Unit 3 - The Humiliation and Exaltation of the Son
November 28 Hebrews 2:1-9
Open
□ Do you have a long attention span, or are you easily distracted?
□ What person in your family is best able to concentrate for long periods of time?
Discover
1. Read through verses 1-4. What do you think the author is trying to accomplish in this passage?
2. How does the argument of 1:1-14 support the conclusion that "we must pay more careful attention to what we have heard"? In other words, what is the connection between chapter one and the "therefore" in verse 2:1?
3. What are the possible consequences of failing to pay close attention to the message of salvation through Christ? (see 3:12-15, 19)
4. What does the caution not to "drift away" (v. 1) imply about the spiritual condition of those to whom the letter was addressed? (see 3:6; 3:14; 10:23; 12:12)
5. What is the "message spoken by angels" in verse 2? (see Acts 7:37-38; Galatians 3:19)
6. Paraphrase (write in your own words) the warning given in verses 2-3.
7. Identify the witnesses who testify to the truth of the gospel (vv. 3-4).
8. What contrast is being drawn between Christ and angels in verses 5-8? What is the "world to come" (see 12:28; 13:14)
9. How does the quotation from Psalm 8 support the author's argument? (vv. 6-8)
10. What difficulty concerning the doctrine of Christ's authority does the author mention in verse 8? How can this be resolved?
11. What was the purpose of Jesus' incarnation, his being made "a little lower than the angels"? (vv. 9-10)
12. Do you feel that you are paying "careful attention" to the message of salvation through Christ? What are some things you can do this week to guard against spiritual luke warmness?
Close
□ How should we respond to other believers who seem indifferent to spiritual things, given the warnings in this passage?
□ Do you ever feel that you are in danger of "drifting away" from Christ? What are the causes of this condition? The symptoms? The treatment?
Commentary
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Having established the superiority of the Son in 1:1-14, the author pauses in 2:1- 4 to draw a conclusion and apply it to his readers: The Son's superiority over the angels implies that the message he delivered is superior to the message brought by angels as well. In fact, his message is as much superior to theirs as his glory surpasses theirs. Therefore, we ought to pay close attention to the word of salvation which came through him, rather than neglecting it as some are doing.
This alternation between exposition (explaining the Scriptures) and exhortation (urging the reader to respond in faith and obedience) is seen throughout Hebrews (3:12-4:13; 5:11-6:12; 10:19-39; 12:14-29), and is consistent with the author's description of the letter as a "word of exhortation" (13:22). One indication of the author's purpose is the use of rhetorical devices, such as his choice of colorful, idiomatic language. For example, the word translated "pay attention" (Gr. prosechein) is a nautical term which refers to holding a ship on course toward port. Thus, it is quite striking when he states that if we fail to do so, we will "drift away," like a ship which has been left to the prevailing currents. Alliteration (beginning words with the same
letter) is also used here, as in the phrase "every violation and disobedience" (Gr. pasa parabasis kai parakon). And the author employs a rhetorical question ("how shall we escape?") to elicit a mental response from his audience. All of these devices are designed to gain the attention of the reader (or hearer), so that the message can penetrate the mind and heart.
v. 1 "We must pay more careful attention, therefore . . . " The "therefore" links this imperative statement with the preceding exposition (1:1-14). From the surpassing greatness of the Son, it follows logically that the message he delivered deserves the closest attention.
The exhortation to "pay more careful attention" is echoed by later appeals to "hold on" (3:6), "hold firmly till the end" (3:14), and "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" (10:23). It implies that the community to which the letter is addressed has become indifferent to the gospel and weak in their resolve to follow Christ (cf. 12:12). From the author's description of them as being ready to "drift away," it appears that they are not rejecting Christ in open apostasy, but rather are becoming lukewarm toward him, their commitment slipping away little by little. Through carelessness, they have become complacent and insensitive to spiritual things (cf. 5:11). The danger is that by failing to hold firmly to their confession of Christ, they will show that they have never come to share in him at all (cf. 3:14).
v. 2 "For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment . . . " The “message” referred to here is the law, which God gave to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Although there is no mention of angels in Exodus 19-20,
Deuteronomy tells us that when the law was given, God "came with myriads of holy ones" (Dt. 33:2). The Septuagint adds that "angels were with him at his right hand." Paul states that "the law was put into effect through angels" (Gal. 3:19), and Stephen also refers to this (Acts 7:38)
The fact that the law is in view here is supported by use of legal terms: "binding," "violation and disobedience," "punishment." The author's point is that inattention to the revelation given by angels had serious consequences. There was no tolerance for failing to heed this communication of God's will, for every disobedience was punished, whether due to overt rebellion or mere carelessness. Thus, the consequences of disregarding the even greater revelation which came through Christ must be just as certain, and even more serious.
vv. 3-4 "how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" There is only one possible response to this rhetorical question: that escaping God's judgment, after rejecting the incomparable message of salvation given through his Son, would be impossible. With greater privilege comes greater responsibility, and a greater punishment for failing to obey (cf. 10:28-31; 12:25). Thus, while the most severe punishment for violating the Mosaic law was death, the punishment for rejecting Christ is far greater eternal damnation (cf. Mt. 10:28).
"This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord . . . " The superiority of the message of salvation is shown by the superiority of the Son through whom it was given. He communicated the gospel not only through his words, but also through his person and works (see notes on 1:2).
After the initial revelation of the gospel through Christ, it continued to be proclaimed by human witnesses, and was validated by God through "signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." Through these manifestations of divine power, God himself attested to the authenticity of the message. Thus, to neglect it means ignoring not only human testimony, but the combined testimony of the Trinity: God the Father (v. 4), God the Son (v. 3), and God the Holy Spirit (v. 4). To do so is evidence, not merely of carelessness, but of a hardened heart (cf. 3:7-8, 12, 15; 4:7).
Having concluded the exhortation of 2:1-4, the author now resumes his exposition of the Son's superiority over the angels. Verse five begins a new section, 2:5-18, in which the Son's superiority to the angels is shown to be completely consistent with His incarnation and humanity. The section is divided into two parts: the first, vv. 5-9, deals with the humiliation and exaltation of the Son; the second, vv. 10-18, considers the Son's solidarity with the human race.
The entire section is bounded by an inclusio, a literary device in which the beginning and end of a unit are indicated by the repetition of a similar phrase or idea. In this case, the two negative references to angels, "It is not to angels that he has subjected " (v. 5) and "For surely it is not angels he helps" (v. 16) signal the endpoints of the section.
v. 5 "It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come . . . " This verse looks back to 1:8, in which the Son is described as ruling over an eternal kingdom, and ahead to 2:8, which tells us that God "put everything under his feet". It contrasts the angels, who are servants of God and of His people (1:7, 14), with Jesus, who possesses supreme authority over the new heaven and new earth (Mt. 28:18; Eph. 1:21). Christ is superior to angels because he, not they, rules over the world to come.
This verse may also imply a contrast between the original authority of angels in this world and their lack of authority in the next one. In some manuscripts, Deut. 32:8 indicates that when the Lord divided up the nations of the earth, He appointed angelic rulers over them:
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided up all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of God [NIV "sons of Israel"]
In other words, although God delegated authority over human affairs in this world to angels, He will not do so in the next (cf. also Ps. 82:6-7; Dan. 10:13, 20, 12:1).
"the world to come . . . " Another name for this "world" is the kingdom of God. It is the domain, both physical and spiritual, over which God exercises dominion. The "coming" of this world is the time of Christ's return, when the moral will of God will be perfectly obeyed in all of creation, even as it is now in heaven (Matt. 6:10). This is the world Jesus entered after his ascension (see notes on 1:6), the world whose powers we experience through the Holy Spirit (6:5), the world which we look forward to as an enduring city (13:14), "a kingdom which cannot be shaken" (12:28).
vv. 6-8a "What is man that you are mindful of him . . . . You made him ruler over the works of your hands . . . " This quote is from Psalm 8:4-6, in which the Psalmist marvels at the fact that the Creator of the universe not only cares for man but has even made him ruler over His creation. The relevance of Psalm 8 here is that the Son fulfills the command which God gave to
Adam, that mankind should subdue the earth and rule over it (Gen. 1:26-28). Although man is unable, because of sin and death, to fully carry out this purpose, it is ultimately fulfilled through Jesus Christ, the second Adam (cf. 1 Cor. 15:45). He is the One under whose feet everything has been placed (v. 8; cf. 1:13). Thus, He is superior to the angels, who possess no such authority.
v. 8 "In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him . . . " The comprehensiveness of the words used ("everything", "nothing"), as well as the double negative ("nothing that is not subject") emphasize the completeness of Christ's rule and authority. Not only all of creation, but even the world to come (v. 5) are under his sovereign control.
"Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him . . . " Although Jesus has been given "all authority in heaven and earth" (Mt. 28:18), his rule is not yet completely evident. He is still allowing sin and death to run their course until the appointed time, when every knee will bow before Him "and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phlp. 2:10-11). The victory has been won, Jesus “triumphing over his enemies by the cross" (Col. 2:15), but the results of that victory have not yet been fully realized (cf. 1 Cor. 15:24-28).
v. 9 "Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels . . . " The word translated here as "a little lower" could also be translated in a temporal sense, i.e., "for a little while". Since the author is contrasting Jesus' previous state of humiliation with his present state of exaltation ("now crowned with glory and honor"), the second meaning, "for a little while" is more likely. This emphasizes the fact that Jesus' inferiority to the angels was only temporary.
"so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone . . . " This clause modifies "who was made a little lower than the angels," indicating that the purpose of the incarnation was that Christ might suffer death on behalf of "everyone," i.e. all people of faith: the "many sons" whom he brings to glory (v. 10), those who are "made holy," his "brothers" (v. 11), "Abraham's descendants" (v. 16; cf. Rom. 4:16), and those for whose sins he makes atonement (v. 17).
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