Christ Came
Hebrews 2:9-18
Introduction: The book of Hebrews is the closest book in the New Testament to being pure doctrine. It is written to Christians who had been converted from Judaism and had been Christians for awhile. But now they were in danger of drifting back into their old Judaistic ways. The writer of Hebrews makes the point throughout the book that Jesus is “better.” Jesus is better than Moses, Jesus’ covenant is better than Moses’ covenant and so forth. He starts his letter first by saying that Jesus is better than the angels.
Why angels? Because under the Old Covenant up to the time of Christ’s ministry upon the earth, they were one of the means through which God communicated his will to men upon the earth. They, along with the prophets, were God’s spokesmen and as such were to be heard and obeyed. Jesus is presented as God’s new messenger, one much better than the angels. In Heb. 1:1-4, we read . . .
Why is Christ better than the angels? The writer explains in 1:5-14 . . .
The ramifications of the fact that Christ is better than the angels is laid out in 2:1-4 . . .
In 2:5, the writer begins to lay out another reason that Jesus is better than the angels. First of all he compares the angels to you and me, human beings. 2:5-8 reads . . .
Mankind, as originally created by God was intended to be better than the angels and given the world to subdue. However, when Adam and Eve sinned, mankind became a “little lower than the angels.” So that phrase, “a little lower than the angels” came to describe human beings. You and me.
Then in verse 9, the focus moves to Jesus when the writer says, “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus . . .” The writer is saying quite bluntly, Jesus came from heaven to become a man, a human being, a little lower than the angels. The One who has already been introduced in 1:2-3 as the One who created and sustains the universe, has left the glory of heaven and come to earth to become a human being. The Creator left his home in glory to become like one of his created ones in a world filled with darkness and sin. The apostle Paul in Phil 2:8 says that Jesus “humbled” himself. Why? What was the purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ when he left heaven and came to this earth?
I. Jesus came to suffer and die!
A. “So that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone.” (Vs.9)
Jesus came to die, not just for you, or for me, but for everyone, and in the process bring God’s grace to all mankind. “For God so love the World . . .”
B. “For it was fitting for Him . . . to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” It was the right thing for God to do to send Jesus to this earth to endure suffering so that he might become the “author” or our salvation. The word author means leader or prince. He is one who show us the way to salvation. To put it in pioneer terms, he is our “trailblazer.”
ILLUS: (Define trailblazer). In the days of the pioneers in this country, people were entering deep forested areas that had never before been seen by a white man. As they walked through the forest, they would take a hatchet or ax and cut a piece of bark off the side of the tree. The term they used for this act was to “blaze” the tree. In that way they could know where they had been and also mark the trail for others to follow. Jesus blazed the trail for us through his suffering so that he might make salvation available to us all.
C. “ . . . because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor . . .” (Vs. 9)
Because Jesus was willing to suffer and die for us, God crowned him with glory and honor. Phil. 2:9-10 . . . “For this reason also, God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow . . .”
D. “ . . . in bringing many sons to glory . . .” (Vs. 10) This was and is the great plan of God, the “mystery” as Paul calls it, for you and me to be brought into glory, into the presence of God, that we might enjoy the eternal bliss of heaven. In John 12, Jesus has come into Jerusalem and it is a very short time before his death. He is speaking to his apostles and in verse 32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” Because Jesus died, was resurrected and has now returned to glory at the right hand of God the Father, you and I have the hope of eternal life in glory.
II. Jesus came to share our humanity and be “one of us.”
Recently on cable TV there has been a series on the History Channel entitled “band of brothers” which centered around the concept of brotherhood shared by those in combat. I’ve never been in combat, but I am told that if you haven’t been there, you simply cannot imagine what it is like and it is that shared experience that turns men into brothers or for that matter, women into sisters. It is a shared experience that brings that closeness of relationship between people.
A. Jesus is our brother because he and we have the same father.
Vs. 11 tells us, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason, He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Jesus is not ashamed to call you and me brethren because Jesus (who sanctified) and you and I (who are sanctified), share the same Father. Jesus is his only begotten son and we are his adopted children but he is Father to us all. As proof that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren, the writer of Hebrews in Vss. 12-13 has Jesus quoting passages from the 22nd Psalm and from Isaiah 8, “I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.” Jesus is proclaiming and singing the praises of God and declaring his trust in God with “My brethren” “in the midst of the congregation” or fellowship. We are brethren, “I and the children who God has given to me.”
B. Jesus is our brother because we have a shared experience.
Vs. 14 reads, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same . . .” Reflecting back to the writer’s assertion that Christ is better than the angels, is the fact that no angel ever became a flesh and blood human being, but Christ did. He was born just like any other human being, he grew to adulthood just like any other human being. He grew tired, hurt, and bled just like any other human being. He is our brother because he has shared our experience as human beings.
III. Why did Jesus have to become human?
A. So that he might destroy the power of Satan. Vs. 14 tells us “that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Vs. 14) Both physical and spiritual death were introduced into the world when Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s temptation in the garden. Death became the Devil’s own tool to bring eternal destruction to all humanity. Then Jesus came and became our brother. He shared our life experiences. He also shared our death experience. The difference being that Christ did not stay dead, the bonds of death could not hold him. He broke free and was resurrected from the dead, destroying forever, the power of death which the devil wielded against us.
1. When Jesus destroyed the power of Satan, he set us free. Vs. 15 reads, “and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” “Jesus defeated Satan by using the weapon of death. Jesus paid the penalty of sin by giving his life and set us free from the curse of death. And by paying this penalty for us, Jesus took the weapon of death out of Satan’s hands. Jesus took away the fear of death.”
2. Vs. 16 adds, “For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.” You and I are privileged beyond all comprehension. We have received a gift of God through Jesus Christ that not even the angels have received. Jesus broke the bonds of sin and death, not for angels, but for the “descendent of Abraham.” Who is that? Does it mean that we must be physical descendants of Abraham. That we must be Abraham’s blood relatives? NO! The descendant of Abraham is that person who has faith like Abraham. Abraham is known in the three major world religions as the “father of the faithful.” Abraham’s legendary faith in God is seen as he stands with his knife raised over his son Isaac. The writer here is saying that the one whom Jesus helped is that one who has faith in God through his Son Jesus, who is also a descendant of Abraham both physically and by faith. Paul tells us in Gal. 3:6-9 . . .
B. So that he could become our high priest.
Vs. 17 tell us that Jesus “had to be made like His brethren in all things . . .” Jesus was not part God and part human. He was all God and all human. He walked and talked. He had hair and teeth and fingernails. He had skin and blood and DNA! Wonder what that looked like? He had to become human, “so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” The concept of Jesus as our high priest is mentioned only in the book of Hebrews. It is introduced here, but it is expanded from now through chapter 9.
Briefly, the duties of the high priest, required him to enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and officiate at the ceremony of the two goats, when one is sent into the wilderness, and the other is slain to make atonement for the sanctuary. The high priest alone could make atonement for the sins of the people, the priests and his own house. Jesus, as our high priest, makes atonement for our sins. But instead of sacrificing an animal, he sacrifices himself and becomes our propitiation, or substitute sacrifice. He died that we might live. We see also that Jesus is a merciful and faithful high priest. Merciful toward us and faithful toward God in all things.
Where did that quality of mercy come from? Verse 18 tells us, “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. Heb. 4:15 elaborates on that statement. “For we do not have a high priest which cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. People who have never fallen are likely to be too harsh and unyielding. Those who have fallen are likely to be too lenient, too forgiving. But Christ, though tempted in all points, did not fall, and is alone capable of making the proper judgment concerning people. How encouraging is the thought that, whatever sorrow or temptation befalls man, Christ has full and perfect knowledge of it and what to do about it. Heb. 4:16 is our action statement. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of Grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Conclusion: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, member of the Godhead, the one who was there when the world was created. The one who sustains the universe by his own power. He is also the one who came to this earth to become our brother and to share our experience. He came to find out just what it was like to laugh, to cry, to feel comfort, to feel pain. But more than that, he came to earth to be our savior. To die on the cross for us. To destroy the power of the devil by destroying the power of death in our lives. Finally, he came to comfort us as only a brother can. When we are hurting and lost, he is there to help us, heal us and show us the way home.
Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. Big brother is watching and waiting.
