“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb 2:9 KJV).
The Sight – “But we see Jesus”
By faith we see Jesus. His human name was given to Him before His birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Mat 1:21 KJV). He became human, to save people from their sins. Wise men searched for Him then, and still do today. He is no longer to be found in Bethlehem of Judea, but has sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having made purification for sins (Heb 1:3). It is through Him that “so great salvation” (2:3) can be possessed. The One on the throne of God in chapter 1 became truly human in chapter 2, that He might deliver sinners from their sins.
The Stoop – “who was made a little lower than the angels”
Angels are greater in power and might than man, but God has not put His coming kingdom under their dominion (v5). Rather, it is given into the hand of the Son of Man (v6), who paid the redemptive price of death for sin. The Son of Man is Jesus, who, for a little while, was made a little lower than the angels. He came as a man to be the kinsman redeemer of men, all of whom stand in desperate need of deliverance from sin.
The Suffering – “for the suffering of death”
It was not just a matter of a death occurring, but there was the awful agony of the sufferings of death. The sinless Saviour on the cross was put to an open shame and hung up there by nails through hands and feet. He took the place of sinners and bore our sins in all their immensity, in His own body on the tree. No one will ever know the pains He had to bear in His sufferings of death, on account of sins that were not His own. This is why He came and bled and died on the cross. “Christ died for our sins” (1Co 15:3).
The Sequel – “crowned with glory and honor”
So completely has the Lord Jesus settled the outstanding claims of God’s holiness that was outraged by our sins that God has now highly exalted Him. There is no higher place for the Saviour who came so low than the very throne of God. God is completely satisfied that the price of redemption is paid in full, that God raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory. By faith we see Him there and are perfectly accepted in Him by God.
The Scope – “that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man”
This phrase indicates that the sacrifice of Christ was a display of the undeserved favor of God towards us, and it covers in scope the enormity of any and all human sin and its effect upon the whole of God’s creation. So, any repentant sinner trusting Christ will be saved from sin and fitted for heaven.
