Hebrews 2. 14
July 28th 2013
Welcome – thank you for choosing to be here today.
Let’s pray together and lift each other up to the Father of Lights.
Music
Corporate Prayer
(A list at the back of the room if there is anyone you would like to add for when we pray before departing).
When we come back our verses of study will be Hebrews 2 beginning at verse 10.
Okay, we hit on a rather heavy topic last week with verse nine of Hebrews 2 – remember?
We asked (a loud) whether Christ, on the cross, reconciled all forms of death caused by the Fall – physical and/or spiritual –
and discussed the potential time frame that these reconciliations occurred (on the cross) and the ramifications of universal reconciliation for both physical and spiritual death.
In verse 8 we read a description of all things someday being put back under the dominance of Man (since Man lost this domination at the Fall) and then in verse 9 we read where the writer of Hebrews makes his point:
(Hebrews 2:9) “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 should taste death for every man.”
This seems to be a theme (of sorts) the writer is making both here and all the way through chapters 4 and 5 . . .
That Christ became man, flesh – our fleshly brother – and through suffering, not only reconciled the world to Himself but especially became our permanent high priest, offering up Himself forever (which was a very different concept for the Jews who had high priests who would annually make sacrifice on behalf of the people.
But I am getting a little ahead of ourselves here.
Let’s read on in verses 10 and 11, which are a continuation of nine and say:
10 For it became him (Jesus Christ), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
Then in verses 12 through 18, the writer springboards off these verses, and seems to use the space to declare how much Jesus, having become human, is now able to relate to us in all things as a suffering man.
In the process of explaining all of this the writer also gives us insights into the heart of the Lord. He does this by quoting prophetic utterances that describe Him prior to His incarnation. This is what is happening in verse 12-13.
So in verse 11 He wrote:
11 For both he that sanctifieth (Jesus) and they who are sanctified (believers) are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
“Saying,” (or quoting the OT in verse 12) “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, (quoting the OT) “I will put my trust in him.” And again, (Quoting the OT) “Behold I and the children which God hath given me.”
(the the writer continues on saying)
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
All of these verses lead us to chapter three, which essentially will say,
“Therefore,” (or in light of ALLLLL this stuff I have said to you about Jesus Christ), we ought to . . . and he starts in on stuff, which we will begin to cover next week.
So back to verse 10 and 11.
10 For it became him (Jesus Christ), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
For it became Jesus (or there was an outstanding reason) for Him to suffer.
That is what verse 10 is really saying. Listen to it again:
10 For it became him (Jesus Christ), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
It was somehow fitting that God, who created all things and in whom are all things, would see fit to redeem “many” (unto glory) by and through . . . suffering.
Is it possible that the intended audience here – converted Jews – were beginning to doubt the person and methods of Christ and Christianity that they followed at this point in time?
We’re they losing respect or desire to follow Christ and bear their own cross?
For some reason the writer is intent on showing that while Jesus was greater than the prophets, and equal with God, and better than angels (and prove all this again by adding that “by Him all things consist and by Him all things are) that He then became the captain of salvation through suffering – something maybe these converts were beginning to not appreciate . . . it’s something few Christians can appreciate, right?
Under the law the nation of Israel sought for blessings, not suffering. For centuries they longed to possess a land of their own (permanently) and to live in peace amongst themselves.
So even though they were given pictures of suffering prophets over the years their idea of a suffering Messiah was hard to digest.
Then add in that they, as Christians following this suffering King it may have been too much for some of them, and so they started to waiver.
It happens in the face of trial and suffering – we begin to waiver in our faith and allegiance don’t we?
We cannot ever ignore the fact that as a means to overcome Satan, the Fall, sin, and everything that got in between Man and God – our King . . . our Ssavior suffered.
Well before being born He was prophesied to be a “man of sorrows” and that his life was going to be “acquainted with grief.”
David, speaking from his heart about his own difficulties was simultaneously prophesying of the Lord when he said in Psalm 69:
1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
19 Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor: mine adversaries are all before thee.
20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
It only stands to reason that with God being a God of Light and love seeing His creation falling into darkness and hateful indifference, as a means to save it had to overcome it by and through non-evil means (meaning Light and Love) – and the result, in whatever way He would approach the redemption, would be suffering.
With God (who is selfless love) becoming flesh and existing in a carnal, fleshly world, it only makes sense that His mission to redeem us would be rife with sorrows and grief.
Taking it a step further, this experience of His would naturally transcend to those who choose to follow Him and walk as He walked.
But by and through His suffering He became perfectly “qualified” (for lack of a better word) to support and sustain all who look to Him in faith for spiritual sustenance.
Remember, this was all a plan well before the foundation of the world. In fact, scripture says that the lamb was slain from before the foundation of the world.
In light of this (and without going to deep) I sometimes wonder if God – who (prior to the incarnation of Christ) being immaterial could truly relate to Man by and through His make-up, holiness, and reason.
What I mean by this (or what I wonder) is was holy God, the consuming fire, incapable of relating to fallen Man prior to Jesus incarnation?
Think about this?
God did NOT create man fallen. He created a species who, in the garden to whom He COULD relate.
But by His foreknowledge He also knew the Fall was inevitable. And in this knew that He would have to come to earth as a means to redeem it before the foundations of the world – because once the world fell into sin He could only relate to fallen human beings by and through law?
And by His foreknowledge He knew that the Law would forever fail to redeem any human being.
“But God so loved the world He gave His only Begotten Son . . .”
Get it?
In other words was the plan to send His Son purposed before the foundation of the world as a means for Him, who became Man, to mediate between fallen humanity and holy God as prior to the incarnation God would only relate to Man by His Law?
In other words, prior to Him taking on flesh, did God view fallen Man in terms far more, for lack of a better word, “black and white?”
People today have a very difficult time with who they call “The God of the Old Testament” but in reality this is God – is still God – Holy, righteous, fire – but sending His only Son, God, through Him as our mediator who reconciled all things, is now a peace, putting all things into the hands of Christ Jesus?
I think there is something to this. In other words I am of the opinion that God, prior to creating a single cell knew He would have to become a literal parent of a literal Son in flesh who would come and suffer for the fallen sinful state of the world He so loved.
And this, in part, is what the writer of Hebrews is trying to impart here – how and why Jesus became flesh . . . and suffered (in and through true love) as a means to fulfill the Law and redeem the world and (as it says in verse 10)
“bringing many sons unto glory.”
In reality, the best translation of this is that He brings “many people into heaven,” where the glory of God dwells.
And he did this by taking the leader of our salvation, the captain as verse 10 says, and “perfected Him through sufferings.”
In almost any translation this line is cumbersome but to paraphrase I think we can understand it to be saying:
“He brings many people to glory by having made the captain of their salvation, even Jesus Christ, perfect through suffering.”
In our day and age a captain is a ranking officer in the Greek the translated word captain refers more to a commander of a “company of soldiers.”
I would suppose we could liken His ability to lead all who are “in His company” to a seasoned leader assigned to taking a group of people through a treacherous jungle.
Why would we trust such a guide?
He has done it himself. He’s fallen down the steepest hills, been stung by the worst insects, fought every single ferocious animal known to man, and knows ever step of the journey.
So we trust His ability to successfully bring us through the journey. As members of His troop are we going to struggle and suffer? Sure. It comes with the territory (again, this is all spiritual metaphor) but we know that our guide has successfully been through the trip Himself and overcame all the obstacles.
Our Lord, having been tempted in all things, having suffered for all things, having overcome all things, reigns, and now mediates between holy God and fallen men who trust Him as our captain.
“Praise God for so loving the world He gave His only begotten Son that whoso believes on Him – our captain, our fearless guide, our King – should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The Greek word for captain used here by the writer is a powerful one –archegos.
You might recall (if you’ve been studying here for any period of time) when we talked about the Greek term “arche.”
The word means the primary source or the first thing.
Architecture is the study of forms from which everything else springs.
Archetype is the first primary type of a thing.
There are plenty of things in this world that seek to be “the primary source or thing” to us – plenty of men and women and philosophies who claim to be our “archegos or captain.”
Here in verse 10 the writer is labeling Jesus as our archegos – the primary, the first, the prototype leader or captain of our faith, a position earned by and through His suffering.
Acts 3:15 translates archegos into “prince.”
Acts 5:31 translates archegos into “the prince and savior of life.”
And Hebrews 12:2, renders it “author,” as in ,”Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.” The archegos and finisher of our faith.
The point is when we are stung in the journey, He has been stung.
When we are hated by the natives, He was hated by them first.
Where we are tired, and broken, and mistreated, He was the same.
In all things – feeling them all, paying for them all, suffering under it all, and then redeeming it all.
He is a captain upon whom we can rely because He not only suffered all things He overcame them AND tells us how to overcome them too . . . by love.
Traveling through the jungle and the natives attack we want to fight back. But our captain says no – turn the other cheek.
Forgive them.
Return good for evil. If you don’t you will be destroyed by them. He knows.
What an incomprehensible warrior and guide. And it was His suffering, in the best way I know how to express this, that qualified Him (Jesus incarnate – God in the flesh) and now places Him in the perfect position to mediate between the faithful living in fallen flesh and the Father of Holy Fire.
LISTEN CLOSELY.
It is because of His suffering (experienced in every possible way) that we are able – by and through His strength – to endure our own.
Go back with me again to my weak and frivolous example of the empathetic jungle guide.
Let’s say we are all passing through the Amazon and you have watched your guide, time and time again, prove He knows what He is doing.
And suddenly, out of nowhere, an extremely rare, long toothed “Tztsi Tztsi Wombat” swoops down and sinks its four inch long fangs into your neck and then refuses to let go.
What would be more comforting – to have the guide run back to you, take one look and scream, “I’ve never seen such a thing in my life!”
ORRRRRR . . . . .
For him to say,
“Let me tell you exactly what is going to happen now – for I too was once bitten by the long toothed Tstzi-Tstzi Wombat.”
Whose advice would you trust more? Who would you look to for comfort in this most terrifying situation?
He who has been exactly where you are, right?
So your guide calmly reassures you that the bite is not fatal, that after four days the creature will suddenly just release and fly away, and that once a person is bit by the wombat they never have to worry again about being bit by anything else ever again?
Where is true reassurance derived?
So it is with all of those who are His and who are willing to look to Him and His strength and experience to overcome all trials, difficulties, and sufferings.
Without God becoming Man I’m not so sure we would be able to as effectively rely and trust upon Him. Not because He would be deficient but because of the way we think we might not be able to relate and trust upon Him from our carnal form.
The writer now, as a means to show the Jews the nature of Christ through prophecy begins to refer to the Old Testament.
Listen to 11 and 12:
11 For both he that sanctifieth (Jesus) and they who are sanctified (believers) are all of one: for which cause (and for this reason) he (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them brethren (believers)
12 Saying, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.”
That’s a radical line –
“For both he that sanctifieth (hagiadzo –makes holy) and they who are sanctified (made holy) are one.”
Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 8 – listen closely:
Romans 8:29 “For whom he (God) did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn (the glorious chosen first-fruits) among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate (you and me, based on His foreknowledge of our choices), them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
In short, where God consecrated His only begotten as the Great Messiah, this same great Messiah has now consecrated many whom “He is not ashamed to call brethren.”
Yes, in this sense we are brethren (sisteren – family) with Christ, in that He took on flesh and brought us into one family by the same Spirit.
Of course, we are not born a family and He is not our brother from any pre-existent sense – He was with God and was God, for goodness sake!
But in becoming flesh, and overcoming the flesh and then empowering all who believe on Him to do the same, he does refer to us as brethren, which is fitting.
This line about Him calling man brethren is taken from Psalm 22:22, which says:
“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”
But let’s take a minute and read the entire Psalm because it too, reveals the Messiah and His insufferable life, through the words of King David:
Psalm 22:1 A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
In verse 12 of Hebrews 2, where the writer quotes Psalm 22:22 which says that the Messiah will declare God’s name, Jesus fulfilled this point in several places in His ministry to the Jews.
In his parting prayer with the eleven Jesus says in John 17:6,
“I have manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world,” and then again in John 17:26, he repeats, “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it.”
But the reason the writer seems to quote from this passage is to show that Jesus considered them (even called them) brethren.
Is He the captain of our life? Unashamed to call us sister and brother?
In verse 13 the writer appeals to two more Old Testament passages to show who Jesus is, saying:
13 And again (or, again, appealing to another Old Testament reference to Him consider) – “I will put my trust in him,” (which is probably taken from Isaiah 8:17) And again, “Behold I and the children which God hath given me,” (taken from Isaiah 7:18)
And having established, from the Old Testament the fact that Jesus is who the Old Testament described and prophesied as the Messiah, the writer returns back to the topic of Christ becoming flesh or Man, and says (verse 14)
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Since human beings who become walkers by faith (children of God) are housed in flesh and blood He too became one of them (and NOT and angel).
I know this is a lot of talk but the subject of angels is important to these first two chapters and when the writer introduced Man into the discussion it was to sort of processionally prove that Jesus was not an angel but God who became Man.
Since those who were created in God’s image are HUMAN, He became HUMAN.
Why? Look at verse 14 again which says that . . .
He (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same (flesh); that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
That through death – by dying – He would destroy the devil, who had the “power of death.”
Now, it is implied in this verse
(1.) that the work which he undertook of destroying him that had the power of death was to be accomplished by his own dying; and
(2.) that, in order to this, it was necessary that he should be a man. An angel does not die, and therefore he did not take on him the nature of angels; and the Son of God, in his Divine nature, could not die, and therefore he assumed a form in which he could die–that of a man. In that nature the Son of God – the perfect, innocent, law-abiding Son of Man – could taste of death and therefore destroy him that had the power of death.
Reading this in the English it sounds like by dying Jesus destroys the Devil.
We could come up with all sorts of imaginative storylines to support this. But the word destroy here, in the Greek, does not mean destroy as in utterly kill or erase.
The Greek word (Katargeo) is really best understood as “to render idle” or to subdue.”
So, in dying, and then overcoming death, Satan’s power of death was rendered idle or was completely subdued.
He closed the door on Satan’s reign over the heart of fearful Man, giving hope over the grave where hope has never before existed.
Prior to His incarnation, Satan had a kingdom established. Hell (sheol) was the end of the road for all men as there was no access to God since all men were spiritually dead upon entering the grave.
Prior to His coming death carried with it significant terrors.
This was a Kingdom he earned the right to have by getting Adam to fall and for all who died faithless, they entered into His domain.
A frightening place to be.
Death continues to reign today (as all things are not put under His feet as of yet) but where we all live in the hell of spiritual death from our birth and will experience physical death, those who have received new life in Him have the overriding existential fear of death abated if not removed all together.
Because He beat down its doors, and sting.
We will talk more about death next week.
QUESTIONS
PRAYER
SONG
