The Supremacy of Christ (Hebrews 2)
The Supremacy of Jesus
Hebrews 2
INTRODUCTION:
When Jewell was in middle school and high school, it was not uncommon for her to read a book and that book get made into a movie. And then the whole family went to see the movie. The movie Life of Pi was one of those books / movie. The lone survivor of a shipwreck must find a way to survive in the middle of the Pacific Ocean all alone. Following the catastrophe at sea, in which his parents and most of their zoo animals were tragically killed, Pi, the lone survivor, finds himself on a small lifeboat, adrift at sea with a few zoo animals to keep him company. As Pi moves further from the shipwreck, he drifts into danger; whales and sharks smell blood in the water, and a hungry hyena and tiger wait to pounce.
In this month’s passage, the recipients of the letter of Hebrews are warned not to “drift away,” for, like Pi, if they do, we will drift into danger.
We are studying about Jesus this year from the book of Hebrews and we meditate today on chapter 2… You will notice that chapter 2 begins with the words “for this reason…”
The writer has just talked about the nature of Jesus in chapter 1; He is both the Son of God and God, the Son. “For this reason…”
WE MUST PAY MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION - 2:1-4:
Hebrews was addressed primarily to Christians with a Jewish background. These early believers were being tempted to revert back to Judaism and the old covenant. So the inspired author urges Christians to focus on the truths of the gospel. The verb “to drift away” is not used anywhere else in the NT.
In the NBA, when a player is fouled while attempting a shot, the player is sent to the free throw line, where he gets to take two free shots worth one point each. When taking free throws at an opposing team’s arena, the hostile crowd typically makes a ruckus in the background, trying to distract the shooter and disrupt his focus. To combat this, players have unique routines and special rituals that they perform while standing at the free throw line to help them to maintain concentration amidst the chaos.
Similarly, in the midst of all the noise, distractions, drama, and chaos of the world—embodied by the twenty-four-hour news cycle that dominates social media and too often runs our lives—Christians must fix their eyes upon Jesus and focus their attention on the truth of the gospel; otherwise, we might find ourselves slowly drifting away from the faith passed down to us. Some of us are too affected, too bothered, too easily influenced by the noise around us. We must cultivate spiritual disciplines in our lives that root us in the truth, lest we be swayed by the ever-changing winds of the world. It’s also important to develop “tough skin,” becoming less offended by the opposing views and conflicting beliefs of others. Consistent prayer and devotional time can help with all of this.
The author of Hebrews concludes this passage by reminding the original audience why they believed the message of the gospel in the first place. The message was first declared by Christ himself (v. 3); then it was attested to by his apostles (v. 3); it was also accompanied by many miraculous signs and wonders (v. 4); and it was consummated with the sending of the fullness of the Spirit at Pentecost and the distribution of spiritual gifts in the church shortly thereafter (v. 4).
Christians today also need to be reminded constantly why we first believed. Though sometimes overly combative and argumentative, apologetics can be a helpful tool for modern believers. It’s easier to ground ourselves in the truth of the gospel when we have good reasons to believe that it is the truth. It’s easier to trust that the gospel is true when we are aware of the trustworthiness of the Gospel writers.
JESUS WAS SUBMISSIVE - 2:5-13:
The author offers an allegorical interpretation of Psalm 8. That psalm focuses on humankind as the crown and jewel of God’s creation. The author sees Jesus as the new man, the ideal human or chief representative of all humanity. In this passage, the author sees Jesus as one who attained glory through suffering.
The author of Hebrews views Jesus as the crown jewel, or “crown jewels,” of God. “Since the 17th century the state jewellery of the United Kingdom, which is carried or worn by the monarch on state occasions, has been known as the Crown Jewels. They were referred to as such by Edward Bowles in his text The Mysterie of Iniquitie, [published in] 1643” (“The Meaning and Origin of the Expression: Crown Jewels,” The Phrase Finder, accessed on July 26, 2023, https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/crown-jewels.html). Like the state jewelry of the United Kingdom, Jesus is God’s crown jewel.
The author states that though everything was placed in subjection to Christ, “we do not yet [emphasis added] see everything in subjection to him.” Christians must continually recollect and recall the miraculous acts of God in the past in order to strengthen our faith in the present and maintain hope for the future.
Jesus achieved glory and honor through pain and suffering (v. 9). As followers of Christ, we must do the same. Suffering is a normal part of life, especially of the Christian life. Christ warned his followers that they would suffer for his name’s sake. We must accept this truth, count the cost, and bear our crosses and endure our suffering patiently, like Jesus, fully believing that glory awaits those who persevere in the faith.
At the end of verse 9, the author of Hebrews states, “so that by the grace of God [Christ] might taste death for everyone.” Jesus died our death. When Christ died on the cross—experiencing our death in our stead—he transformed the very nature of death in order that death would no longer lead away from God but toward God.
SO HE COMES TO THE AID OF THOSE WHO ARE TEMPATED - 2:14-18:
The preexistent Son of God took on flesh and blood and became human in the person of Jesus Christ to redeem humanity from the curse of sin. Where Adam was disobedient concerning God’s command concerning the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, Christ was obedient even to death.
For the author of Hebrews, Jesus lives the way that human beings should live. More than that, in the same way that Adam functioned as the original protype of humanity, Jesus functioned as the new archetype and the new representative of humankind, such that his victories would become our victories.
To properly reverse the curse of sin, to fully redeem humanity, and to heal human nature of its defects, and to sufficiently represent humanity as a great high priest (v. 17), God the Son had to become human (vv. 14, 17).
In verses 14–18, the author of Hebrews brings together aspects of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. In the person of Jesus Christ, God assumes human nature and defeats the forces of evil by absorbing the curse of sin—which includes sin, guilt, toil, pain, suffering, death, and even God-forsakenness or perdition—in order to heal human nature and reverse the curse of sin. In a nutshell, this is the Christian understanding of redemption!
Two main applications flow from our passage today. First, as sons and daughters of God, we are called to live in the new reality that Christ inaugurated for us; we are to follow the example of the “ideal son” or the “ideal child.” We need to strive to overcome temptation in the same way Christ overcame temptation (v. 18). Jesus gives us not only the example or the motivation but also the grace and the power to follow him. Secondly, Christians must place their faith in the redemption that Christ has won for us. Because God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and because God himself has sanctified our nature and has atoned for our sins, we should have great confidence in our redemption in Christ. Trust in the saving work of Jesus! You have every reason to do so!
Take home message: Just as Jesus submitted to God, let us submit ourselves to Him daily. He is always by our side in times of temptation.