upon in order to help or to benefit, to look after, to have
a care for.” This clearly indicates that the son of man spoken of here is the
human race. God looks upon the human race in order to help or to benefit it.
Thus, the picture in verses 6–8 is that of the human race in Adam. –Wuest, Kenneth S.
c.
In the grand scale of creation, man
occupies a lower place than the angels (2:7). We are more
limited in knowledge, mobility, and power. And we are subject to death. Yet in
the purposes of God, man is destined to be crowned with glory and honor. The limitations of his body and mind
will be largely removed, and he will be exalted on the earth.
i. Everything
will be put under man’s
authority in that coming day —the angelic hosts, the world of animals, birds,
and fishes—in fact, the planetary system, and potentially every part of the
created universe will be put under his
control (2:8).
ii. This
was God’s original intention for man. He told him, for instance, to “replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth on the earth”
(Gen. 1:28).
d.
This is the exaltation of humankind!
In Christ, we have been lifted up to share the Son’s glory, becoming in Him so
fully “sanctified” and “all
of one” Father that we are called by Jesus Himself, “My brethren” (2:11–12).
C.
Humiliation. Why then don’t we see all things in subjection under him? (Heb. 2:8)
a.
We have a serious problem because it
is obvious that man today is not exercising “dominion” over creation.
Certainly man cannot control the fish, fowl, or animals. In fact, man has a
hard time controlling himself! “But now we see not yet
all things put under him” (Heb. 2:8).
i. The
answer is that man lost his dominion because of his sin. The Fall shattered
God’s glorious intention for mankind.
ii. Adam’s
sin brought the curse on creation (Gen. 3:14-24). Docile creatures became
ferocious. The ground began to bring forth thorns and thistles. Man’s control
over nature was challenged and limited.
b.
Adam
through his fall into sin, lost the dominion he had before enjoyed. He was no
longer master of himself. He had become a fallen creature, with a totally
depraved nature. He was a slave to sin. The animal kingdom was subservient to
him not now through affection but fear. The ground, instead of yielding only
good things, now produced also thorns, weeds, and other harmful things.
Extremes of heat and cold, poisonous reptiles, earthquakes, typhoons,
hurricanes, all conspired to make his life a constant battle to survive. He had
lost the dominion over all these things. –Wuest, Kenneth S.
c.
But the Fall did not shake God’s
love. Man was still God’s concern, still cared for (2:6). Therefore, Jesus
stepped down to become Man, suffered death that the Father might bring “many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10). Becoming human was
an utter humiliation for Christ!
3. What roles did Christ play to restore man to his rightful place in God’s plan for humanity? (Heb. 2:8-9)
“But we see Jesus!” (Heb. 2:9) He is God’s answer
to man’s dilemma; what man forfeited, Christ recaptured and fulfilled. Jesus
Christ became man that He might suffer and die for man’s sin and restore the
dominion that was lost because of sin. His humanity enabled Him to regain man’s lost
dominion. Let’s take a closer
look at the roles of Christ in this.
A.
Christ our Replacement (Substitute) (2:9).
a.
For a little while, He was made lower than the angels, specifically, for the thirty-three
years of His earthly ministry. His descent from heaven to Bethlehem, to
Gethsemane, to Gabbatha, to Golgotha, and to the tomb, mark the stages in His
humiliation. But now He is crowned with glory and honor.
His exaltation is a result of His suffering and death; the cross led to the
crown.
b.
Christ became a man for the “suffering of death” as our Substitute (Heb. 9:11-15, 24-28; 1Pet. 2:24;
3:18; Isa. 53:5, 6, 8; 2Cor. 5:21).
c.
The story of the Passover lamb
(Exod. 12), with 1 Cor. 5:7, illustrates the meaning of substitution as … one life given in the
stead of another. “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. Christ Himself bore our
sins in His own body on the tree—this is substitution. Christ died in our place, bore
our sins, paid the penalty due our sins; and all this, not by force, but
willingly
(John 10:17, 18).
i. The
idea of substitution is seen in the preposition used to describe Christ’s
death: In Matt. 20:28, Christ is said to give His life a ransom for all
(also 1 Tim. 2:6).
ii. The
use of this preposition in this manner means instead of.
d.
Substitution … means this: That something happened to
Christ, and because it happened to Christ, it need not happen to us. Christ
died for our sins; we need not die for them if we accept His sacrifice.
i. For
further illustrations, see Gen. 22:13; God providing a ram instead of Isaac.
ii. Barabbas
freed and Christ bearing his cross and taking his place.—William Evans
e. Jesus took your place on the cross.
He died in your place and in my place and in the place of everyone you know.
The penalty for sin is death. And we are all sinners. Unless One who was pure
and righteous took our place and suffered the penalty for our sin, we would
have to bear that penalty ourselves. The apostle Paul explained this in Romans
3:10–18.
B.
Christ our Representative (2:9).
a.
God’s gracious purpose was that
Christ might taste death for every man. The Savior died as our Substitute
and as our Representative; that is, He
died for man and He died as man.
i. He
bore in His body on the cross all God’s judgment against sin so that those who
believe on Him will never have to bear it.
ii. Just
as a lawyer represents his client before the judge in court, the Lord Jesus
represented all humanity at the judgment of Calvary where he suffered as a man
for all men of all ages.
iii. Christ
died as a man. Since it was man that sinned initially, only man could pay the
penalty (Heb. 10:5-10).
b.
“Jesus thought of himself in terms
of a heavenly Messiah fulfilling on earth a ministry on men’s behalf which
would culminate in scenes of final glory.”—The Moody Handbook of Theology
c.
Christ experienced death on the behalf of “every man” (2:9). This clearly teaches that Christ
sacrifice was not limited to the elect, but sufficient for every sinner without
exception (John 1:29;
12:32; 2Co 5:15; 1Ti 2:6; 1John
2:2).
d.
Thank the Lord for our most excellent
Representative, Who satisfied divine justice on behalf of all mankind.
C.
Christ our Restorer (2:8-9).
a.
Currently Christ is “crowned with glory and honour.” When the Son of Man
returns to reign over the earth, man’s dominion will be restored.
i. Jesus,
as Man, will restore what Adam lost, and more besides (Eph. 1:10; Acts 3:19,
21; Matt. 19:28; Rom. 8:18-23).
1.
Restoring:
Returning what is lost or taken; bringing back; recovering; curing; renewing;
repairing; re-establishing. –Webster’s
Dictionary 1828
2. Dispensation of the fullness of times (Eph. 1:10). This is the seventh and last of the ordered ages which condition
human life on earth. God is moving
everything forward to the time when Christ will rule over all things in heaven
and earth—the Kingdom Age (2Sam. 7:8-17; Luke 1:31-33). This is the fullness,
through Christ, God will restore original universal unity,
when all things are brought back into harmony with himself and under the
leadership of Christ (1Cor. 15:24-25).
3.
The times of restitution
[restoration] of all things (Acts 3:19, 21) point
forward to the Millennium
and not universal salvation. This is the
time when creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption and
Christ will reign in righteousness as King over all the earth.
4.
The period will be marked by all kinds of
blessings and renewal (cf. Is. 11:6–10; 35:1–10; Ezek. 34:26; 44:3; Joel 2:26; Matt. 19:28; Rev. 19:1–10). –The
MacArthur Study Bible
5.
Restitution of all
things [Acts 3:21]—comprehending, probably, the rectification of all the disorders of the fall. –A Commentary, Critical And
Explanatory, On The Old And New Testaments
6.
The times of refreshing ... from the
presence of the Lord [Acts
3:19] refer to the blessings of Christ’s future kingdom on earth…. –Believer's
Bible Commentary
ii. Restoration.
We are probably expressing the full warrant of the Scripture when we say that
the reconstruction mentioned in these passages contemplates the restoration of
man, under the reign of Christ, to a life in which the consequences of sin are
no longer present, and that this reconstruction is to include in some measure a
regeneration of both the physical and the spiritual world. –International Standard Bible
Encyclopaedia
iii. So
while we do not see everything under man’s control at the present time, we do see Jesus,
and in Him we find the key to man’s eventual rule over the earth.
1.
When our Lord was here on earth, He
exercised that lost dominion. He had dominion over the fish (see Matt.
17:24–27; Luke 5:1–11; John 21:1–11), over the fowl (Luke 22:34, 60), and over
the wild beasts (Mark 1:12–13), and the domesticated beasts (Mark 11:1–7).
2.
As the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45),
Jesus Christ regained man’s lost dominion. Today, everything is under His feet
(Eph. 1:20–23).
b.
Man was crowned “with glory and honour” (Heb. 2:7), but he lost his
crown and became the slave of sin.
i. Jesus
Christ has regained that “glory and honour”
(Heb. 2:9), and believers today share His kingly dominion (Rev. 1:5–6). One
day, when He establishes His kingdom, we shall reign with Him in glory and
honor.
ii. Jesus
Christ did all of this for us—for lost sinners—because of “the grace of God” (Heb. 2:9). If He had not become
man, He could not have died and “taste[d] death [experienced death] for
every man” (Heb. 2:9). It is true that angels cannot die; but it is also
true that angels cannot save lost sinners and restore man’s lost dominion.
c.
Christ was not primarily a religious
teacher, a philanthropist, an ethical example; He was all these, yea, and much
more—He was first and foremost the world’s Saviour and Redeemer. Other great
men have been valued for their lives; He, above all, for His death, around
which God and man are reconciled. –Evans,
William
Response
Use
these questions to share more deeply with each other.
9. How is Jesus' pain and temptation relevant
to us?
10. In times of trouble, why do we turn to
other people rather than to Jesus?
11. In what way does God equip us to reach out
to others with compassion?
