Hebrews 2:9, commentary and pictures

The Majesty of heaven clothed His divinity with humanity and became a man, bone of bone and flesh of flesh, made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. By the grace of God He voluntarily tasted death in its bitterest form for every son and daughter of Adam without exception, bearing the penalty of sin as substitute and surety in humanity's place. He truly entered the grave but did not remain under death's power, rising as a triumphant conqueror whom the Father received with joy and seated at His own right hand far above all powers, crowned with glory and honour. His suffering made Him the perfect Captain of salvation for bringing many sons unto glory, exalting human nature to share His place and making those who receive Him partakers of the divine nature. His death displays God's grace and love for fallen humanity at infinite cost, placing all the treasures of heaven at human disposal so that no one need be lost, yet all may through faith and entire obedience receive everlasting life.

Lowered Below The Angels

Being made a little lower than the angels means the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, clothed His divinity with humanity and became a man, bone of bone and flesh of flesh, standing at the head of the human race as Elder Brother. He accepted humanity and laid aside His royal honor and authority to suffer death for every person by God's grace, coming to this sinful world to show people how to live so they may live with Him in heaven. In that lowering He left the royal courts and the Father's glory, veiled the glory of God's Son, and became poor, sharing the laboring life of fallen mortals among them in darkness. Though rich in heaven, honored by the angels and crowned with glory, He lived among fallen mortals because man, created pure and holy, was led astray and corrupted by Satan into fearful danger, and He determined to save the race by sacrifice of Himself.

He was lowered for the suffering of death so His humility could reach humanity. His human strength was not equal to angels, so angels were to minister to Him, strengthening and comforting Him in His suffering, and they were not to prevent the abuse and death He had consented to endure because His death was essential to redeem humanity. In the wilderness His emaciated and distressed appearance was unlike the angels of heaven, and He did not appear with the glory of heaven's angels but endured hunger, contempt, and temptation as man's substitute. Even as man He remained the Son of God, greater in strength and wisdom than human beings, so Satan's power to take Him to the temple pinnacle and a high mountain and to tempt Him with the kingdoms of the world proves nothing of power greater than Christ's.

In human nature He bore the trials humans must bear and was tempted in all points as humans are, yet never once yielding. He passed over the ground where Adam fell, meeting Satan coming as an angel of light to induce Him to sin and place the race entirely under evil, resisting him in the wilderness while suffering hunger and answering Satan only with the words of the Lord and refusing to rail against him. He overcame where humanity had been defeated, to show by power received from on high that man can live an unsullied life of faith and trust in God. His suffering also leaves an example of sinlessness, patience under mistreatment, and trust in God, and those who are tempted should follow His wilderness example by holding back natural angry words when provoked in order to gain a victory recorded in heaven.

Man was created with every provision in his behalf only a little lower than the angels and given dominion over the works of God's hands. That dominion was lost through sin by the first Adam, and all things were put in subjection under man with nothing left unput under him yet now all things are not yet seen put under him. The dominion will be restored by the second Adam, Jesus Christ, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Crowned With Glory And Honour

After suffering death He was crowned with glory and honour, having been made a little lower than the angels as man to suffer death and by the grace of God to taste death for every person in order to expiate the sins of all who believe in Him. His lowering in taking humanity and His humility made it possible for Him to reach humanity, and His suffering and death serve the salvation of humanity and of many, revealing God as He is and opening the way for many to be brought to glory. His self-giving death makes people able to become children of God, giving those who receive Him power to become the sons of God and partakers of the divine nature, and calls those who represent Him to work for the good of their fellow men. The One who wore the crown of thorns will be seen as He is and worshiped, placing the harp in the hands of faithful workers whose voices will be raised in music never heard on earth.

He truly entered the grave and tasted death for every person, and He did not remain under death's power but rose as a triumphant conqueror and led a multitude of captives from their graves. The Father crowned the crucified Jesus with glory and honour by receiving Him with great joy and delight and seating Him at His own right hand far above all principalities and powers in acceptance of the great atonement.

The crowning is not for Christ alone, for all the favour shown to the Son is shown to His people. Those united with Christ in love who have suffered with Him in His deepest humiliation are accepted in Him, and His glorification belongs to them by that acceptance. God loves them as He loves His Son, and Christ as Emmanuel stands between God and the believer, revealing God's glory to His chosen ones and covering their defects and transgressions with the garments of His own spotless righteousness.

Death For Every Person

By the grace of God He tasted death for every person without exception, for every son and daughter of Adam, so that every soul may have the privilege of knowing God and sharing in the blessings of the gospel. His suffering and death open the way for many to be brought to glory, expiating the sins of all who believe and giving those who receive Him power to become sons of God and children of God. Through Him human nature is exalted, and those sanctified through conformity to His image become one with Him as He is one with the Father, with their life hid with Christ in God. His death has bought all people with His blood, and all may receive the living bread from heaven, yet they must prepare for immortal life and live in a way that fits admission to heaven. His self-giving death calls those who represent Him to work for the good of fellow men.

His death was voluntary, willingly stooping from His place of honor and high command in heaven and tasting the bitterness of death to rescue humanity from sin and from slavery to sin. He undertook this saving work knowing what it would cost and bearing human temptations. He offered Himself as a willing sacrifice, giving up His honor and glory so that man might be a partaker of the divine nature. His death gives each person another chance, a second probation to choose God as Leader, and through it all who believe may rise from their graves and enter heaven.

He died as substitute and surety in humanity's place, willingly suffering the death penalty, bearing the penalty of sin and the punishment for sin with every person's sins charged to Him. On the cross of Calvary He paid the ransom for the souls He rescued, including Lazarus, whose restored life required that payment, giving Himself a ransom for many, even for all who would avail themselves of coming back to loyalty to God. His death fulfilled the demands of the divine law and glorified the Father, bringing salvation to a multitude who will be saved eternally. He can ransom every soul however fallen if that person accepts God's law as the standard of righteousness, believes, and turns from sin, revealing both God's justice against sin and His love. Through His suffering and death He bound His interests to every member of the human family. While confronting Satan's power over disease and death He kept ever before Him the darkened shadow He must enter, knowing as He witnessed human suffering that He must bear a greater pain mingled with mockery and the greatest humiliation, with every rescue causing Him the deepest humiliation, yet He was strong to save the whole world, though He wept at the grave of Lazarus at the thought that He could not save everyone whom Satan's power had laid low in death.

Only the Creator of humanity had power to redeem it; angels could not pay the debt, though they would gladly have died in His place, and they were not to prevent the abuse and death He had consented to endure. He tasted the sufferings of death in its bitterest form, enduring what no human being can bear and drinking the bitter cup of death that human sin had prepared, while offering the cup of salvation. His sacrifice made a way of escape from hopeless misery, ultimately raising the redeemed to share His place at God's right hand. His experience enables Him to pity and sympathize with those suffering, and His redeeming love gives comfort and hope amid affliction.

In Gethsemane He endured agony alone as the Father's light, love, and glory were withdrawn from Him because of sin, with no escape found from the suffering. An angel strengthened Him to face it, and the assurance of the Father's love strengthened Him to endure. His depression and discouragement left Him, and He calmly carried the guilt and came through victorious over Satan with assurance of triumph. His suffering was real, but He was strengthened to meet it. His death would defeat Satan and bring a multitude to eternal salvation and the saints receiving the kingdom, making it possible for millions to be victors in His kingdom.

Salvation His Death Accomplishes

His suffering made Him the perfect Captain of salvation for bringing many sons unto glory, opening the way for many to be brought to glory and giving those who receive Him power to become the sons of God. Through the man Christ Jesus human nature is exalted in that bringing of many sons to glory, and those who receive Him are made partakers of the divine nature. As He is honored, those sanctified through conformity to His image and character become one with Him as He is one with the Father, with their life hid with Christ in God. Through the Holy Spirit He brings to man a new principle of mental and spiritual power, so that through association with divinity man becomes one with God.

Through Him human nature is elevated to its original purity and raised ultimately to share His place at God's right hand, and the redeemed inherit with Him the kingdom humanity lost. Only the Creator of humanity had power to redeem it, though angels would gladly have died in His place, and His death ransoms many for that inheritance. His immense sacrifice is pictured as drinking the bitter cup of death that human sin had prepared, while offering the cup of salvation. His glory as God's Son was veiled when He became poor and lived among fallen mortals to rescue people from death and raise them from sin's degradation.

When the Father gave His Son to live and die for man He placed all the treasures of heaven at human disposal, giving every possible advantage for strength to withstand temptation so there is no excuse for sin. He thereby placed the race on vantage ground with God, giving everyone a second probation and another chance to choose God as Leader. He requires perfect faultless character that would bless children and future generations until the earth would rejoice and blossom as Eden. Through faith in His redeeming power people may live, and all who believe in Him may rise from their graves and enter heaven, for His death is the sinner's only hope of salvation and each person may through faith receive salvation and experience the Lord's goodness. Through Christ people may become partakers of the divine nature and gain an experiential knowledge of their Redeemer's character and work.

His death defeated Satan's aim to destroy the human race and to place the race entirely under evil, for He met Satan coming as an angel of light to induce Him to sin, was victorious, and came through victorious over Satan. That victory makes it possible for millions to be victors in His kingdom and for people to become workers with God. His suffering serves the salvation of many and reveals God as He is, expressing God's love for fallen humanity at infinite cost and amazing love undertaken knowing what it would cost and bearing human temptations. His death reveals both God's justice against sin and His love, bearing the punishment for sin so He can ransom every soul however fallen if that person accepts God's law as the standard of righteousness, believes, and turns from sin. That death paid so great a price for redemption that it sets the just estimate and true value of souls, so those He redeems are precious and worthy of respect. Salvation cost a great price because He who made the world and owned all its riches and glory left glory to labor continually on earth, denying Himself pleasure and convenience when He could have lived in peace and plenty, with His whole life marked by meekness and humiliation and toil and privation in doing good.

The verse belongs to the great salvation first begun to be spoken by the Lord and confirmed by those who heard Him with signs and wonders and miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, joined to the promise that the world to come and all things are put in subjection under man, which is not yet fully seen. Neglecting this salvation leaves no escape and brings just recompense for transgression and disobedience, so it lays accountability on those given such wonderful privileges. It is a great fundamental truth worthy of study and must not be neglected for speculation over what is not clearly revealed.

Living His Sacrifice

His suffering does not prove that suffering always marks personal sin needing repentance, and the suffering of others must never be judged on that ground. His self-giving, self-sacrificing life is the pattern His followers are called to follow and copy. They are to press close to His bleeding side and willingly share in His sufferings, living with simplicity and true godliness wherever they are and in whatever work they do. By sharing His sufferings they will be conformed to the image of Christ.

Christ is the example for His workers, so a leader must not magnify man but magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. He must keep self out of sight and hidden in Christ, and seek a deep work of grace in the heart in order to impart to others. He must keep a strictly guarded example before his children, teach them self-denial in the use of money, and keep the outlay of means in gospel work as small as possible. Because He suffered death for every person He has a profound and touching personal interest in everyone, pities and helps those who err in judgment and those who fall under temptation, and sympathizes with those suffering to give comfort and hope amid affliction. His followers should therefore treat those who fall with sympathy and unselfish love rather than disparaging them or driving them farther from Him. They should follow His wilderness example, where while suffering hunger He resisted Satan, answered only with the words of the Lord and refused to rail against him, by holding back natural angry words when provoked in order to gain a victory recorded in heaven.

People should turn to Him for help and guidance rather than relying on human beings or depending on human guidance. His ministry is the source of the help and power needed, and He has promised to be wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Through Him they may take hold of His divinity by living faith, gain victory, share in the joy of the Lord, and gain an experiential knowledge of their Redeemer's character and work. The faithful worker who holds on to see Jesus has victory before him.

His sacrifice gives life and is reason to remember Him, honor Him, and tell others what He has done. His self-giving death calls those who represent Him to work for the good of their fellow men to save souls with love and simplicity and faith. By clothing His divinity with humanity He came to show people how to live so they may live with Him in heaven, and by the elevating, sanctifying power of the truth He can purify the mind, give men nobility and dignity, accept them as co-laborers, and use them to draw other minds to Himself and show the world that God sent His Son. Through the Holy Spirit He brings a new principle of mental and spiritual power so that through association with divinity man becomes one with God, and His children reveal His character and exert His influence to draw other minds into harmony with His mind. Those made subjects of grace and partakers of this great salvation ought to feel for one another and for souls, with Christ and angels ready to work with their efforts, and those He redeems, ransomed at infinite cost, are precious and worthy of respect as consecrated workers who cooperate with God in restoring His moral image in humanity.

His death has bought all people with His blood, and all may receive the living bread from heaven. Through faith in Him the sinner need not perish but have everlasting life, for His death is the sinner's only hope of salvation. Yet they must prepare for immortal life and live in a way that fits admission to heaven. No one should remain indifferent in sin and disobedience, but should confess Christ without delay and do the will of Him who gave His Son, which strengthens every faculty of the soul and increases happiness and peace. Those who earnestly study to know His will, believe in Him with heart and mind and soul, and show faithfulness by entire and complete obedience to His Word are given every possible advantage. Salvation cost a great price because He who made the world and owned all its riches and glory left glory to labor continually on earth, denying Himself pleasure and convenience when He could have lived in peace and plenty, with His whole life marked by meekness and humiliation and toil and privation in doing good. That proof of great condescension and love should be acknowledged by freely giving to God what He has lent to test allegiance.