Jesus Made a Little Lower than the Angels Hebrews 2:9

Jesus, God's Son, has been shown to be superior to the “prophets” and “angels”. He was involved in creation and man was made “a little lower than the angels” but “crowned him with glory and honor” to rule over the creation He made. In chapter two and verse nine of Hebrews we see how Jesus was also made “a little lower than the angels” for a specific purpose where we read:

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.

The verse begins, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,...” The writer began with the word, “But” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated, “we see Jesus” or “the Hebrew writer and those to whom he is writing discern, perceive and descry Jesus” whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” and is “the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate”, “who was made a little lower” which means “decreased in authority or popularity”“than the angels” which refers to “the messengers, envoys, ones who are sent and a messengers from God ” “for the suffering” or “through, with and by means of affliction, passion, inward state and undergoing” “of death” which means “that separation, whether natural or violent, of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended”. Jesus Christ was “made a little lower than the angels” that He might “suffer death” to which every person living is destined.

The verse goes on to say, “crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” The writer continued, “crowned” or “encircled, adorned and honored” “with glory” which means “opinion, judgment, view and estimate resulting in praise and honor” “and honor” or “valuing by which the price is fixed, deference and reverence”; “that he by the grace” which means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, goodwill, loving-kindness and unconditional favor” “of God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “should taste” which means “try the flavor of, partake of and experience” “death” or “that separation, whether natural or violent, of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended” “for every man” which means “in behalf of, for the sake of, over, beyond and more than each, every, any, the whole and every human being”. Because Jesus was “made a little lower than the angels” on our behalf, God by His “grace” destined that Jesus “experience death” for every person who lives.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we are amazed at the purpose of God to have His Son Jesus “decrease in authority and popularity” that He might identify with us in “death”. Jesus came to the earth to pay the price of “death” for our sin, and He allowed Himself to be reduced to a state that was “lower than the angels” to do so. We should not only wonder at the amazing “grace” of God, but turn to Him in repentance and obedience for His wonderful “sacrificial suffering” for all of us.

Next time we see the writer share how Jesus “tasted death” to bring “many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.