The opening verses.
Listen Carefully!
“1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” Hebrews 2:1-4
A lot of angels were also locked up in judgement. Let us take scripture more seriously and see what God is trying to teach us. Let us come in humility and find out God’s message to us in the 21st century. In Jesus Christ, God became a man. The whole of the Trinity is involved in this salvific movement and by faith we can be the recipients of this gift of grace. (salvation)
When looking at verses 1-4 his attention focuses on the situation of the readers. The majority of the time the writer is expounding the teachings about the Christ but at crucial moments he is challenging the readers and asks them where their allegiance lies. The writer at this point has proven that Jesus is greater than the angels and that Jesus has come from God as his representative here on earth. The readers are invited to consider the evidence. They can come to only one conclusion, Jesus is the Christ.
Preliminary remarks on Hebrews chapter 2 verses 5-8.
But discussion of the Son does not stay on the side of the divine. The eternal son takes on flesh and becomes a human being. As it says ‘for a little while’, the Son was made a little lower than the angels. The eternal Son is not only made a little lower than the angels, but he is a man.
As a man he faces all the problems that men and women do. The eternal Son as a man suffers even the greatest evil itself ‘death’. In his death there is real forgiveness from our sin and for the Jewish Christians there is real comfort (verse 18).
The writer to the Hebrews uses proof texts which his readers would have understood. Psalm 8 verses 4-6, Psalm 22 verse22, Isaiah 8 verses 17-18 et al.
Some theologians have argued that the early Christians used the sacred texts to fit there circumstances in a haphazard way (I am thinking of Heikki Häkkinen at this point).
Obviously, the book of Hebrews shows this not to be the case. The writer chooses and selects proof texts very carefully for the purpose of his argument. There is nothing haphazard about the choices of the above scripture quotations. These were well known Messianic texts that were used in the Jewish community in the first century AD.
I also must disagree with the theory than Pannenberg puts forward concerning history. Old facts are modified by newer facts as history progresses to the eschaton (thesis/antithesis/synthesis). Christianity and Judaism are both in a lot of ways remembering religions not progressive religions. The Jews every year celebrate the Passover as a significant point in their history. Christians remember the sacrifice of Jesus every Sunday at Holy communion. ‘Do this in remembrance of me’. A fuller explanation is needed such as progressive revelation. God reveals a little more of his nature as time moves on.
Although the OT was interpreted in light of the Christ there is nothing arbitrary about the way the writer used the scriptures. These were texts that pointed to the Christ and were believed to point to the Christ even before the time that the Christ was born (a road map to the king). Contrary to Häkkinen’s point of view.
On the other hand the writer is ‘reminding’ the readers of the importance of these scriptures. Contrary to what Pannenberg might emphasize. These texts take on decisive meaning and there is nothing arbitrary about them.
In layman’s terms:
As I said Jesus is really the eternal son which I spoke to you centuries ago. Now that the Son has come you can see how all these scriptures fall into place.
In other words, the prophecies have bee fulfilled not modified. In Hegelianism older facts can be modified by newer facts by contingent accident. Revelation is not accidental it has a purpose from the heart of God.
Reflection
As Christians we really do need to understand what Jesus taught us. We have various tools to do this.
- We do this by genuine prayer asking God to help us understand and to walk in his love.
- Reading the scriptures and prayerfully searching the scriptures.
For us we are blessed to have such teachers of the Old Testament who have opened up its meaning to us in the book of Hebrews. John Owen wrote a tome on the book of Hebrews; under the surface it is a very rich book. Perhaps you have become a believer recently or have been a believer for decades; This book is speaking to you. The letter is explaining who Jesus is. We do well to do the same.
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