For it was fitting (proper) to him, through whom are all things and for who are all things, after leading many sons to glorying to perfect (make complete) the chief leader of their salvation through suffering.
Ok that translation above is a bit stiff, so here is the NIV
In bringing many sons to glory, if was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
I wanted to show the first translation so you could see some of the key words in this verse.
BRINGING MANY SONS TO GLORY
That is us. Amazing no? As we have seen earlier in Hebrews, Jesus came to move us out of sin and by his death grant us grace, forgiveness, a new life, and holiness. Ephesians 1:3-12, tells us that before creation God wanted a family. Now along the way, man sinned and we were separated from God, almost like we ran away (think about the prodigal son). So God wanted to bring us back. And I like the way that he talks about salvation here. He is bringing many sons to glory. When we think of God's glory we think about this bright light that none of us could stand in. But he is making us brighter and brighter (He is cleaning us up). And there are many who are now in his family who are experiencing this. Think around the world of all those who love Jesus and we will get to meet when we get to heaven. I loved experiencing worship services outside the States, hearing different tongues praising God. It will be cool to worship God with all the different nations. It is also interesting because the book of Hebrews uses the word "son" up to this point solely for Jesus. This is the first use of it referring to Christians.
PROPER
This plan that God made to bring us into his family involved Jesus suffering and dying, rejected by his people. When people ask why Jesus had to die, I can only say I don't know exactly why God did it, but it was a part of his plan to bring us into his family.
AUTHOR
This is a fun word in the Greek. It is only used once in the NT, here. It can be translated a lot of different ways, but the picture behind the word (according to its original Greek use) is a man who founds a city, gives the city his name, guards said city, and essentially runs the town. It can also refer to a trailblazer, a leader who leads his army out to battle, and so on. These are all proper pictures for this word and proper pictures for our leader Jesus.
TO PERFECT...THROUGH SUFFERING
The word to perfect carries the idea of bringing to completion. Jesus was made complete in his suffering for us.
So as we unpack this verse we get all this really full words. Let's draw some of them together and see what the author is teaching us.
God's plan, since the beginning was to have a family, he found it proper to do so by sending his Son to suffer and die on the cross at the hands of the Romans and rejected by his own people. This completed Jesus' in his life. By doing we are able to be cleaned up to come before the all-perfect, brightly shining God. However, let's remember the original context, Paul is writing to a people who are suffering at the hands of their families and friends because of Jesus (and their faith in Jesus is the only reason they are suffering). Paul is encouraging them to stay faithful.
In short if Jesus is the trailblazer (the one who we follow to our glorious destination), and God had him suffer, will we not also experience trials in this life. And when we do, let us be Strong and Courageous in our faith, because the only reason we can have faith is because Jesus was strong and courageous in his. But know that on the road of faith in Jesus, there is suffering and trials, but the end is a glorious place.
I think a proper ending verse is,
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man (Jesus) is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom." (Matthew 16:24-28).
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Hebrew 2:8b-9
But now we do not yet see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus having been made a little less than the angels because of his suffering of death, having been crowned to glory and honor, that by the grace of God he might taste death in behalf of all men.
Ok I did not get back to this blog as quickly as I would have liked. I apologize.
In the previous verses we see that Psalms 8 claims that God has placed creation (animals and nature) under man's control and supervision. However in this verse we see the counter argument. Even though everything has been placed under man's supervision, it seems to all be in rebellion. When we read about the Garden of Eden, it seems like a very different place than we experience now. In fact it is paradise compared to the situation we find ourselves in now. In Eden, man worked with animal in the land and ate from the land. However part of the curse of man's sin in the garden was that the land (and animals) would be almost like in a state of rebellion towards man. The earth would have thorns. Man would toil and not produce as much as he could in the garden. On top of that man now experiences death. Death in creation and death in his life.
So Paul gives us here the curse situation. God gave us responsibility, we blew it, and now things are not going well for us.
But we do see Jesus, who having been made a little lower than the angels, because of his suffering of death is crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God he might taste death for every man.
The amazing part of Jesus is that he was above all spiritual forces, the leader of God's army of angels. But he lowered himself to our state, a little less than angels, that he might die. The people back then struggle with the idea that God's son (his perfect representation and God himself) might become human. However he had his reasons. He became less that he might suffer. He suffered to die. And he died that he might begin to reverse this curse that is upon man. He took on death for us. And this is God's grace, his free gift. The final words of this phrase "every man" can actually also be translated "everything." Jesus took on death for us and for creation. This world is under the curse and Jesus is reversing it.
It is interesting to follow the idea of suffering in Hebrews, because Paul here is writing to a people who are suffering persecution from their family, neighbors, and friends. Jesus came to suffer death by the hands of his people and really by the hands of the entire world. After his suffering though, he was seated on the throne over the entire universe. However, in God's plan, he could not get there without the suffering. We also must suffer and toil in this life. We might experience rejection. We might experience violence. But our suffering leads us closer to Jesus and closer to God's glory. Jesus tasted the final death for us all. When we turn to him, we don't have to worry about that outcome, because we can know that we will be in a better place when we have faith in him.
Joshua 1:6-9 sums it up nicely for us;
"BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. BE STRONG AND VERY COURAGEOUS. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Ok I did not get back to this blog as quickly as I would have liked. I apologize.
In the previous verses we see that Psalms 8 claims that God has placed creation (animals and nature) under man's control and supervision. However in this verse we see the counter argument. Even though everything has been placed under man's supervision, it seems to all be in rebellion. When we read about the Garden of Eden, it seems like a very different place than we experience now. In fact it is paradise compared to the situation we find ourselves in now. In Eden, man worked with animal in the land and ate from the land. However part of the curse of man's sin in the garden was that the land (and animals) would be almost like in a state of rebellion towards man. The earth would have thorns. Man would toil and not produce as much as he could in the garden. On top of that man now experiences death. Death in creation and death in his life.
So Paul gives us here the curse situation. God gave us responsibility, we blew it, and now things are not going well for us.
But we do see Jesus, who having been made a little lower than the angels, because of his suffering of death is crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God he might taste death for every man.
The amazing part of Jesus is that he was above all spiritual forces, the leader of God's army of angels. But he lowered himself to our state, a little less than angels, that he might die. The people back then struggle with the idea that God's son (his perfect representation and God himself) might become human. However he had his reasons. He became less that he might suffer. He suffered to die. And he died that he might begin to reverse this curse that is upon man. He took on death for us. And this is God's grace, his free gift. The final words of this phrase "every man" can actually also be translated "everything." Jesus took on death for us and for creation. This world is under the curse and Jesus is reversing it.
It is interesting to follow the idea of suffering in Hebrews, because Paul here is writing to a people who are suffering persecution from their family, neighbors, and friends. Jesus came to suffer death by the hands of his people and really by the hands of the entire world. After his suffering though, he was seated on the throne over the entire universe. However, in God's plan, he could not get there without the suffering. We also must suffer and toil in this life. We might experience rejection. We might experience violence. But our suffering leads us closer to Jesus and closer to God's glory. Jesus tasted the final death for us all. When we turn to him, we don't have to worry about that outcome, because we can know that we will be in a better place when we have faith in him.
Joshua 1:6-9 sums it up nicely for us;
"BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. BE STRONG AND VERY COURAGEOUS. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Monday, April 6, 2009
Hebrews 2:5-8
Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. But somewhere a certain man solemnly testified saying, Who is man that you remember him, or son of man that you care for him? You made him a little less than the angels, you crowned him with glory and worth (honor), you submitted all things under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
Here we are picking up the idea that was started all the way back in Hebrews 1:5 and continued until 1:14 when there was that side note in 2:1-4. That is the layout, just so you get an idea of the flow of thoughts. The topic discussed in that first part was Jesus is greater than angels (even though he was a man and everyone knows men are lower than angels).
So the first part states, Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
In his argument that Jesus is greater than angels he implies that God subjected "the world to come" to Jesus not the angels. My first question is what is "the world to come"?
I found that it is a really rare phrase. In fact that it is only found here. But what it is referring to is the Age of the Messiah, which was prophesied by the prophets. The Messianic age is the current age when the Messiah has come, done his work on this earth and is now at the right hand of God. In Hebrews 1:3-4 states, "after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs." The idea here is just this idea repeated, Jesus is superior to angels because he has been given power and authority over all things since his resurrection (which we get to celebrate this coming weekend). Don't let that phrase world to come trip you up. The world to come is from the perspective of the prophets, who saw this age as the one to come.
Then the author quotes from Psalm 8:4-6 in this next section. So first lets look at the entire Psalm and then examine how the author uses it.
I really like Psalm 8 because it teaches man's purpose and place in God's creation. The first part of the Psalm states that God is the most powerful one, he sets his glory in heaven and is stronger than his foes. Then it tells how God is the creator of all, over the heavens and stars in the night. Then he asks the question that Hebrews quotes from, "what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" If God is so great, why does he care (this word carries the idea of helping) about us and what is our place in creation. Then we hear where we fit in according to God. We are made a little lower than the angels, he gave us honor and dominion over all of creation ("all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea."). God has made us, the highest point of creation on earth. A pyramid is almost created where God is on top, then the angels, then man, then created animals. God gave us authority over the animals, to care for them and to use them. God expects us to take care of the creation he gave to us, we are not to use, abuse, and destroy it (as we in the west have tended to do, but to care for it. This is the same picture that Genesis draws of creation. God made the animals and plants and then Adam. He tells Adam to rule over them all and care for them. In Psalms, the teaching is that man is over all creation.
As you might notice, I have not finished commenting on the next verses. It is because they are complicated and twist my mind a bit. I have to study a bit more with them before I can state anything about them. I will hopefully do just that this week and have a finished post in a couple of days.
Here we are picking up the idea that was started all the way back in Hebrews 1:5 and continued until 1:14 when there was that side note in 2:1-4. That is the layout, just so you get an idea of the flow of thoughts. The topic discussed in that first part was Jesus is greater than angels (even though he was a man and everyone knows men are lower than angels).
So the first part states, Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
In his argument that Jesus is greater than angels he implies that God subjected "the world to come" to Jesus not the angels. My first question is what is "the world to come"?
I found that it is a really rare phrase. In fact that it is only found here. But what it is referring to is the Age of the Messiah, which was prophesied by the prophets. The Messianic age is the current age when the Messiah has come, done his work on this earth and is now at the right hand of God. In Hebrews 1:3-4 states, "after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs." The idea here is just this idea repeated, Jesus is superior to angels because he has been given power and authority over all things since his resurrection (which we get to celebrate this coming weekend). Don't let that phrase world to come trip you up. The world to come is from the perspective of the prophets, who saw this age as the one to come.
Then the author quotes from Psalm 8:4-6 in this next section. So first lets look at the entire Psalm and then examine how the author uses it.
I really like Psalm 8 because it teaches man's purpose and place in God's creation. The first part of the Psalm states that God is the most powerful one, he sets his glory in heaven and is stronger than his foes. Then it tells how God is the creator of all, over the heavens and stars in the night. Then he asks the question that Hebrews quotes from, "what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" If God is so great, why does he care (this word carries the idea of helping) about us and what is our place in creation. Then we hear where we fit in according to God. We are made a little lower than the angels, he gave us honor and dominion over all of creation ("all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea."). God has made us, the highest point of creation on earth. A pyramid is almost created where God is on top, then the angels, then man, then created animals. God gave us authority over the animals, to care for them and to use them. God expects us to take care of the creation he gave to us, we are not to use, abuse, and destroy it (as we in the west have tended to do, but to care for it. This is the same picture that Genesis draws of creation. God made the animals and plants and then Adam. He tells Adam to rule over them all and care for them. In Psalms, the teaching is that man is over all creation.
As you might notice, I have not finished commenting on the next verses. It is because they are complicated and twist my mind a bit. I have to study a bit more with them before I can state anything about them. I will hopefully do just that this week and have a finished post in a couple of days.
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