Jesus Understands Us (Part 1)

 

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?