Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: HEBREWS #2 - 2:5-18)
B. 2:5-18 CONTRAST BETWEEN JESUS AND ANGELS
a. 2:5 For not to angels did he subject the inhabited earth to come, of which we speak.
Ou gar agGElois [32] huPEta-xen [5293] ten oi-kouMEnen [3625]ten MELlou-san [3195], peRI hes laLOUmen.
b. 2:6-8a JESUS: THE FATHER'S COMMISSION TO HIS SON
di-e-marTUra-to [1263] de POU tis, LEgon, TI es-tin ANthro-pos, HOti mimNEske[3403]auTOU?
But one has somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that you remember him?
ehuiOS anTHROpou, HOti e-piSKEPteauTON? eLATto-sas [1642]auTON braCHU [1024]ti par' agGElous;
DOxe[1391]kai tiME [5092]e-stePHAno-sas [4737]auTON,
You crowned him with glory and honor,
kai kaTEste-sas [2525]auTON ePI ta ERga ton cheiRON sou:
And did set him over the works of your :hands:
PANta huPEta-xas [5293] hu-poKAto [5270]ton poDON [4228]auTOU.
8aYou did subject :all thingsunder his feet.
c. 2:8b For in that he subjected :all thingsto him, he left nothing not subject to him.
en togar hu-poTAxai [5293]auTOta PANta, ouDEN aPHEken [863]auTOa-nuPOtak-ton[506].
d. 2:8c But now we see not yet all thingssubjected to him.
nun de OUpohoROmen [3708]auTOto PANta hu-po-te-tagMEna [5293].
e. 2:9 JESUS: HIS PURPOSE IN BECOMING MAN
ton de braCHU [1024] ti par' agGElous e-lat-toMEnon [1642]BLEpo-men [991], IeSOUN,
But we behold him who has been made a little lower than angels, Jesus,
diA to PAthe-ma [3804]tou thaNAtou [2288]DOxe kai tiMEes-te-pha-noMEnon [4737],
because of the suffering of :death crowned with glory and honor,
HOpos CHAri-ti TheOU huPER panTOS GEUse-tai [1089]thaNAtou [2288].
that by God's grace he should taste of death for every one.
f. 2:10 JESUS: HIS UNUSUAL GOAL
Epre-pen [4241]gar auTO, di' hon ta PANta,
For it became him, for whom are :all things,
kai di' hou ta PANta, polLOUS huiOUS eis DOxan a-gaGONta [71],
and through whom are :all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
ton ar-cheGON [747]tes so-teRIas [4991]auTON diA pa-theMAton [3804]te-leiOsai [5048].
to perfect the author of their :salvation through sufferings.
g. 2:11-12 JESUS: HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH
HO te gar ha-giAzon [37]kai hoi ha-gi-aZOme-noi [37]ex heNOS PANtes:
For both the sanctifier and sanctified are all of one:
di' hen aiTIan [156]ouk e-paiSCHUne-tai [1870]a-delPHOUS auTOUS kaLEIN,
for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
LEgon, A-pag-geLO [518]to OnoMA [3686]sou tois a-delPHOIS mou,
12saying, I will declare your :name to my :brethren,
en MEso ek-kleSIas [1577]humNEso[5214]se.
In midst of thechurch will I sing your praise.
h. 2:13a And again, I will be trusting in him.
kai PAlin, E-GO Eso-mai pe-poiTHOS [3982]ep' auTO.
i. 2:13b And again, Lo, I and the little children whom :God has given me.
kai PAlin, I-DOU, eGO kai to paiDIa [3813]ha moi Edo-ken [1325]ho TheOS.
j. 2:14-15 JESUS: AS SON OF MAN - REDEEMED MAN
ePEI oun ta paiDIa ke-koiNOne-ken [2841]HAIma-tos [129]kai sarKOS [4561],
Since then the little children are sharers in blood and flesh,
kai auTOS pa-ra-pliSIos [3898]meTESchen [3348]ton auTON;
himself also in like manner partook of the same;
HIna diA tou thaNAtou ka-tarGEse[2673]
that through :death he might bring to naught
ton to KRAtos [2904] Echon-ta tou thaNAton, tout' ESti, ton diAbo-lon [1228];
him that had the power of :death, that is, the devil;
kai a-palLAxe [525]TOUtous HOsoi PHObo[5401]thaNAtou
15and might deliver all these who from fear of death
diA panTOS tou zen [2198]Eno-choi [1777]Esan douLEIas [1397].
were all their :lifetime subject to bondage.
k. 2:16 For truly not to angels does he give help, but he gives help to the seed of Abraham.
ou gar DEpou agGElon e-pi-lamBAne-tai [1949], alLA SPERma-tos A-braAM e-pi-lamBAne-tai [1949].
l. 2:17 JESUS: AS SON OF MAN - COULD BE OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST
HOthen Ophei-len [3784]kaTA PANta tois a-delPHOIS ho-moi-oTHEnai [3666],
Whence it behooved him in all things to be made like his brethren,
HIna e-leEmon [1655]GEne-tai kai piSTOS [4103]ar-chi-eREUS [749]
that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest
to pros ton TheON, eis to hiLAskes-thai [2433] tas ha-marTIas [266] tou laOU.
in the things pertaining to :God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
m. 2:18 For wherein himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those being tempted.
en hogar PEpon-then [3958]auTOS pei-rasTHEIS [3985], DUna-tai tois pei-ra-zoMEnois [3985]bo-eTHEsai.
NOTE: 2:5-9 - See the contrast here between men and angels. And according to Philippians 2, Jesus humbled himself and lived on our level below angels, so that through “Identification”, He might through His death, resurrection and ascension, lift us to His former level - above angels. That is why in the end we stand with Jesus in the “One New Man” to judge angels. So if this is so - and it is - then we should not turn church matters requiring judgment over to secular courts. How dishonoring to God's ways - and how carnal on our part.
2:8c - Jesus is still waiting for His Father to make His enemies His footstool. The timingof all of God's events is perfect, and in His perfect time this willtake place.
2:10 - God perfected Jesus in His humanity through suffering, so that through identification with us - His great goal would be accomplished - bringing many sonsinto glory! Nothing will stop our Lord from achieving His goal on our behalf. It is notsalvation to give us a fire-escape to heaven. It is making us like Himself- true and full disciples - for God the Father's glory - so that He may say of us as He did of His only begotten Son and Job - “Behold my beloved Son in whom I am wellpleased. Hear and obey Him! It is notwhat we do for God that counts - it is what we let Himdo through us in the great goal of conforming us to the image of His Son. He wants to boast over us as He did over Job and Jesus.
2:11-12 is a wonderful insight. Jesus in the One New Man with Himselfas the Head - and we in the church as members of His body - are one! It is in this contextthat Jesus can sing to the Father through us. Psalm 22 talks of this. This is what Mrs. Maria Woodworth-Etter experienced in her meetings following 1906 - that she called “The Heavenly Choir.” This is what God restored to the church in October 1948 in Edmonton, Canada.
In 2:14-15 Jesus shares our humanity, that as son of man He would destroy the works of the devil over the human race through Adam's sin. As through one man- Adam - sin entered the world; - so through one man, Jesus Christ - that heritage of sin was broken, and a new heritage entered the human race - namely the “Promise of the Father”, the “Gift (do-reA) of the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit possessed Jesus in His 33 years on earth. Now because of His Atonement, the Father through Christ Jesus now gives us the same heritage Jesus had on earth. Can we see the potential in this? Individual leaders throughout church history have seen the potential in this, met the conditions, and paid the price. Men like George Muller, Oswald Chamber and Rees Howells understood this, and with their followers came into this extraordinary privilege.
But God is no respecter of persons. You and I today have the same privilege. The conditions and the sacrifice on our behalf is unchanged. Therefore let us exhort one another to enter in. Let us delight the heart of God and Jesus - by letting Him bring us as the many sons into glory!
And let us not fail. For 2:18 assures us that Jesus by partaking of our full humanity - yet apart from sin (God being His Father, Adam's sin did notenter Jesus' blood!). He was tempted in all points like as we, but at no point did he everyield to temptation. Yield not to temptation - for yieldingis sin. It is no sin to be tempted - we all experience that, including Jesus. Therefore He understands what we go through, and as a faithful High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, can see us through our fiery trials! The Holy Spirit - Christ's heredity - possessing us - is well able to see the Lord's purposes through us come to pass! Amen, and Amen! - J.A.W.