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B446 3/21/71 "OUR HOPE: JESUS PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER" For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. 6But one has testified somewhere, saying, "What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him? 7Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands; 9Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet." For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. 9But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for every one. 10For it was fitting for Him for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11For 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, 12saying, "I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation 1 will sing Thy praise." 13And again, "I will put My trust in Him." And again, "Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me." 14Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham. 17Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. The book of Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had come out of the rigid legalism of tradition-bound Judaism into the glorious liberty and energizing life of Jesus. They had started well. Had run true for a time. Then, through neglect, stopped growing. They settled into a kind of organized mediocrity. Instead of being teachers, they needed to be taught. Instead of feeding upon the sincere meat of the word, they had to be "spoon fed" by their pastor Because of the spiritual malnutrition springing from their laziness, they were on the verge of becoming dropouts. Of turning away from the tough liberty of authentic Christianity with its individua1 responsibility for one's own spiritual state in Christ, to the easy legalism of, "Do this or that, and you can be sure everything is right with your soul." In short, they were saved-sinners in danger of suffering the devastating double loss discussed at length in our previous chapter. The parallel between that first-century church and the twentieth-century church is startling. We, too, have Jesus Folk who came out of spiritual darkness into the light of Christ. People who were born again, and in many instances, joined some church. Ran true for awhile; then, for any number of reasons which seemed plausible at the time, fell prey to the disease of spiritual infantilism. From that point on, they grew little, if at all, in their understanding of and commitment to the person of Christ. Just as those first century believers were in grave peril, so, too, are their twentieth-century counterparts. Because there is such similarity between the people to whom Hebrews was first written and many Christians today, it is important to see how the author of this book deals with this deadly threat. His solution is amazingly simple. He directs them to Jesus. He reminds them of who Jesus was. What Jesus did. All Jesus means in terms of practical daily living. He starts by emphasizing the deity of Jesus and makes seven statements about Christ which could never be made of a man, even a great and good man. But the writer of Hebrews, who was himself so very human, seems to sense it is not the deity of Jesus which really touches the human heart. Because we are human, deity has no place to latch onto us. So, in urging his readers to really think through who Jesus was, our author not only directs their attention to Christ's deity, but asks them to remember and rejoyce in His humanity. In chapter 1 he said seven things which could never be said of man. In chapter 2 he says seven things which could never be said of God. 1. Jesus was a little lower than the angels, on man's own level (2:9). The seven things said of Jesus in chapter 1 could never be said of man, proving His deity. Why did the writer of Hebrews take such pains to show Jesus was truly God and truly man? Because, if Jesus is to be our hope, we must not only be able to look at Him and say, "Aha, so that's what man was meant to be." We must also be able to look at Him and say, "So this is what God is like." Jesus puts it all together. As true man, He shows us what man was meant to be. He also reveals what you and I can become through Him. And here we get to the nub of it, for if your heart is anything like my own, your deepest desire is to be better than you are. To be all you have the capacity to be. God's Intention Here we have a portrait of man as God meant man to be. Despite what some Bible teachers say, I do not see that the eighth Psalm has any Messianic significance. It does not speak about Jesus, the Messiah. It is a lyric cry to the glory of man as God meant man to be. "What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and majesty! Thou does make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet" (Psa1m 8:4-6). This last sentence directs our search for understanding to the very first thing scripture says about man as God meant him to be. "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'" (Genesis 1:26). When we find God's intention for man as defined in Genesis 1, reiterated in Psalm 8:6, we know the statement is not a veiled reference to Jesus, the Messiah. Rather, it is one stanza in a hymn of praise to the glory of man as God meant man to be. As the Psalmist ponders the question, "What is man?" he is overcome with wonder. As God originally made man, he was a creature of incredible dignity. There was in him a dimension which escapes all scientific formulations. Man was the crown of God's creation. Controlled by the Spirit of God dwelling in him, man was perfectly capable of properly administering this delicately balanced creation in which everything was in tune with everything else. As Shakespeare has Hamlet say, "What a piece of work is a man." The Psalmist would agree. As God first made him, man was something! Returning to Hebrews 2, we see how this literary gem brings the whole Biblical narrative together in mini-form. Beginning with verse 6, the writer goes back and picks up these phrases from Genesis 1 and Psalm 8 to declare that God's driving concern is, and always has been, man's redemption. Man is the focal point of God's concern. Our text places him "a little lower than the angels" (2:7). The original Hebrew says he is "a little lower than God Himself." Think of it. Man, as God meant and made him to be, was someone exceedingly special. However, God's intention soon met with frustration. Into this idyllic scene of perfect harmony a strident note was interjected. "But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him" (2:8b). What you and I are today is something other than God meant us to be. Instead of a gradual evolution upward, man has been, and still is, in a steady slide downward from the pinnacle of glory on which he once stood. As things are, man is not the master of his fate. He is at the mercy of many forces and foes stronger than himself. To put it plainly, as he is, man's a flop. He can't even control himself, let alone his destiny. This utter frustration of God's intention for man is the product of one thing: disobedience. In the beginning, man had perfect and total domination over the earth on one condition: obedience. "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat," God said (Genesis 2:17). Man ignored this simple injunction, partook of the forbidden fruit and fell. Thus, man as we know him today is a far cry from man as God made him and meant him to be. As a result, our world, country, home and private lives are a mess. God's Intervention When we look at these four words in their context, there are few more beautiful phrases than this one: "But we see Jesus." The last word about man has not been said until we see Jesus! At one time He was "superior to (higher than) the angels" (1:4). Then, to open a way for a man to become man as God meant him to be, He was made "a little lower than the angels" (2:9) Oh, the span Christ bridged. From "higher than" to "lower than." In terms of His humanity, Jesus put it all together. He took on the flesh and blood characteristics of man in order that He might give us a living motion picture of man as God meant him to be, and as he can be, if he gives up his rebellion against God. Because of the humanity of Jesus, there is hope. Hope for saved-sinners. The world looks at our sorry record of sin and puts a period. "That's the end of it," the world says. "There's no hope. You're through. Finished. No good!" God looks at the same sorry record of sin and puts a comma. He says, "Look to Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Stay close to Jesus. For Jesus is your hope." Jesus puts it all together. Unlike Adam who, through disobedience, lost his capacity to be what he was meant to be, Jesus, through obedience, rose to the full measure of manhood. He became a living demonstration of man as man was designed to be. As true man, He fulfilled the language of Psalm 8. As true man, Jesus exercised dominion over the earth. He stilled the sea. Called the winds to rest. Healed the sick. Raised the dead. There was nothing in creation which was not subject to Him.! And hear this: What Jesus was, you and I can become! Sounds impossible, doesn't it?. But that's the thrilling claim of scripture. "The scope of His courage; the strength of His character; the stretch of His insight; the depth of His love; the width and breadth of His compassion; the energizing power of His life all belong by divine decree to the man or woman who will trust and obey."1 Wow! That was God's intention from the beginning and it has not changed. Though it met with frustration at a tree in the garden, it was met by intervention at another tree on the hill of Calvary. God, who in time past spoke in every conceivable way to man through the prophets, at long last spoke to the world through His Son. "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" (2:9, KJV). The Modus Operandi of Redemption His Life When our author refers to "the seed of Abraham," he is saying: only as man could Christ provide help or hope for man. To be an effective Savior, He had to be of the same species as those He came to save. That's precisely what He was. Seed of Abraham. Bone of our bone. Flesh of our flesh. And, amazingly, he is not ashamed to be called our brother. "For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified (that is both Savior and those who are saved) are all from one Father. He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (2:11). Think of it! In spite of the raunchy bunch we are, in spite of the depths to which we might fall, in spite of the ugliness of our sin, Jesus willingly and joyfully identifies Himself with us and is not ashamed to call us brother! How sad, how terribly, incredibly sad when we are ashamed of Him! When through silence or careless indifference we deny Him who tasted death for everyone (2:9). His Death As we shall see later, the balance of Hebrews focuses largely on the significance of Jesus' death. How it fulfilled (fills full of meaning) the Old Testament references to sacrifice and salvation. Our author's purpose was to show those early sinner-saints it was pointless for them to try to add something to what Jesus had done. Jesus paid it all. Put it all together. Tasted death for every man. Every man's main adversary is the fear of death (2:15). This is true whether he be rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief. It is the fear of death which causes people to do all kinds of strange, destructive things to themselves. It is the fear of death which causes people to eat, drink and attempt to be merry. Out of anxiety that tomorrow they might die and miss some "new" experience, folk take drugs. Sleep around. Amass money. Or what have you. It is fear of death which causes people to become creatures of time instead of citizens of eternity. To sell their soul for a mess of pottage. For that reason, Jesus tasted death for every man to "deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives" (2:15). Another translation puts it this way: "He drained the cup of death for every man." I love that. It means Jesus completely and fully defused our main anxiety, our primary adversary, the fear of death. He did so to get men into heaven, yes. Thank God for that. But even more important, He did it to get God on earth in men who will not be controlled by the spirit of fear, but by the Spirit of life and love and liberty; the Spirit of God Himself. His Reigning Power Someone has used this analogy. A ship crashes on the rocks. Everybody on board is in great peril unless someone swims to shore with a line. When attached to land, the line becomes a lifeline across which others may go to safety. The one who first makes that swim is "the pioneer of their salvation." That's what Jesus has done. He is our pioneer. He doesn't merely point the way to truth and life, He is the way, the truth, the life. He is our trailblazer. The One who opens a path for us and invites us to follow Him. Learn of Him. Live with Him. Thus, God can work in us and through us, here and now on earth, to do His will as it is being done in heaven. Is Jesus qualified for this task? Indeed He is. He was made perfect through suffering. How could this One who is perfect, be made perfect? The answer is simple. The word "perfect" has two meanings. One has to do with moral and ethical perfection. It refers to one's character. Obviously, this particular meaning has no relevance to Jesus. From the standpoint of character, He was without flaw. But the second meaning is beautifully applicable. It speaks of the process of becoming completely effective in whatever task one has to do. In that sense, Jesus was made perfect. He became complete in terms of being and doing everything a savior needs to be and do. To really put it all together in terms of humanity, to be the pioneer of our salvation, and to open a glory road over which the rest of us could safely travel, Jesus had to go by way of Gethsemane and Golgotha. Thus, He was made perfect through suffering. Not in terms of character, but saviorhood. Through the anguish and agony of the cross, He became utterly adequate to meet our need, and to be our hope. Proof of this is found in the description applied to Him: "merciful and faithful" (2:17). These two words tell us Jesus not only puts it all together from man's point of view, but from God's perspective as well. God looks at Jesus who was subjected to the full fury of the tempter's power without sin and calls Him "faithful." Man looks at Jesus who was tempted, thus knowing what it's like to be a man, and calls Him "merciful." In the union of these two virtues we really see how Jesus puts it all together. He is the perfect mediator between God and man. Jesus is not a weak-kneed jellyfish who doles out salvation to the good, the bad and the indifferent. He is "faithful." Neither is He a stern, unrelenting, unfeeling judge who rejoices in seeing people slip into hell. He is "merciful." He understands. He is our hope. Thus, we come full circle to God's intention. Never lose sight of what God meant you to be. Never lose sight of God's intention for your life. It has not changed. God wants you to have dominion. He wants you to be all you can be. He has sent His Son to make that possible. He has given you Jesus who, in His own life, put it all together and now wants to walk and work with you so His dream for you becomes reality. A preacher friend shares a digest of The Man of La Mancha, the story of Don Quixote.2 Quixote was a chap who went through life never really seeing the actual, but more the potential Because of his buoyant spirit, his commitment to the good in people, his ability to draw out their best, the potential had a strange way of becoming the actual. One day he went into an inn and met a wench of a woman by the name of Aldonza. She was a rough, brazen harlot. But Quixote didn't see her as such. He saw her as a queen. A creature of beauty, grace and loveliness. So he called her Dulcinea. She didn't know what to make of this. No man had ever treated her that way before. At first she was furious. She said, "My name is Aldonza, not Dulcinea. I'm a harlot, you fool. Don't you understand?" But in all their encounters, he never catered to the worst in her. Instead, he drew out the best. She remained for him Dulcinea. In the moving climax of the play, Don Quixote is on his death bed. Aldonza, dressed in a beautiful queenly gown, kneels at his bedside. When he asks, "Who is it?" she replies, "It's Dulcinea, my Lord. Don't you remember? Dulcinea, your queen.!" Because of his vision, the potential had become the actual. The wench had become a lady of queenly grace and beauty. This is a modern parable of Christ and us. Jesus doesn't see us as other people see us. He doesn't even see us as we see ourselves. Instead, He sees us as we can become. As we were meant to be. He looks inside and sees our true potential trapped there. He says, I want to liberate that. I want to free your true self. I want to take the bits and pieces of your fragmented life and help you put it all together. So right now, today, here on earth, you can begin to experience the glory of your humanity by being the person God meant you to be. Isn't that what you really want? More than anything in all the world, don't you want to be better than you are? All you were meant to be? It's possible. The secret is to "trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." Notes |