Turning the Tables - Hebrews 1:3–2:18

Today we continue in the NT book of Hebrews. I invite you to find it in your copy of God’s Word or in the WG on pages 5 and 6. We’re looking at a long passage today, 30 verses in total. I chose to handle it this way because of the argument being made and the situation addressed. The effort is to prove from the OT that Jesus Christ is above angels in authority and honor.

I’ve never had anyone raise the question that angels are above Jesus. But in first century Rome, among these Jews who had come to faith in Christ, there was confusion about this. It seems that angels in general, or perhaps the angels of highest rank, were said by some to be above Jesus Christ. We do know that there was a religious group at that time who held the view that there would be two messianic figures: one priestly, who would be subordinate to another who would be kingly, and both of them would be subordinate to the archangel Michael. 

That false belief very well could have been the motivation of the Hebrews author. But whatever the case, this argument sheds light on a common misconception about Jesus Christ that is present even today, a misconception related to him lowering himself and becoming a human being, born in the likeness of men.

Think about Queen Elizabeth II, queen of the United Kingdom and some other countries. She is 94 years old; she became queen at age 21. The royal family in general and she in particular are seen as higher than or above the regular people of her kingdom. Elizabeth has been the monarch for 73 years, and she maintains this mystique or sense of awe by remaining distant from the common people even as she interacts with them. 

She keeps a degree of separation. The belief is that the monarch is the ideal person; everyone should look up to her. She could never immerse herself in the world of regular folks; this would diminish the sense of awe. But you see, the Scriptures teach us that God the Son, the eternal King of Kings, did immerse himself in our world. 

How could God fully become a human while still being fully God? Our finite minds cannot totally comprehend it. You can see how confusion or even deception could arise, with people believing that heavenly beings like angels could be above the human being Jesus Christ. 

This claim that Jesus is truly God sheds light on a misconception we often have though. The Scriptures teach that because Jesus was fully God, he could not and did not sin. We naturally assume, then, that Jesus could not have truly been one of us. He could not have been completely human, fully human, truly human, knowing how we feel because to sin is essential to being human, right? 

Do you know the old saying, “To err is human, to forgive, divine?” You’ve heard this? 18th century poet Alexander Pope coined that phrase. The idea is that everyone makes mistakes; it is just part of being human, and it is godly to forgive. And we can all relate; we can all acknowledge that no one is perfect. 

But let me ask you this: is “erring” essential to being human? If you don’t sin, are you not really human? It’s a good question. But here’s another question: were Adam and Eve truly, fully, completely human before their fall into sin? Absolutely. Then what were they after the fall? They were still fully human, but they were different from their original created state. 

Their humanity was spoiled in so many ways by sin. But Jesus Christ became and continues to be more truly human than you or me. To err was not human in the beginning. Erring came later. The body of flesh, skin and bone, is essential to being human. There are affections or feelings that are essential to being human. But sin is not essential to being human, otherwise Christ could not have truly become man. 

In his commentary on Hebrews, John Calvin states, “Christ has put on our feelings along with our flesh.” Jesus became one of us, yet without sin, so he was and is qualified to represent guilty people before God. Jesus became one of us so that he could save us.

If we would worship and glorify Jesus as we should, if we would know Him, then we must be convinced of not only the full divinity of Jesus, but also, his full and true humanity. He was no less a human than us. But what does it mean for us that God the Son became truly human? 

Well, it helps to see how Jesus turned the tables. It is true that Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple, but that’s not what I’m referring to. What does it mean to “turn the tables?” 

Imagine that you and I are playing a game of checkers, and you are beating me severely. You’ve gotten multiple checkers over to my side, I’ve kinged them, and now you’re headed back, jumping my checkers and it’s clear that you’re going to win. 

But then, all of a sudden, I put my hands on the board and I turn it 180 degrees, so that now your checkers are mine and mine are yours. You would look at me like I was crazy and say something like, “You can’t do that!” “Turning the tables” means to reverse your position or situation in order to change an outcome. By becoming truly human, God the Son turned the tables on death, on the devil, and for His people. 

He put aside the mystique of heaven for our sake. Look first at verses 3-4: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

We looked at verse 3 last week. Because Jesus is God, he holds the universe together, he emits the glory of God, and he is a trustworthy representation of the invisible, triune God. In his priestly role he made one sacrifice for the sins of His people, and he ascended to the throne of God from where he now reigns. God the Son was always above the heavenly angels, he created them, but according to his human life, he lowered himself below them for a time and then ascended once again above them inheriting a certain name or title that is above “angel.” 

What name? Look at verse 5 “For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? The words in quotation marks are from Psalm 2 and 2 Sam. 7. The name or title declared for Jesus is “Son.” In his resurrection from the dead and exaltation to the highest place, God the Father demonstrated that Jesus is in fact His Son. 

Incidentally, you will see many OT quotes here that ultimately refer to or point to the Messiah, Jesus, who was to come. We understand the OT through the lens of the NT. Look at verse [6], “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” “Firstborn” here refers to Jesus’ rank. That quote seems to come from Deut. 32. Jesus is the Chosen One, the highest; angels bow down to him. 

Notice verse [7] “Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” [8] But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. [9] You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” [10] And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; [11] they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, [12] like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” 

These quotes come from Psalm 104, 45, and 102. Angels are mutable, able to change, like wind or fire, but the Son is eternal and unchangeable. This is fascinating. The quote from Psalm 45 describes God addressing God. God has anointed God. How? The Father has anointed the Son as King. The Son is the creator. He is eternal. Certainly, he is above the angels. 

Look at verse [13] “And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? This is a quote of Psalm 110. The Son is King, angels are his servants. Notice verse [14] “Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Clearly Jesus, even in his humanity, is no less God. But no less human either. 

Look at chapter 2 verse 1: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. [2] For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, [3] how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” The trials these believers faced were causing some to give up on salvation in Christ. But when did angels declare it? 

Well, Deut. 33 describes 10,000 angels present at Mt. Sinai when God gave His law to ancient Israel. This is reminiscent also of the angels who appeared to the shepherds to tell them of the birth of Jesus Christ. Look at the rest of verse 3: “It (the message of salvation) was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, [4] while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Jesus preached the gospel. Then the apostles and his other disciples told the Good News. 

During that time God validated their message with miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was a unique time in history. They did not yet have the NT Scriptures as we do today. At that time, though not today, God performed miracles, healings, and enabled some to speak in other tongues to prove this message was from Him. God the Son began this movement.

Look at verse [5] “For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. [6] It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? [7] You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, [8] putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

It was only the Son of God who became a Son of Man, became lower than the angels, became human, who was then exalted to the highest place, with all things subject to Him. 

And the rest of verse 8: “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. [9] But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” 

God the Son shed the mystique and awe of heaven, and was born in what were probably more humble circumstances than anyone in this room! In a cave, with animals nearby. When we sing at Christmas that “the cattle are lowing” at the birth of Christ, the point is not that cute little animals were present; rather, smelly, outdoor creatures rested near the earthly birthplace of our Creator and eternal King! 

God was obviously not worried about the regular people of earth misunderstanding the divine and human natures of His Son. Where was God going with this? The Son did this to turn the tables on death. Only Jesus Christ became low in this way, and fulfilled the will of God, and you see, again, only Jesus was “crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Taste death. Jesus died to pay the penalty of sin; Gen. 2 and Romans 6 tell us that the penalty for sin is death. Jesus died for His people.

But why did God raise Jesus from the dead? Scholar R.C. Sproul writes, “It was impossible for death to hold Him. Why? Since Jesus was guilty of no personal sin, death had no rightful claim over Him. He bore our sin and guilt, and that is why He died; but once our debt of sin was canceled, there was nothing left to keep Him buried...Jesus, being perfectly righteous, had to be raised, for it would have been unjust for God to allow a sinless man to rot in the grave.” Jesus turned the tables on death.

Death is clear evidence of our guilt before God. It glares at us when we feel the pull of sin. “The wages of sin is death.” There’s nothing you or I can do. Death is coming. Death is sure. For sinners, what comes along with death is not rest or reunion with God. Wrath awaits. However for those sinners who know Jesus Christ, who trust in Him, death has lost its sting, Death lost its power. 

By becoming truly human, and dying, Jesus turned the tables on death, and also, on the devil. Look at verse [10]: “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” What is translated here as “perfect” does not mean that Jesus became sinless, but rather, that he completed the course. He completed his mission to suffer for sins.

Verse [11] “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.”Jesus, as the mediator between God and His people, is our priest who sanctifies us, or makes us holy, makes us acceptable to God. “Have one source” could be translated as “are of the same family” or “all have one origin.” This refers to the humanity of Jesus. It states that he became one of us. 

Look at the next part of verse 11: “That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, [12] saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” That is a quote from Psalm 22. Look at verse [13] “And again, “I will put my trust in him.” That is Psalm 18. “And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” That is Isaiah chapter 8. “I and the children,” in other words, Jesus and His church. Look at [14] “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,” By becoming truly human, Jesus turned the table on the enemy, on Satan.

We do not simply struggle only against each other as humans. The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6 that we must “be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,” ultimately not human to human, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” 

What part does the devil have of sin and eternal death? Satan has long sought the destruction of God’s world and His people. God pronounced the curse of death on Adam, Eve, and their descendants, and Satan, being the liar and murderer that he is, wanted to have the power of death as his weapon. 

Bible scholar Simon Kistemaker states, “Jesus defeated Satan by using the weapon of death. Jesus paid the penalty of sin by giving his life and set us free from the curse of death. And by paying this penalty for us, Jesus took the weapon of death out of Satan’s hands.” By becoming truly human, Jesus turned the tables on the devil, and finally, for his people.

Look at again at verse [14] “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, [15] and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. [16] For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.” 

The finished work of Jesus fulfills God’s covenant promises to Abraham. There is only one people of God, those with saving faith in the OT era and those with saving faith in the NT era, all saved by grace through faith. Jesus was sent to turn the tables, to reverse the outcome, for the people of God. 

Look at verse [17] “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” “Propitiation” in other words, Jesus bore God’s wrath against sin - the wrath deserved by sinners like you and me. 

Jesus endured the curse deserved by you and me. He stood in not just to offer a sacrifice but to offer himself as the sacrifice. And notice how the author adds on this final statement, verse [18] “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Now you might think, “Well, I understand what you’re saying, Jesus was truly human, but he didn’t experience what I do because he could not sin like I do.” It is true that Jesus did not sin, so you’re right, he did not experience that. However, consider this: Jesus was tempted, and his temptation was in fact more intense than yours or mine. 

How so? Well, you and I are tempted and we often give in, finding release from the intensity of temptation. But Jesus never gave in, and so he felt the intensity of temptation to its fullest extent. Therefore Jesus understands temptation in a way that no one else ever could. Our God understands; he empathizes. There is great comfort to be found in this.

With this greater view of how Jesus reversed our circumstances, how he turned the tables on death and the devil, we go now to the table of the Lord Jesus himself. We participate in this meal that he established to teach us and to strengthen us, to show us and remind us what he did back then, and also, to minister to us in the here and now. Both his full divinity and full humanity on display, as God tasted death that we might live. 

Have you known the joy of true repentance? Have you tasted freedom by trusting in Him who tasted death for those he came to save? Cry out to him. Come to him. And follow Him.

Let’s pray together now.