Hebrews 2:1-18

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Hebrews 2:1-18

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

“I’ll just remind you that Hebrews is the 19^th book of the New Testament, and it’s a letter that we believe was written by the apostle Paul. Some people say we don’t know who did it. But it’s intent is to show how Jesus Christ is our High Priest, and what he brought, the teachings he brought, have replaced what was taught from the Old Testament as far as the way the Jews had been taught, and how he has come to replace that with his teachings. It contrasts in this Book many times his teaching verses the way it was done in the Old Testament, as far as the Temple, and a lot of the comparisons that are made, just so that you’re aware what he’s trying to do. We quote from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, he says, “Throughout the Epistle the author weaves” {I believe it’s Paul) “warning with doctrine, to encourage his readers to hold fast to Jesus as the great High Priest of God. He continues to show from time to time the contrasts between Jesus Christ, the New Testament Christianity, and the way it was done before.” I don’t believe he’s comparing it to Judaism, although he might be, because as you know, Judaism began to add their own do’s and don’t’s after they went into captivity. And while they originally had the Word of God given to them in the Old Testament, in some cases they began to stray by adding their own do’s and don’t’s after their captivity, and perhaps even before.

Don’t Let What You’ve Learned Slip Away

So Hebrews chapter 2, last time our presenters did Hebrews’ background and Hebrews chapter 1. So we’ll start off with Hebrews chapter 2, and we’ll begin with verse 1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” i.e. ‘Therefore, considering Jesus Christ and his greatness, considering him, as it speaks about in chapter 1, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.’ And in some cases it’s referring like a ship that’s leaking out, that we let this information just slip through our hands, and slip from us. And he says we need to pay attention and give more earnest heed. Ecclesiastes 5 and verse 1 says, ‘When you enter into the Temple of God, be more ready to hear.’ So we have to stir ourselves to want to pay attention to the Word of God when it is being spoken or when we are reading it, or when we are hearing from it, we have to stir ourselves in that case. And of course God wants us to be doers and hearers. It doesn’t just say, don’t just be a hearer of the law, he says you need to be a hearer and a doer, a hearer and a doer is important [cf. James 1:22-25]. We have to give heed, listen to it so we can know what we need to do.

You Reap What You Sow

Verse 2, “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;” Now apparently there was a tradition, and we know that the Law, the Ten Commandments was given by God to Moses, we didn’t see any angels there. But apparently there is tradition, and there are references in the Bible I can site, Galatians 3:19 about the Law being given through the mediation of angels. Also Acts 7, verse 53 again, Paul talks about it coming through angels. So there was some apparently, some history, some lore of angels delivering the Law. But we know that when the Ten Commandments were given, they were given by God. So he says, “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;” remember what God says, that as you sow, that’s what you’re going to reap. So if you are going to sow evil, you’re going to reap evil. If you’re going to sow good, you’re going to receive good. It’s kind of a law of repriposity, whatever you put in is what you’re going to get out. However you live your life is how you’re going to be judged and what you’re going to receive. Ecclesiastes 8, and verse 11 is an interesting Scripture because oftentimes people say, ‘Well, I did wrong, and nothing happened to me.’ Or ‘These people are doing wrong, and nothing happens to them.’ Ecclesiastes 8, and if you’ll note this Scripture, Ecclesiastes 8, verse 11, he says, the wisest man who ever lived, next to Jesus Christ, Solomon wrote, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,” because every time you do wrong you’re not zapped on the spot is what he’s saying, “therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Unless they are not immediately corrected, they think they can get away with it. [Comment: It is part of God’s Old Testament Law to execute judgment and punishment immediately for transgression.] And he says in verse 12, “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged,” it seems like he gets away with it all the time, “yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:” Though he seems to get away with it, whose it going to be well with in the end? And verse 13, “But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.” It only seems like the wicked prolongs his days. So that’s verse 2 of Hebrews chapter 2.

Verse 3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;” So if we don’t pay attention. Hebrews 2:3 is such an awesome verse, because it tells us ‘salvation is great.’ And what are you saved from? You’re saved from sin, saved from the death penalty, saved eternally, saved from sickness and disease, saved from the troubles and pollutions of this world. So there are many things you could be saved from, but when he’s talking about ultimate salvation, he’s talking about the time when we will be changed. The apostle Paul said that the one thing he pressed toward the mark, was for the prize of the high calling of God. He talked about how he needed to keep himself in check, he talked about how he is a person who hadn’t made it yet, but that the one thing he did look forward to was that resurrection from the dead. Philippians 2:12 tells us, I’ll just site that for you, ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,’ that you want to make sure you’re walking in the right path, with the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. No, we can’t do it on our own. No, you can’t just be a do-gooder on your own and make it, you need the help of God’s Holy Spirit, God’s Law’s not enough, without God’s Spirit working in your life to help you live that law. That God’s Spirit in our lives helps us have the righteousness of God, which is walking according to God’s Law, but you can’t do it by yourself. So we all need God’s help and God’s strength. So again, Philippians 2:12 fits in very nicely there. Let’s notice what else he says (in Hebrews 2:2), “which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;” So Jesus Christ came, and what was he offering? He preached the Kingdom of God, he preached the righteousness of God, he preached about the eternal life that God has to offer to all those who follow him. Remember the rich young noble man came to him and said, ‘master, what good thing may I do to have eternal life?’ and he said, ‘Don’t call me good, for I’m not as good as God, because I’m still here in the flesh,’ you know, God in the Spirit, ‘but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.’ So the man wanted to know about eternal life, and Jesus Christ pointed him to walk in God’s ways, and that way you’ll be in line with God, and God can change you at that time of the end. 1^st Peter 1, verse 9 is another Scripture I’d like to give in reference to this awesome Scripture about telling us not to neglect that great salvation. 1^st Peter 1, verse 9, we read this, “Receiving the end” or result “of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” “Souls” as it says in the old King James, or “lives.” As the word “soul” in the Greek is pseuche, which has to do with your life, life, breathing, breath, life, air-breathing creature, ‘even the salvation of your lives.’ That’s what salvation ultimately is about, being changed from this physical life to a spirit-being in the very family of God. So that’s what salvation is all about.

Learn So That You Can Teach Others

But I found it interesting too, because at the end here he says “spoken by the Lord,” Jesus Christ, “and confirmed unto us by them that heard him”. So he had those who followed him, he trained disciples to follow him, he trained apostles to carry on his work, so that they’d carry on the Father’s business of preaching the Gospel. 2^nd Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2, we read that he said we should pass this information on to faithful men, notice 2^nd Timothy 2, verses 1-2, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (He’s talking to Timothy in a loving affectionate way.) So he commissioned his disciples to go into all the world to preach the Gospel, he trained men to go out and teach as well. (And we at Ambassador Bible Center here at the Home Office in Cincinnati are also trying to do the same thing, as we try to pass on the knowledge and understanding we’ve heard, as we go through every Book of the Bible, with them, so that they may have an understanding to pass on to others as well.) [And I might add, that’s the whole purpose of this website.]

Verse 4, “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” So the distribution of the Holy Spirit gave to them, certainly you had Pentecost as a prime example, when they all spoke in languages that others could understand, even one man speaking and many people hearing in different languages at the same time, talk about a miracle. Also this could refer to miracles in the Old Testament that took place over the years, and the many miracles that people witnessed as Jesus Christ performed his ministry, healing all manner of sickness and disease, raising the dead, walking on water, calming the seas, all the miracles that were attributed to him, certainly added witness that he was the Son of God, and that he was bringing a message for all of us to pay attention to.[This is the last part of the question asked in Verse 3, “How shall we escape?...]

“The World to Come,” the Millennial Kingdom of God, Will

Not Be Under The Unseen Rule Of Angels

Verse 5, “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.” It’s interesting, “the world to come,” for years we called what we were [and are] looking forward to, the World Tomorrow, the World Tomorrow, the Wonderful World Tomorrow, the time when this world is going to be God’s world. [See http://www.unityinchrist.com/kingdomofgod/mkog1.htm. Also ‘the world to come’ is the Jewish term for the prophecied Kingdom of God coming to the entire world at the coming of the Messiah, what we view as the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This is the exact term all the Jewish rabbis used and continue to us to describe that event. The world to come, coined by another group as the World Tomorrow, is not a new term at all, and definitely not copyrightable in that sense.] Right now this world is in the hands of a spirit-being who does not like people very much, does not like Christians very much, does not like godly folk very much, it’s in his hands right now. One day, it will no longer be. He says, “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.” And in fact while Satan now rules, 2^nd Corinthians 4:4 calls him “the god of this world,” while he now rules and while he tries to take the truth of God away from people, one day it’s not going to be in their hands anymore. It’s not going to be put in any angel’s hands, good or bad angels. This Lucifer was once a good angel. [See: http://www.unityinchrist.com/Satan/satan.htm] Verse 6, “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?” So we know where that is, Psalms chapter 8, verses 4 to 6, Psalms chapter 8, verses 4 to 6, that he goes on to quote, “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:” And actually, the original says “you made him a little lower than God.” I checked it in the Hebrew, it’s Elohim, and rarely is it used for angels, rarely. It’s used multiple times, I think there were something like 25 hundred times it’s translated, and I was zipping down through my, through the concordance there to see how many times, it was like all I could see was “God,” once in a while it was “gods” like the plural, Elohim, in the original Hebrew. Now in the Greek it’s angelos, which is “angel.” But in the original that it quotes from [in Psalms], he actually made them lower than God. So some say, man was made originally just lower than God, but over the angels. But once man sinned, he became literally lower than the angels. Jesus Christ came, he’s higher than the angels, even as a human being, God in the flesh, he was over the angels, and one day too, we will be back over the angels. He says, ‘you made him a little lower than the angels,’ or ‘for a short time lower than the angels, you crowned him with glory and honor.’ Now I don’t know who was crowned with glory and honor, maybe the first man when he made him, before he sinned. And man does have a certain amount of glory and honor, a certain amount of honor that man has, of his own right, though David said in Psalms 139, ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ So there’s a certain amount of glory, and certainly human beings have been able to master most of the animals and aquatic creatures, as well as birds and so on from the heavens [yeah, and almost pollute them off of the planet!], train them and so on. They’ve been able to master those, so they have a certain amount of glory. But nothing like the glory they will have in the future. He said, ‘and you did set him over the work of your hands.’ Genesis 1:26, in Genesis 1:26 he says ‘I’ve given you dominion over the fishes of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every animal and creeping thing.’ So God says, ‘I’ve given you dominion,’ but it’s not dominion over everything yet. Although man’s trying, isn’t he? Sending spaceships out into outer space. Of coarse he’s got to take his earth’s atmosphere with him. He can’t really live out there without taking what the earth has for him, with him. So he goes on to say, ‘You’ve put all things in subjection under his feet,’ where he can do almost anything. “For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.” Now he says, “But now we see not yet all things put under him.” (Hebrews 2, verse 8) So God’s intention is to have everything put human domination, but not yet, not yet as long as he is in the flesh. Of course, Genesis 1:26 through 28, you can read that whole section.

Jesus Tasted Death For Every Man---Why Did He Do That?

Verse 9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Again, now coming back and talking about Jesus Christ, whose the High Priest, giving the honour and glory to him, not the honour and glory to the Law. The Law of God is wonderful and good [as David said in throughout Psalm 119], but as you know, as I observed in attending a service in a synagogue, the Law was really touted, and I read a commentary that said “What the Law is to Judaism, Jesus Christ is to Christians.” So he’s making this transformation to worship and honour Jesus Christ, not the Temple by itself [and by extrapolation, the Torah contained within that Temple. Why, because Jesus Christ is called the Word of God in John 1:1-14, he is the Living Word of God, i.e. the Bible is Jesus Christ in print]. Not the Temple or the accoutrements of it or anything else. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels” again, for a short time, “for the suffering of death,” he had to be made so he could suffer death. And why did he have to suffer? You know, the wages of sin is not suffering, the wage of sin is death. Why did he have to suffer? To take upon himself our infirmities, to take upon him the sufferings because of sin, take upon him our sicknesses, our diseases, he was bruised for our sickness, bruised for our diseases. “…for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” This is interesting, “should taste death for every man.” John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,” ah, Philippians 2 says he gave this all up, he was willing to come and become a servant of ours, he didn’t find it anything at all to grasp after to be equal with God, that he gave it all up to come here to be a servant for us, and to die for us. It’s interesting, in Romans 5, verses 8 to 10, if you want to turn there with me. Romans 5, verses 8 to 10 we read this, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It wasn’t like we were perfect people, Christ didn’t come to die for the righteous. Of course there are none righteous. He didn’t come to die for them, but he came to die for those who were sinners, who could see, realize that they were sinners, repent of their sins, honour and worship him, and follow him. “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Why, because he, Jesus Christ lives. And later on in Hebrews we’ll find he ‘ever lives to make intercession for us.’ He loves to go to bat for us. When we make a mistake or we slip and stumble [called sinning], when we fall, he likes to be there to say, ‘you know Father, I know what that feels like, I was down there, I could tell you what it’s like, because I lived that life.’ ‘He ever lives,’ I think it’s Hebrews 7:25, ‘to make intercession for us, ever lives to do that.’ But you know, they pointed out in one of the commentaries in verse 9, when it says ‘that he should taste death for every man,’ apparently when somebody back in those days that was either judged that they should die, they offered them a cup of poison. Apparently they talk about Socrates, and he was called into account for some of the things he was saying or his philosophies or whatever. He wasn’t guilty of any of it, according to the source that I was reading, but that they brought him a cup of poison, hemlock, in a cup, and he drank it. He knew he had done his job, he was going to die. So in this case, ‘taste death for every one.’ Jesus refers to ‘please take this cup from me,’ he said when he was praying his prayer to God, ‘Please take this cup from me.’ He asked his disciples, ‘can you drink of the cup that I will drink of?’ In other words, the cup of death, not that Christ drank that, but in an analogy to say that that cup represented death. And so here he says ‘he tasted death for every man.’ Verse 10, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” “many sons”, the word is quios, but it can be used for “children” too, but “many sons” most of the time is used for “sons.” God wants to bring many sons to glory, not just one Son. But nobody’s ever going to be like Jesus Christ. People say [to us], ‘Well you have a defective Christology if you say others can be born into the family of God and be like Jesus Christ, but I’m saying what the Scripture is saying, if I say that. All you have to do is check 1^st John 3, verses 1 and 2, all you have to do is check Philippians 3, verses 20 and 21, and you will find that God says we are going to be like him. But you’ll never be Christ. You’ll never be from everlasting to everlasting. That’s what he is. And he came to this earth and gave up who he was, to die for us, and then to be resurrected, to be given the glory that God has, ‘who is going to bring many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.’ The word “captain” there can mean a leader, an author, a source, the originator. It doesn’t necessarily mean “captain.” The Greek word is arcgos, and it means “a source, originator, leader, author,” that’s what it means. Alright, let’s go on, “make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Paul Brings Out The Concept Of Being In God’s Family

So Jesus Christ had to suffer, verse 11, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” What’s that mean? “all of one” what? Of one Father. All of one what? One race, all of one seed [Abraham’s spiritual seed], all of one family, all of one blood [Christ’s blood], all of one nature, they’re all the same. They’re all going to be processed similar to Jesus Christ, who was the firstborn, right?, Romans 8:29, ‘the firstborn among many brothers,’ notice what it says, “for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” (verse 11b) The ones for whom he came to die for, when they accepted his sacrifice, his death on their behalf, he’s not ashamed to call them brethren, because they now call his Father their Father. And if my Father is your Father, and your Father is my Father, we must be brothers, or brothers and sisters. Right? And so he made them one, sanctified all made of one, he says, “for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” Verse 12, “saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” He quotes the Scripture in Psalms 22:22, my margin says, “I will declare thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given to me.” (verses 12-13) And this comes from Isaiah 8:17. So verse 13 is Isaiah 8:18, you find that as well. So again, just talking about how ‘These are my family, I will declare, I’m not ashamed to declare those who are willing to follow me.’

Jesus Came To Destroy Death Itself, And The Fear Of Death

Verse 14, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” Now it seems like when Jesus was preaching, he said, ‘You do err, my Father is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living,’ that after Jesus Christ conquered death, he became the God of the dead and the living, because he’ll bring those people who are dead back to life again in a resurrection, either the first or the second…resurrection… Anyway, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part in the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; So that’s what the devil wants to do, he wants to drive people to death, those that don’t know the plan of God, they don’t understand that this life is not what it’s all about. That there’s coming a time, John 5, verses 28 and 29, that everybody in their grave is going to hear the alarm clock, in their time, and in their order. God will resurrect them, 1^st Corinthians 15 talks about there’s an order of the resurrections. Revelation 20 says there’s a first resurrection, ‘blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection,’ but after that, all those who have ever lived and died, and never had a chance. So you can read that in Revelation 20. [insert .com/E-Mails/…FallHolyDays.htm here.] And he goes on to say, in verse 15, “and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” My mother was a wonderful lady, she lived till 96, and toward the end of her life all she was doing was defending from death, she was fighting off death. I kept telling her, “Mom, live life, live life, don’t defend from death. Be positive, live life, have a happy time, don’t just be careful about this and careful about that. Don’t fight off death, live life.” God wants us to live happily, he wants us to live joyously. But people can be cowed into doing something by fear of death. And you know, the disciples, they were beaten, they were willingly beaten after Christi’s resurrection. Whereas before his resurrection they had turned tail and run when Jesus Christ was apprehended. But because they saw him, they saw a man who was dead, now alive, they said, ‘We can live, nobody can take eternal life from you, only you.’ You can deny yourself that. But nobody can take it from you. And again in Matthew chapter 10, verse 28, Matthew 10, and verse 28, we read this, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” “the soul”, the life, your life. Now we know the soul can die, Ezekiel 18:20; 18:4, it’s your life. “but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” “Hell” Gehenna. Don’t fear men, who can only take the life that comes with the body. They cannot take the life that God has for you, which is eternal. The “soul” used there is pseuche does not mean something immortal, you’ll never find “immortal soul” together anywhere in your Bibles. It means life, just like in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is nephesh, and nephesh is used for animals, pseuche in the New Testament is used as the same, similar term to define what they translate as “soul.” [see: http://www.unityinchrist.com/plaintruth/battle.htm] And souls can die, as you see here, he can kill the soul. And in Ezekiel 18, verse 4 and 20 it says, ‘The soul that sins will die.’ But what God is saying here, ‘Don’t ever fear what man can do to you, fear what God can do to you. Don’t be cowed into doing wrong, or being afraid to do good because somebody threatens your life.

Jesus Became Flesh And Blood To Reconcile Mankind To God

So he goes on to say in verse 16, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took him the seed of Abraham.” He didn’t come down and say, ‘OK God, I’ll come down and reduce myself, let me become an angel. I’m still eternal, I’m still spirit, I can still flitter here and there.’ God didn’t say that, he didn’t say that, he didn’t want him to come down that way. He took on himself the seed of Abraham, because he was from that particular family of peoples, of course, of the lineage of David. “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” (verse 17) He wanted to understand what it was like, because God has committed to him all judgment. He wanted to be like his brethren, “that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Jesus Christ wanted to know what it was like to live life like we are, so it behooved him, and of course he didn’t come with a silver spoon in his mouth either, Philippians 2 says he became a servant. He became a servant. He was born into a nation that was enslaved, as one of the people who were in that slave condition. [He also, as it says, came “to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” What does that mean? See: .com/reconciliation/reconciliationI.htm (or whatever the link is to the reconciliation series)]

Jesus Christ Is Our Compassionate High Priest

And verse 18, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” “Succour” means “comfort.” So we find in the Scriptures, certainly Hebrews 4:15, a few more chapters over, you’ll find it says that, Paul wrote in verses 14-15, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He’s a “great high priest,” not an average one. He was “yet without sin”, never once did he yield to that temptation. Verse 16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” He can comfort you, he can save you, he can help you, his sacrifice can forgive you. So it’s an awesome comfort, and we all need to pass that same type of comfort onto others that Jesus Christ is willing to pass onto us. [For some ideas on how we might be able to do that for those in this dying world, for the lost, maimed and hurting of this world, see: http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/wearesalt.htm and the 2nd Corinthians file that deals with why we suffer.] As you have suffered in certain areas, you’re able to succour or comfort others, who have in a like manner gone through trials and difficulties. So keep that lesson in mind. [Transcript of an expository Bible Study on Hebrews 2:1-18, given by Mr. Gary Antione, Pastor, United Church of God.]