The Letter to the Hebrews

Chapter 2Jan-Apr 2014 FXCC

Hebrews 2

• The chapter begins with a warning• The author examines the identity and nature of

Christ• Even after 2,000 years people still argue about

Jesus– Divine?– Human?– Resurrection?– Salvation?

Hebrews 2

• We are familiar with warning labels – Medications– Cigarettes– Toxic chemicals– Electric fences

• Warning labels are there to keep us from harm– Ignore the warning…what happens?

WARNING!!

HUH?

• "Do not use near fire, flame, or sparks." -- On an "Aim-n-Flame" fireplace lighter

• "This product is not to be used in bathrooms." -- On a Holmes bathroom heater

• "Warning: May contain small parts." -- On a frisbee

• "Not suitable for children aged 36 months or less." -- On a birthday card for a 1 year old

DUH!

• "Do not use in shower." -- On a hair dryer• "This product not intended for use as a dental

drill." -- On an electric rotary tool• "Do not attempt to stop the blade with your

hand." -- In the manual for a Swedish chainsaw

• "Remove occupants from the stroller before folding it.”

Hebrews 2:1-41 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we

have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 4 while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Hebrews 2:1-4

• What is the first word?– THEREFORE

• The first of several warning on the letter• Jesus IS superior to the angels• Hear Him!• Don’t ignore Him!

Hebrews 2:1-4

• The writer is warning the readers– If you abandon your faith…– Your situation is HOPELESS!

• Notice the words “drift” and “neglect”– They are slowly separating themselves from

Christ!

Hebrews 2:1-4

• The laws from Sinai all had punishments (penalties) for disobedience

• Again here we see the concept of the old law, prior revelations, being mediated/brought by angels

• We see similar thoughts from Paul and Stephen

Paul & Stephen

• Gal 3:19 “Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary.”

• Acts 7:53 “You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it.”

Hebrews 2:1-4

• Penalties and punishment for ignoring or disobeying God’s prior revelations brought by angels

• Do you think He will be more lenient if you disobey His Son??

Hebrews 2:1-4

• It is in vs 3 that we see that neither the author nor the readers had personally seen/heard Jesus

• They were all 2nd hand hearers/learners– Other Christians had taught them

• BUT what they heard was confirmed…HOW?

Hebrews 2:1-4

• Confirmed by– Signs– Wonders– Miracles– Gifts of the Spirit

• Jesus performed miracles• Pentecost was the scene of a mighty miracle• Miracles were not in doubt

Hebrews 2:5-95 For he did not put the world to come, about which we are

speaking, under the control of angels. 6 Instead someone testified somewhere: “What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him? 7 You made him lower than the angels for a little while. You crowned him with glory and honor. 8 You put all things under his control.” For when he put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control, 9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.

Hebrews 2:5-9

• No matter what authority or power angels have now/present world, they will not be in control in the future

• Vss 6-8 are quoting Psalm 8:4-6– 4 “Of what importance is the human race, that you should

notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them, 5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? You grant mankind honor and majesty; 6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; you have placed everything under their authority,”

Hebrews 2:5-9

• Remember our author quotes from the LXX• His argument is better supported by the quote

from the LXX than a quote from our OT copies

Hebrews 2:5-9

• It is only the Son who will have control in the world to come.

• Notice the author attributes the quote to “someone”– That is normal for the Hebrews author– He does not specify who wrote the text he quotes

Hebrews 2:5-9

• Back in Eden, God gave mankind control of the earth

• Christ as the son of man (human descendant of Adam) also received that authority

• In time Jesus WILL have full control of all things on earth

• Right now we do not see that (vs 9)

Hebrews 2:5-9

• There will come a time when ALL will bow before Him (Jesus, the Christ)

• That is when He will have FULL control of ALL• When man, Jesus was like us “a little lower

than the angels”• After suffering through death, Jesus is

crowned with HONOR and GLORY

Hebrews 2:5-9

• In the beginning, we did not fear death – we had the “tree of life”

• But we screwed up• Jesus came to do what we did not accomplish

Hebrews 2:10-1310 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom

all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12 saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” 13 Again he says, “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, with the children God has given me.”

Hebrews 2:10-13

• The author declares it to be proper/fitting that God make Jesus perfect thru suffering

• That may seem strange to us, but that is God!• We will see the argument of Jesus’ suffering

again in Hebrews– He had to endure the suffering– II Cor 5:19 “In other words, in Christ God was

reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them,…”

Hebrews 2:10-13

• Understand it or not, to become our Savior, Jesus had to suffer death

Hebrews 2:10-13

• Pioneer? Strange word to refer to Jesus– 35 times in the LXX– 4 times in the NT (always referring to Jesus)• Acts 3:15 and 5:31• Heb 2:10 and 12:2

• Jesus was our trailblazer (pathfinder, guide)– older translations use “author” or “captain”– He conquered death for us and is now gone on

ahead to prepare for our arrival

Hebrews 2:10-13

• Jesus has made us holy (sanctified us) by His death

• Jesus sees/considers us to be His siblings (brethren, brothers and sisters)

• We BELONG!• Belong to the family of God!

Hebrews 2:10-13

• To further emphasize our relationship as brothers and sisters of Jesus the author includes 3 OT quotes– Psalm 22:22– Isaiah 8:17b– Isaiah 8:18a

Hebrews 2:10-13

• Psalm 22:22 “I will declare your name to my countrymen (brothers)! In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!”

• Isaiah 8:17b “…I will wait (put my trust in, be confident in) for him.”

• Isaiah 8:18a “Look (Here I am), I and the sons (children) whom the Lord has given me…”

Hebrews 2:10-13

• If we represent Him here on earth, Jesus will represent us before the Father in Heaven

• Jesus trusted God to raise Him• We need to trust God to do the same for us

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), 15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15

• Jesus became human JUST SO He could share in our death!– He was born (shared in our humanity), so He

could die– We only leave life by dying, so Jesus died too

• He did not die a glorious death, fighting the oppressors

• He died in disgrace and weakness

Hebrews 2:14-15

• Yet His cause, His followers, increased in number

• WHY?• Because He ROSE!

Hebrews 2:14-15

• Not simply to experience Death, BUT to also CONQUER Death!

• A major source of Satan’s power/ability is the threat of death– We fear death– Satan knows that

• Jesus’ resurrection put an end to Satan’s greatest weapon

Hebrews 2:16-1816 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is

concerned for Abraham’s descendants. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Hebrews 2:16-18

• It is us, people, that Jesus is most concerned with

• This required Jesus to become like us, human– Maybe you think God could have saved us in any

number of ways– This verse says He COULD NOT– Just because we don’t understand, does not mean

it doesn’t make sense

Hebrews 2:16-18

• Jesus had to become a High Priest– A merciful and faithful High Priest

• We will see later in the text the theme of High Priest– Levites (chapter 4) and Melchizedek (chapter 7)

• The readers understood the Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system

Hebrews 2:16-18

• Jesus would do in reality what was only symbolic under the Mosaic Law (priests and sacrifices)

• Sins, forgiveness, atonement• Atonement is sometimes translated

propitiation– The atoning sacrifice– To avert wrath or anger

Hebrews 2:16-18

• This chapter closes with a reminder that Jesus too was tempted– Remember the readers seemed to be tempted to

give up, chuck it all in, throw in the towel

• Because Jesus experienced temptation like them (and us), He is able to help them (and us) with our temptations

• Jesus is our real “helper”, not the angels

Hebrews 1-2

• We see both the divinity and humanity of Jesus, the Christ

• He is the Son of God, divine• He also became human, fully human– The creator of the universe became like those He

Himself created– It was as a human, He saved us

• He is now again with God, enthroned, reigning

References

• F.F. Bruce, “The Epistle to the Hebrews”, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1967

• Edward Fudge, “Our Man in Heaven: An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews”,, Baker, 1974– Available on-line for free– http://www.edwardfudge.com/written/omihtext.

html

References

• Edward Fudge, “Hebrews: Ancient Encouragement for Believers Today”, Leafwood Publishers, 2009

• John Mark Hicks, Hebrews, Word Doc– http://johnmarkhicks.com/wp-content/uploads/

sites/10/2009/03/hebrews-edited.doc

References

• Referenced in John Mark Hicks, Hebrews, Word Doc are the sites for a sermon series (Strength for the Journey) by Rubel Shelly and John York on Hebrews– http://www.rubelshelly.com/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=316&Start=121&SortAlpha=– http://www.rubelshelly.com/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=316&Start=101&SortAlpha=– http://www.johnyork.org/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=260&Start=161– http://www.johnyork.org/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=260&Start=141

References

• Bobby Valentine’s “Stoned-Campbell Disciple” blog – http://stonedcampbelldisciple.com/2013/08/20/

paul-and-the-unquestioned-authority-of-the-old-testament/