HEBREWS 2:5

In this part of Hebrews chapter two, Jesus Christ is still being compared to the angels. No one should be emphasized or honored more than Jesus in the teachings of Christianity. It is important that Christians understand the truth about angels. It is also important that Christians understand that Jesus is God. It says in Hebrews 2:5, “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.” Believers look forward to “the world to come.” We are not of this world because Jesus is not of this world. The final fulfillment of all of the promises of Christ will be in the new heaven and the new earth. In this world we often have sufferings and sorrow, and so we look to the next world. That is where our heart is. One of the reasons that we look forward to the return of Christ is because we look forward to the righteous kingdom that He will set up in that day. One thing is certain: in that future kingdom the angels will not be in charge. They will be servants sent forth to minister just as they are now.

Before more things are said about Jesus compared to angels, the book of Hebrews tells us some things about man. It says in Hebrews 2:6-7, “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownest him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands.” These verses say several things about man. 1. God is mindful of man. 2. Man was made a little lower than the angels. 3. God has crowned man with glory and honor. 4. God has set man over the works of God’s hands. When it says that God is “mindful” of man, it means that God remembers man and that God thinks about man. No wonder that God wants us to love Him with all the mind. What you think about is what you love. That is how He loves us. It says that man was “made” a little lower than the angels. Man is a created being, not an evolved being. Man is on the earth because God put us here: God “made” us. We are a little lower than the angels because angels currently have access to the throne of God in heaven, and angels are not limited by a physical body on this material earth. Of the creatures on the earth, man is the highest. Man was made in the image of God. Man was given glory and honor. Man was also given responsibility. The responsibility is to take care of the earth. That is why it says that God set man “over the works of thy hands.” Every human being has some portion of the earth to take care of. Every person has some plot of ground to plow, or some courtyard to sweep, or some child to care for, or some sermon to preach. Everyone has something to do to help take care of this world that God has created. Just make sure that you do your part in the right way. The day will come when every human being will give an answer to the Creator. That is why the Bible says, “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do with thy might.” It also says, “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed do as unto the Lord and not unto man.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 2:8, “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Mankind is able to subjugate every other animal because God made it that way. There is nothing in the world that man cannot conquer. This fact should be a source of great confidence to everyone and especially to those who believe. Every disease, every enemy, every obstacle can be conquered. There is a solution to every problem. Take on the day. Take on the world because anything is possible.

Of course, in reality not every problem has been conquered yet. That is why “we see not yet all things put under him.” If man has not solved all the problems; then who will? Who can we look to for the answer to all the ills that plague us? Hebrews 2:9 says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Jesus conquered the greatest enemy of mankind: death. Even if man came up with a solution for every problem of the human race except for death, not much would be done. We are all going to die. From the day that we are born, we are all headed toward one unavoidable event: our death. If you live the best life that you can live, and if you become all that you can be, but then you die, in a certain sense it is all in vain. Jesus rose from the dead. Even though He died, Jesus is still alive. The wonderful news from Christ is this: He will share His eternal life with all who believe in Him.

In order to purchase such a great salvation Jesus “was made a little lower than the angels.” That phrase is the same description that is given to mankind: “a little lower than the angels.” Jesus became man in order to experience “the suffering of death.” Some people think the purpose of life is to enjoy it as much as possible. Jesus came to suffer, and He came to die. Of course, He was rewarded in that He was willing to suffer. He was “crowned with glory and honor.” Isaiah 53:12 says concerning the Messiah, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death…”

The Bible says concerning Jesus in Hebrews 1:10, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” As one would say of God, Jesus is both the source and the culmination of all things. All things come from Him, and all things will return to Him to be judged and to receive a pronouncement of their eternal destiny. The name Jesus means Savior. He is the captain of salvation. He alone will bring sons to glory. No man saves men. Only Jesus can do that. If you have not been saved by Jesus, then you are not saved. This verse says that Jesus was made “perfect through sufferings.” The word that is translated “perfect” means “complete.” From the standpoint of His human life, Jesus grew. When He came into the world, He set aside some of the prerogatives of deity in order to live the life of a man. Of course, Jesus lived the life of a sinless man, unlike the rest of us. It says in Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” The way of the cross leads home. If you follow Jesus, similar things will happen to you. You will be made complete “through sufferings.”

The Bible continues with this idea in Hebrews 2:11 and says, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.” The Lord wants to sanctify us. He wants to make us into holy people. From the moment that we are saved, God’s plan for our lives is that we would become holy. In all the things that God allows to happen to us, holiness is what He wants to see accomplished in us.

Hebrews 2:11 also speaks of the unity of Christians with each other, and their unity with Christ. According to God, Christians are “all of one.” Christians are not only brothers of each other; they are also brothers of Christ. This verse says that Jesus “is not ashamed to call them brethren.” The human race is the crown of God’s creation. We were created in the image of God. Evidently it was very important to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that Jesus come to the earth and become a man. Jesus became part of the human race and lived the same human life that we must live. He shared it, He experienced it, and He lived it. He is our brother. Jesus went through what we must go through and so Hebrews 2:12 says of Jesus, “Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” Jesus calls us His brothers. Another Old Testament verse is quoted as being the words of the Messiah in Hebrews 2:13 and says, “And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given to me.” The Son of God lived as a man who trusted in the Father. Jesus lived as a brother to the children of God. Of course, he was the only one who lived life the way that it ought to be lived: without sin.

Speaking of Jesus, it says in Hebrews 2:14, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Jesus shared the limitations of human life on this earth because He is our brother. Being the best of all brothers, Jesus did the best thing that He could do for us. This verse says that Jesus destroyed the devil. Jesus conquered our enemy. It is nice to know that our spiritual foe was given a mortal blow. It was prophesied so. The first prophecy in the Bible about the Messiah is found in Genesis 3:15 where God spoke to the devil and said, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Notice that Hebrews 2:14 says that the devil has “the power of death.” The devil was once a great angel. He is a powerful being. He does bring death and destruction to the inhabitants of the earth. The devil hates mankind because man is God’s greatest creation. Among his other iniquities, the devil is a jealous creature, and the devil is jealous of man and the glory of man. The devil brings death to the human race. He brings murder, he brings war, and he brings disease to the human race. But of course God is more powerful than the devil, much more powerful. Whatever the devil does to bring destruction and death, God somehow controls to bring forth the will of God in it all. That very thing was proved even in the death of Christ. The devil motivated religious leaders to deny their faith, secular leaders to deny their responsibilities, and disciples to deny their Master in order for Christ to be nailed to the cross. But God was in control. God used the death of Christ to bring salvation to mankind. The devil brought death, but Jesus brought victory through death and over death. The grave could not hold Jesus. Neither will it hold those who believe in Him. Jesus came to the earth, and He won a great victory. He won a victory over the evil one. Jesus is now in heaven, and those who believe in Him will live with Him forever. The devil will die forever in the lake of fire. It says in Revelation 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

The Bible says about Jesus in Hebrews 2:15, “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Human beings naturally fear death. The unsaved face in death a terrible separation that offers them only pain and loss. Most unsaved people rarely think of death because they have no answer for it. It is a monster that awaits them. One reason that some people finally turn to Christ for salvation is because they finally start thinking of death and what it really means. They turn to the only One who can save them from death. It says here that Jesus shall “deliver them.” It said in the previous verse that Jesus destroyed “him that had the power of death.” Verse nine said that Jesus “should taste death for every man.” Verse ten said that Jesus would bring “many sons unto glory.” And verse ten also calls Jesus “the captain of their salvation.”

Many things were said in this passage about life after death and the salvation that Jesus alone can bring. This reminds us once again that the most important thing for anyone is to gain the victory over death and to find eternal life through Christ. This passage of scripture skips over all of the things that happen in life, and emphasizes death and what happens after death. The things that happen in this life are of little significance compared to one’s eternal destiny. Where will you spend eternity? Have you fallen at the feet of Jesus and believed in Him? Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man should he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

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