We are taking our time to carefully observe the profound ideas and how they are expressed in the New Testament book, which is simply identified as To the Hebrews.
Though no author or audience is specified, I believe, as do many scholars, that the written version began as an oral presentation, a sermon. We have seen that though so many of the familiar sayings are a favorite of Christians throughout the years, the logic and arguments employed are more profound and full of paradoxes than a casual reading suggests.
In chapter one, the prologue, we encountered one of the most poetic and powerful passages of Scripture anywhere in the Bible.
- Verses 1-4 offer stunning reflections on the exalted position Jesus holds in the mind of the author and the early church.
- Verses 5-14 follow with seven scriptural messianic claims revealing how the Messiah (Christ) is greater than the angels.
Contrary to the long-standing prejudice that these Christological reflections regarding the deity of Yeshua are a product of later centuries, the author shows that from the church’s inception, Jesus is understood to be the Son of YHWH, the Living God.
Chapter two introduces us to the author’s pattern of teaching and encouragement, followed by warnings and exhortations to stay faithful. He gives us glimpses into the heavenly exaltation and enthronement of Jesus, then shifts the focus to the humanity of Yeshua from Nazareth.
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 (Heb 2:9).
The Son obeyed—did the will—of his Father. He was faithful to death, even the terror of torture and execution on a Roman cross. Taste is an idiom for experience. Jesus experienced death in all of its horror and finality because he was identified fully with humanity. His death was the basis of His exaltation. His humiliation and suffering were the prelude to His glorification.
But his death was not for him alone. It was for everyone and everything. The death and resurrection of our King redeems all of creation. The divine plan is not just to save you and me. It is to redeem and restore all of creation!
And so that brings us to Hebrews 2:10, an awe-inspiring text. 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.
The author continues, for he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers. He then cites some scriptures attesting to that.
We see in verse ten that God’s purpose in Messiah is to bring many children to glory. The reason for the death of Jesus is ultimately to bring us to the glory of Jesus. Because of Yeshua, our elder brother, you and I are the sons and daughters of God, destined to share in the glory that God has conferred upon his Chosen One.
God made Messiah a little lower than the angels for a season to do so. Yeshua identified completely with humanity in his incarnation. And then God perfected the pioneer of our salvation—we will talk about this—through suffering and death. A death that is atoning for you and me and will be redemptive for the whole of creation.
That this is the Father’s doing is the first profound idea in Hebrews 2:10.
Even though the focus is on Jesus throughout Hebrews, God the Father is always on the horizon. You must consistently keep that in mind; the author does. YHWH is the one to whom Jesus owes his allegiance, from whom Jesus receives his glorification. The Father is the one who has made a way for us to share in Messiah’s glory.
Bringing to glory is the second profound idea in Hebrews 2:10.
What does glory mean? It has many applications, like God’s manifest presence, radiance, and shining. In this context, glory means God’s own being. God, through Jesus, is bringing many sons and daughters into his very power and presence, into his glory. Even as the Son was crowned with glory and honor, that is the Father’s intention for you and me.
It is precisely this glory that makes this salvation, achieved through Jesus, such a great salvation. Jesus is to be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, all of whom are destined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many (Rom 8:29).
Jesus, as the champion of this salvation, is the third profound idea in Hebrews 2:10.
This is a fascinating concept translated in many ways: captain (KJV), originator (NASB), pioneer (NIV), source (HCSB), and author (ERV). I am partial to, given the Greek usage of the word in other settings, Jesus is the champion of our salvation. If you think of an Olympic-type event like running a long-distance race, the one who leads, who goes before, and who makes a way for everyone else to follow is ultimately crowned victorious.
The term here in Greek combines two words, with the first word, arche, meaning beginning or source, and again, to lead. It is one who goes before others on a path. Jesus is an originator and a leader. He is a forerunner and, as we will see later in Hebrews, a finisher. He pioneers our faith, and he will perfect it.
Perfection is the fourth profound idea in Hebrews 2:10.
The language of perfection, teleosis in Greek, was common in the Hellenistic thought of the day. The basic idea is to make whole and complete or achieve what is intended to be achieved. Said another way, to be perfect is to be whole.
To be perfect is to be spiritually complete and morally mature. In other words, to become like Jesus. He is the model of human wholeness, completeness, and maturity God intends for us all. You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mtt 5:48).
The point in our text is that Jesus, as the archegos of our salvation, had to be perfected before he could lead us into that perfection. The shocking revelation of Hebrews is that the sufferings of the Son accomplished the perfection the Father desired.
The word sufferings is intentionally plural. That is something worth pondering deeply.
Salvation is the fifth profound idea in Hebrews 2:10.
What does the author mean by salvation? The author of Hebrews uses it in the same way as we find in the Gospels, in reference to at least one of three things or all three in combination.
- Salvation is for life in the kingdom of God. We are being saved to enter, participate, and contribute to advancing the kingdom of God.
- Salvation is a rescue from the powers of evil.
- Salvation is deliverance from God’s righteous judgment.
Salvation, biblically speaking, means being delivered from the evil one by removing from us the judgment righteously due because of our transgressions, resulting in bringing us near to God, where we enter into his rule and reign, the kingdom on earth and one day consummated in fulness.
We will discover, as we forge ahead, that Hebrews has much to say to us regarding all three aspects of so great a salvation.
