Warning to Pay Attention
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Jesus Made Fully Human
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
7 You made them a little [Or them for a little while] lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet.”[Psalm 8:4-6][Or 7 You made him a little lower than the angels;/ you crowned him with glory and honor/ 8 and put everything under his feet.” ]
In putting everything under them,[Or him ] God left nothing that is not subject to them.[Or him] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.[Or him] 9 But we do 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 the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 12; and in 3:1, 12; 10:19; 13:22. ] 12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly, I will sing your praises.”[Psalm 22:22 ]
13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.”[Isaiah 8:17]
And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”[Isaiah 8:18]
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason, he had to be made like them,[ Or like his brothers
] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
NOTES:
2:1–4 The author now makes a transition into exhortation,
using an a fortiori argument (as at Hb 7:21–22; 9:13–14; 10:28–29; 12:25). The
word announced through angels (Hb 2:2), the Mosaic law, is contrasted with the
more powerful word that Christians have received (Hb 2:3–4). Christ’s supremacy
strengthens Christians against being carried away from their faith.
2:5–18 The humanity and the suffering of Jesus do not
constitute a valid reason for relinquishing the Christian faith. Ps 8:6–7 is
also applied to Jesus in 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22; and probably 1 Pt 3:22. This
christological interpretation, therefore, probably reflects a common early
Christian tradition, which may have originated in the expression the son of man
(Hb 2:6). The psalm contrasts God’s greatness with man’s relative
insignificance but also stresses the superiority of man to the rest of
creation, of which he is lord. Hebrews applies this christologically: Jesus
lived a truly human existence, lower than the angels, in the days of his
earthly life, particularly in his suffering and death; now, crowned with glory
and honor, he is raised above all creation. The author considers all things as
already subject to him because of his exaltation (Hb 2:8–9), though we do not
see this yet. The reference to Jesus as leader (Hb 2:10) sounds the first note
of an important leitmotif in Hebrews: the journey of the people of God to the
sabbath rest (Hb 4:9), the heavenly sanctuary, following Jesus, their
“forerunner” (Hb 6:20). It was fitting that God should make him perfect through
suffering, consecrated by obedient suffering. Because he is perfected as high
priest, Jesus is then able to consecrate his people (Hb 2:11); access to God is
made possible by each of these two consecrations. If Jesus is able to help
human beings, it is because he has become one of us; we are his “brothers.” The
author then cites three Old Testament texts as proofs of this unity between
ourselves and the Son. Ps 22:23 is interpreted so as to make Jesus the singer
of this lament, which ends with joyful praise of the Lord in the assembly of
“brothers.” The other two texts are from Is 8:17, 18. The first of these seems
intended to display in Jesus an example of the trust in God that his followers
should emulate. The second curiously calls these followers “children”; probably
this is to be understood to mean children of Adam, but the point is our solidarity
with Jesus. By sharing human nature, including the ban of death, Jesus broke
the power of the devil over death (Hb 2:14); the author shares the view of
Hellenistic Judaism that death was not intended by God and that it had been
introduced into the world by the devil. The fear of death (Hb 2:15) is a
religious fear based on the false conception that death marks the end of a
person’s relations with God (cf. Ps 115:17–18; Is 38:18). Jesus deliberately
allied himself with the descendants of Abraham (Hb 2:16) in order to be a
merciful and faithful high priest. This is the first appearance of the central
theme of Hebrews, Jesus the great high priest expiating the sins of the people
(Hb 2:17), as one who experienced the same tests as they (Hb 2:18).
BACK TO:
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholes (Acts 9:31)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.
No comments:
Post a Comment