Made Perfect Through Suffering Hebrews 2:5-18

-The Glory of Jesus is Revealed and Completed in His Incarnational Suffering

Suffering is the heritage of the bad, of the penitent, and of the Son of God. Each one ends in the cross. The bad thief is crucified, the penitent thief is crucified, and the Son of God is crucified. By these signs we know the widespread heritage of suffering.

Oswald Chambers in Christian Discipline.

John 9:1–3

[1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [3] Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. (ESV)

I. Jesus is Made Lower Than the Angels vv. 5-9

As the author of Hebrews continues his introduction of Jesus, he shifts focus

In the first chapter, we saw that Jesus was superior to the angels because of His identity as the Son of God

Now, we will see His superiority revealed through His incarnation as the Son of Man

He references Psalm 8 here, which generally speaks to the position of humanity

We are a little lower than the angels. Practically speaking, they have a glory that is greater than our own and exist on a different level than we do

What is interesting is that there are a few notes:

First, we see that this condition is “for a little while”. Man will not always be lower than the angels. In fact, we will sit in judgment over angels!

Second, we see that the future for humanity involves glory and honor, with all things under our subjection. This is the fulfillment of the dominion mandate of Genesis 1.

Third, we see that all of this is fulfilled through “the son of man” in v. 6. It is because of His experience of incarnation that we experience His glory

The author spells it out this way:

Jesus is the Son of Man from the Psalm

He was made lower than the angels for a little while

He is crowned with glory and honor, specifically because He suffered death

By the grace of God, He has tasted death for us all so that we can share in His eternal life

Though we cannot see His perfect dominion yet, it is certain and we will have a share in it!

By His suffering, Jesus invites us into His eternal reign

Philippians 3:8–11

[8] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—[10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)

“There are no crown-bearers in heaven that were not cross-bearers here below. ”

― Charles Spurgeon

II. Jesus is Made Perfect Through Suffering vv. 10-13

The author goes on to tell us that Jesus has not ceased to be the Son of God that we saw in chapter 1

All things exist for Him

All things exist by Him

He is bringing many sons to glory

However, we get this strange note: He is made perfect through suffering

What does this mean? Is there some moral imperfection in Jesus? Certainly not!

However, the Lord does have a sort of experience gap:

It is impossible for God to suffer! We call this His “impassibility”

For the Son of God to fully share in the human experience, to be tempted as we are tempted and to live as we live, He must experience suffering

This is undeserved and unearned, but was instead freely chosen

It is an act of sacrificial love

It is an act of identification

He calls us His brothers and points us to the Father v. 12

He demonstrates His own faith and trust in the Father v. 13

He calls us His children and recognizes us as gifts from the Lord v. 13

By His suffering, Jesus identifies with us as brothers. He is not ashamed of us!

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!" The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn't. Instead he said, "You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!"

III. Jesus is Made Like His Brothers vv. 14-18

Finally, the author shows us the full extent of the Incarnation, carrying Jesus even to death

Jesus does not absent Himself from the most human of experiences

Instead, He embraces it completely, and for good purpose

Why does Jesus die?

There is the issue of identification with us in our experience of death

There is a work here that destroys the one who has the power of death, the devil

The Devil is not the ultimate authority over death, yet he does have a crucial connection with it

He introduced death into the world through temptation to sin

He keeps it as one of his great goals, to kill and destroy

He delights in death and loves to wield it as a tool against people

Jesus, by dying, robbed him of his greatest weapon and turned our greatest fear into our ultimate hope!

By His suffering, Jesus becomes our High Priest

He stands as a mediator between God and Man, fully immersed in our experience

He makes propitiation, paying the penalty for our sin, offering the sacrifice of Himself

He suffered and is able to help those who are being tempted!

Daniel 3:24–25

[24] Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” [25] He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (ESV)

He is the God who enters the fire!