“But we see Jesus, 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. 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. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one.” Heb. 2:9-119But we see Jesus, 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. 10For 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. 11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:9‑11).
In these verses we have our Lord Jesus presented to us in three distinct aspects; namely, first, as tasting death; secondly, as perfected through sufferings; thirdly, as the firstborn among many brethren.
1. And, first, as tasting death for every man. In this character we see Jesus crowned with glory; and, in the crown which He wears, we behold the glorious proof that sin is put away and the sting of death gone. There never was such a thing seen as a man crowned in heaven, until the Man Jesus took His place on high, after having tasted death for every man. It is not an innocent man in Eden. It is not man in a restored earth. It is not man on the throne of Israel. No; it is a man on the throne of God in heaven, and crowned with glory in respect to a work which He accomplished on the earth. He tasted death for every man.
Now, if Jesus is crowned with glory in respect to my sins, what remains for me? Simply to walk in the holy and happy consciousness that all is settled. The One who was crucified for my sins is crowned without them. A single doubt or question on my part would be calling in question His right to wear the crown. A person may not see this; or he may imagine it is putting it in too strong a light; but the fact is, the two things go together. If the Sin-bearer is crowned, sin is put away; if the Taster of death is crowned, the sting of death is gone. Thus it is in God’s view; and thus it is also in the view of faith. The crowned Man in glory settles the whole question as to sin and death.
2. But we see Jesus in another aspect, and that is as the Captain of our salvation, made perfect through “sufferings.” This, necessarily, presents God’s people in another aspect also. As sinners, to be saved from sin and its consequences, we needed One who could taste death for us; but as sons to be brought to glory, we needed a Captain of salvation, perfected through sufferings. The reader will carefully note the difference between “suffering” and “sufferings.” The former had respect to His office and work as a Sin-bearer; the latter, to His office and work as the Captain of our salvation. “When, with the eye of faith, we look up into heaven, we see Jesus crowned in respect to the complete putting away of sin; but we see more; we see in Him a perfect Captain — One who has gone through every possible form of suffering, and that in order that He might bring many sons to glory. Jesus has passed through this sin-stricken world, Himself all pure and spotless. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It is thus He can sympathize with and succor His people in all their afflictions and temptations.
What an unspeakable consolation for the “many sons” to know that there is a Man in glory, who, when down here, passed through every kind of sorrow and pressure, sin excepted, in order that He might, as a perfect Captain, take each son by the hand and conduct him home to glory! How sweet to remember, as we pursue our appointed path across the desert, that our Captain has gone before us, and that His footprints can be discerned by the eye of faith all the way through. He knows all our trials and difficulties. He has felt them all. An angel knows nothing about such firings; but our blessed Lord came down into all our circumstances, so that we might taste His perfect sympathy. There is a heart now beating on the throne of God, in heaven, that has felt everything that a perfect human heart could feel.
“Touched with a sympathy within,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For He has felt the same.
He, in the days of feeble flesh,
Poured out His cries and tears,
And, though ascended, feels afresh
What every member bears.”
3. And, now, one word as to the third aspect in which our Lord is seen in this profound passage. He is here seen as the Firstborn among many brethren. This, clearly, could only be in resurrection. Union with Christ could only be on this ground. “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.” He was a pure untainted grain, and could not coalesce with that which was impure. He had to die in order to link us with Him and call us “brethren.”
The reader cannot be too distinct as to this vital point. Union with Christ could only be through His death. It is a cardinal error to suppose that Christ took fallen human nature into union with Himself at His incarnation. Impossible. Between Him and us there could be no union save on the ground of death. How could there be union, and sin not put away? If souls could be united to Christ in incarnation, then what need was there of His sacrificial death? Assuredly, we could want nothing more than union with Christ; but, be it carefully noted by the reader, this union could only be on the ground of death. Indeed, we see how that the atoning death of Christ is the foundation of everything, so that, if that be touched, we have really nothing left. It is well to be very clear and very firm as to this grand mystery. Christendom is setting it aside, in various ways; but the Church of God must hold it fast, and confess it in the face of everything. We owe everything to the death of Christ — union, life, righteousness, peace, glory. We have all through death — nothing without it. If our Lord had not died, He should have remained eternally alone, and we should have been eternally damned. Incarnation could not save us. Indeed the effect of the life of Christ in this world was to make manifest how utterly lost we were. It put man perfectly to the test, and proved him to be utterly corrupt and gone.
But He died for our sins, according to the scriptures; He was buried, and He rose the third day according to the scriptures. And here lies the foundation of all God’s counsels; whether it be with respect to the Church, to Israel, or “the vast universe of bliss,” of which a dead and risen Christ is the center. All is founded on death. Jesus met all the power of the enemy — He met it alone. He was alone in the pit — alone in the miry clay — alone on the cursed tree. But having done all, He rose from the grave; and, now, as the Firstborn among many brethren — the First begotten from the dead, He associates His people with Himself, and calls them brethren. “Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 20) This was after His resurrection. Such words could not have been used until the corn of wheat had fallen into the ground and died. Matt. 12:49, 5049And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matthew 12:49‑50), may present a difficulty to the mind of the reader; but it is not there a question of relationship at all, as is evident from verse 50, “The same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” In fact, our Lord, in this passage, is setting aside the idea of anything like relationship after the flesh, and proving that those who did the will of His Father were morally nearer to Him than His brethren after the flesh. The contrast between John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17) and Matt. 12:49, 5049And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matthew 12:49‑50), must be evident to the intelligent reader.