David Guzik

Study Guide for Hebrews Chapter 2

Hebrews 2 - Jesus, Our Elder Brother

A. Therefore: pay attention to Jesus

1. (1) The lesson applied: listen and don't drift away

a. The therefores of Hebrews are instructive; they make us pay attention to a point of application after the writer has developed a principle

b. What we must do: give careful attention to the words of Jesus

i. It's easy to think that this is directed to unbelievers; but it is something that "mature" Christians need to hear as well

ii. We can become desensitized to the glory of Jesus' message, thinking we know it all

c. Why we must do it: to avoid the danger of drifting away; and we don't have to do anything to simply drift away

i. Most Christian "regress" comes from a slow drifting, not from a sudden departure

ii. An ungodly farmer died, and they discovered in his will that he had left his farm to the Devil. In the court, they didn't quite know what to do with it--how do you give a farm to the Devil? Finally, they decided: "The best way to carry out the wishes of the deceased is to allow the farm to grow weeds, the soil to erode, and the house and barn to rot. In our opinion, the best way to leave something to the Devil is to do nothing." We can leave our lives to the Devil the same way - doing nothing

2. (2-4) The lesson emphasized: how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

a. The word spoken through angels is a way of describing the Mosaic Law, which was received . . . by the direction of angels (Acts 7:53)

b. The Law proved itself steadfast and strict, something to be taken very seriously

c. If we should take the word which came by angels seriously, how much more seriously should we take the word which came by God's own Son?

i. A greater word, brought by a greater Person, having greater promises, will bring a greater condemnation if neglected

ii. Notice the warning isn't merely against rejecting the salvation, but against neglecting it

d. This word was confirmed by eyewitnesses (those who heard Him), and with signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit given by God

i. The writer confirms that he is not a "first generation" Christian; he has heard the message second-hand

B. The glorious humanity of Jesus

1. (5-8a) God has put the world in subjection to man, not angels (evidence: Psalm 8:4-6)

a. God never gave angels the kind of dominion man originally had over the earth (Genesis 1:26-30)

b. The quoted Psalm shows both the smallness of man in relation to the God of creation, and the dominion that God has given man, even though he is a little lower than the angels

c. The writer emphasizes the point: God has put all things (not somethings) under man's subjection

2. (8b-9) A problem and its solution

a. How can we say that all things are subject to man? It seems to be an unfulfilled promised

b. But the promise if fulfilled in Jesus, who is Lord over all, and through whom man can regain the dominion originally intended for Adam (Revelation 1:6, 5:10; Matthew 25:21)

c. This promise could only be fulfilled through the humility and suffering of Jesus, who defeated the evil (death) that Adam had introduced into the world (Romans 5:12)

3. (10-16) Jesus, our Elder Brother

a. Jesus was made perfect through sufferings; not that there was anything lacking in His Deity, but only in His experience: how does God in heaven suffer?

i. "To make perfect does not imply moral imperfection in Jesus, but only the consummation of that human experience of sorrow and pain through which he must pass in order to become the leader of his people's salvation." (Vincent)

ii. The point here is that it was fitting for the Father to do this, in the sense that it pleased the Lord to bruise Him (Isaiah 53:10) for the sake of bringing many sons to glory

b. Therefore, we are sanctified by One who has been sanctified; we are all of the same family, so Jesus is not ashamed to call them (us) brethren

i. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren; are we ashamed to declare openly that we belong to Jesus?

c. The writer cites three evidences from the Old Testament: Psalm 22:22, Isaiah 8:17 and 18

i. In each one of these examples, we see Messiah willing to associate Himself with His brethren, whether it be in a congregation of worship, a community of trust in the Father, or of familial declaration

d. For Jesus to truly fulfill the role of "Elder Brother" for the family of the redeemed, He had to partake of flesh and blood; He had to enter into the prison to free the captives

e. The Father's work in Jesus was not primarily for the sake of angels (though it was in a secondary sense, Ephesians 3:10), it is for the people of faith (the seed of Abraham)

4. (17-18) Jesus, our faithful High Priest

a. If Jesus were not like us, he could not be our High Priest, representing us before the Father and making atonement (propitiation) for our sins

i. Neither the Deity nor the Humanity of Jesus are negotiable; diminish either and He is unable to save us

b. Jesus also is able to aid us when we are tempted and suffering, having experienced the same

c. It is astonishing: there is a God in Heaven who by experience knows what I am going through, and can help me (not merely commiserate with me!)