Made Himself lowly so He could save us
For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. Hebrews 2:8b-9 CSB
Closing out this section on how Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s plan of redemption, and therefore, superior to the angels, the author of Hebrews speak on how the Father has subjected everything to Christ, leaving “nothing that is not subject to Him.” Yet, we still live in a broken world due to sin in the present. “As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to Him.” The path of salvation is still open to sinners. Final judgment has not yet been passed, so there is still time to repent. And if you are a believer already, this verse promises that the future is secure, in that, Christ one hundred percent will subject everything under Him. As Thomas Lea writes, “The certainty that Jesus will experience future glory gives hope to us.” Then, to make sure everything was clear to the readers, the author explicitly states who the Son of Man is, “but we do see Jesus.” As a quick reminder, the original audience were Jews who may have heard of Jesus or physically heard him speak while He was alive, potentially being a part of the crowd who saw His miracles, but also may have been calling for His crucifixion. Jesus, being in human form, was “made lower than the angels for a short time,” all for the specific that, “by God’s grace, He might taste death for everyone.” “He (Jesus) emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus willingly took on human flesh and died for us. Because of this, the Father “crowned” Him “with glory and honor because He suffered death.” The Father glorified the Son above the angels due to fulfilling the Father’s will in providing the way for His creation to be restored together to have a relationship with Him.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
