Hebrews 2 - Introduction

We ought to be obedient to Christ Jesus, and that because he vouchsafed to take our nature upon him, as it was necessary.

Anno Domini 63.

THE foregoing display of the greatness of the Son of God being designed, not only to give theobjections of the Jews their full force, but to make mankind sensible of the obligation they are under to obey Jesus, and to hearken to his apostles, the inspired writer very properly begins his second chapter, with an exhortation to the Hebrews, to pay the utmost attention to the things which they had heard from the Lord Jesus and his apostles, Hebrews 2:1.—For, says he, if our fathers, who disobeyed the command to enter into Canaan, which God spake to them by his angels, were justly punished with death, Hebrews 2:2.—how can we hope to escape eternal death, if we neglect the great salvation from sin and misery, together with the possession of heaven, which was first preached to us by the Lord himself, and which was afterwards confirmed to us by his apostles and ministers, who heard him preach and promise that salvation, Hebrews 2:3.—and whose testimony ought to be credited, since God bare witness with them, by the miracles which he enabled them to perform, and by the gifts of the Holy Ghost which he distributed to them, ver.4.—But lest the Hebrews might despise the gospel, because it was not preached to them by angels, the apostle told them, that God had not employed angels to lead believers into the future heavenly world, the possession of which is the great salvation whereof he spake.—By this observation he insinuated, that the tidings of the great salvation, were not to be disregarded because they were preached to them by men, and not by angels, since these men were commissioned by Christ the only-begotten Son of God, Hebrews 2:5.

The Hebrews being thus prepared for listening with attention to the apostle, he proceeded to answer the different objections urged by the Jewish doctors against our Lord's pretensions to be the Son of God. These objections, it is true, he has not formally stated, because they were in every one's mouth; but from the nature of the things which he has written,it is easy to see what they were.—The first objection was taken from our Lord's being a man. This, in the opinion of the Jews, was sufficient to overthrow his claim altogether;because for a man to call himself the Son of God, was so contrary to every idea which they had formed of the Son of God, that even the common people thought it a blasphemy which deserved to be punished with death. John 10:33. For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, because thou, being a man, makest thyself God. See also John 5:18 and 1 John 5:5. In this prejudice the people were confirmed by the sentence of the chief priests, elders, and scribes, who, after a solemn trial, pronounced Jesus guilty of blasphemy, and condemned him to death, because he called himself the Christ, the Son of the blessed God; Mark 16:20 a sentence for which there was no foundation, since in their own scriptures it was expressly and repeatedly declared, that the Christ was to be the Son, both of Abraham and of David. But the doctors, it seems, understood this in a metaphorical sense. For when Jesus asked the scribes, how the Christ could be both David's Son and David's Lord, they were not able to answer him a word; being ignorant that the Christ was really to become man, by descending from Abraham and David, according to the flesh.

A second objection raised against our Lord's being the Son of God and King of Israel, was taken from his mean condition; from his never having possessed any temporal dominion; and fromhis having been put to death. These things they thought incompatible with the greatness of the Son of God, and with his glory as the Christ, or king universal, described in their sacred writings. And therefore, when Jesus mentioned his being lifted up, the people objected, John 12:34. We have heard out of the law, that the Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Their notions concerning the temporal dominion of the Christ, and his abiding on earth for ever, the doctors founded on Daniel 2:44 where the empire of the Christ was foretold, under the idea of a kingdom which the God of heaven was to set up, and which was never to be destroyed;—but which should break in pieces and consume all kingdoms. Also on Daniel 7:13. Where one like the Son of man is represented: as coming in the clouds of heaven, and receiving dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. Likewise in other passages, the kingdom and victories of the Christ are described by ideas and expressions taken from the kings and kingdoms of this world: and the Christ himself is called God's king, whom he would set on his holy hill of Zion; and Messiah, or Christ, the Prince. These things led the Jews to fancy, that the Christ was to be a great temporal prince, who would set the Jews free from foreign tyranny, and subject all nations to their dominion; that Jerusalem was to be the seat of this universal empire; and that every individual Jew would have some share in the administration of it. Wherefore, when Jesus of Nazareth refused to be made a king, and disclaimed all temporal dominion, and subjected himselfto poverty, persecution, and death, they derided his pretensions to be the Christ, Mark 15:31. The chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Mark 15:32. Let Christ the king of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. These learned men were ignorant that the kingdom of the Christ is not of this world; that it is established, not by force, but by the Spirit of God and the power of persuasion, Psalms 110:3 that it has for its object, the destruction of sin and of all its abettors, and the establishment of righteousness in the earth; that the victories by which these grand events are brought to pass, are all of a spiritual kind; and that the greatness of the Christ consists in ruling, not the bodies, but the spirits of men, by drawing their affections and influencing their wills. And, as the Jews had no conceptionofthese things, so neither did they know that the felicity which the subjects of the Christ are to enjoy, is not of this world, but of the heavenly country which was promised to Abraham and to his seed by faith.

The ideas which the Jews had formed of the Christ, and of his kingdom, being founded in ignorance of their own scriptures, though pretended to be derived from that source, it became necessary by clear testimonies out of these very scriptures, to prove, That, from the beginning, God determined to send his Son into the world clothed with flesh, so as to be the Son of man as well as the Son of God; that he was to possess no worldly dominion while on earth, but to be subject to all the natural evils incident to men, and at length to be killed; after which he was to arise from the dead, and in the human nature to be invested with the government of the world, for the purpose of destroying all the enemies of God, and of putting the righteous in possession of the kingdom promised to the saints of the Most High: I say it was necessary to prove all these things by clear testimonies from the Jewish scriptures; because no other proofs would be regarded by the unbelieving Hebrews.
With this view, therefore, the apostle quoted Psalms 8:5 where it is foretold, that God would make his Son, in respect to his humanity, for a little while less than angels, by sending him into our world made flesh, and subject to death; after which he would crown him with glory and honour, by raising him from the dead, and placing him in the human nature over the works of his hands, Hebrews 2:6.—and by subjecting all things under his feet. On this the apostle remarks, that we do not yet see all things subdued by him, and put under him, Hebrews 2:8.—But we have seen Jesus, in regard to his manhood, for a little while made less than angels, that by the grace of God he might taste death for every man; and, for the suffering of death, be crowned with glory and honour, by his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, his sitting at the right hand of God, and his sending down the gifts of his Spirit upon men. This certainly isevidence sufficient, that all enemies shall at length be put under his feet. No just objection therefore lies against Jesus as the Christ, for his having had no temporal kingdom, Hebrews 2:9.—Next, by informing us, that the Son was made flesh that he might die for every man, the apostle has removed the offence occasioned by the death of the Son of God. His death was necessary for procuring pardon to them who believe: and this appointment, the apostle tells us, is to be resolved into the free and unmerited love of God, because it belonged to him who is offended by the sins of men, to prescribe the terms on which he will pardon them. And therefore, when he determined, in bringing all his faithful saints to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation a perfect or effectual Captain, through suffering death, he only exercised the right which belonged to him, and what was necessary for the harmony of his own perfections and the salvation of his saints, Hebrews 2:10.—Then to shew more fully that God determined to send his Son into the world made flesh, the apostle subjoins more quotations from the scriptures, in which the Christ is spoken of as a man, Hebrews 2:11.

A third objection to our Lord's claim, was taken from his being born of a woman in the weak helpless state of an infant. This the scribes thought incompatible with the greatness of Christ the Son of God. Hence in confutation of our Lord's pretensions to be the Christ, the Jews said one to another, John 7:27. We knew this man whence he is. But when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Farther, because the Christ was foretold, Daniel 7:13 to come with the clouds of heaven to receive dominion, the Jews expected that he would make his first appearance among them in the clouds. This they called a sign from heaven, and desired Jesus to shew it, Matthew 16:1. But, to remove these false opinions, the apostle observed, that since the children or disciples of the Messiah, who submit to his spiritual reign in their hearts, partake of flesh and blood, by being born of parents who are flesh and blood, Messiah also partook of the flesh and blood of men, by being born of a woman, that through death he might, according to the divine promise concerning the seed of the woman recorded by Moses, destroy the devil, that is, all the influence of the devil, who had the power of death, Hebrews 2:14.—and deliver the faithful from the fear of death, by giving them the assurance of pardon and resurrection from the dead, Hebrews 2:15.—So that our Lord's claim to be the Christ, instead of being overthrown, was strongly established by his birth of a virgin.

A fourth objection was taken from our Lord's being subject to all the natural miseries and calamities incident to men. This the Jews thought inconsistent with the divine nature of the Christ. But, in answer, the apostle told the Hebrews, that Jesus did not lay hold on angels to save them, but on the seed of Abraham, Hebrews 2:16.—For which reason it was necessary, that in all things he should be made like his brethren, that is, those who would receive him as their Lord, and perseveringly cleave to him; that being their brother, and having the affection of a brother for them, he might exercise the office of a high-priest mercifully towards the human race, but especially towards them that believe, as well as faithfully towards God, by making propitiation for their sins through his death, Hebrews 2:17.—This however is not all. He was subjected to affliction and temptation like his brethren, that he might have such a fellow-feeling of their infirmity and of the difficulty of their trials, as would dispose him, in the exercise of his kingly power, to succour them when tempted, Hebrews 2:18.—These being considerations of great importance, they are suggested a second time, chap. 4:

Such are the answers made by the apostle to the objections whereby the scribes endeavoured to confute the claim of Jesus of Nazareth to be the Christ the Son of God, taken,—1. From his being a man.—2. From his never having possessed any kingdom, and from his having suffered death.—3. From his having become man, by being born in thehelpless state of an infant.—4. From his having been liable to all the natural miseries and calamities incident to men.—Wherefore, after hearing these answers, the offence of the cross ought with the Jews to have ceased for ever. And if any others reject the gospel, on account of the high titles given therein to Jesus, fancying that his greatness as the Son of God is inconsistent with his manifestation and sufferings in the flesh, the reasonings in this chapter are highly worthy of their consideration, as they afford a satisfactory solution of their doubts.