By Diane Barstow
Devotion from Hebrews 2:5-3:7
Father, I come to You this morning and ask that You, by Your Holy Spirit, would enlighten our understanding of this Divine mystery, glorify Yourself and Your Son Jesus, that our look into this matter would prove accurate and fruitful!
I was planning to do a detailed background on this section of Hebrews, but Pastor George did such a masterful job of covering this last Wednesday 9/9, I’m going to rather ask you to watch his study as I have nothing to add! Instead of a fly-over of chapter 2:6-3:7, we’re going to park ourselves on chapter 3:1 and do exactly what the writer has asked of his readers - to consider Jesus, especially regarding the two titles He has been given here.
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” We’ll define these titles, and then ‘consider Jesus’!
A few definitions: consider, Apostle, and high priest.
The entire book is dedicated to the premise that Jesus is in ESSENCE and FUNCTION greater than everyone and everything they had previously depended upon for standing before God. That anything they had renounced in believing in and following Jesus was more than compensated for by a BETTER message (grace & hope), messenger, servant (compared to angels & Moses) prophet, apostle, high priest, and sacrifice! See Paul’s example in Philippians 3:7.
CONSIDER - fix attention on something in such a way that its inner meaning, the lesson it’s designed to teach may be learned. Look, learn, understand. The word comes from the root word star and pictures someone intensely staring up at the night sky in order to understand the stars by observation. As with all Spiritual things, they are not understood by the natural man, but by the spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore to consider Jesus we require the instruction of the Holy Spirit.
APOSTLE - one sent out bearing the sender’s message, one sent with a commission.
HIGH PRIEST - I’ll be dealing with the specifics of His high priesthood in a later study, but basically it means that He represents Mankind to God, as intercessor, mediator, and bearer of sacrifices. In being both apostle and high priest He represents God to mankind and mankind to God!
As with most things, I think it’s best to begin at the beginning. As I pondered the command to consider Jesus, I thought of those who ‘noticed’ Him first? A young engaged woman of Nazareth, an unborn John the Baptist, despised shepherds, traveling mystics, an old widow, not the cream of society. But when the high and mighty were informed of the good news that the king of the jews had been born, they actively sought to destroy Him! Taking notice of Jesus leads to one of two reactions - worship or hatred! Lots of folks notice Him around Christmas time, but ‘the baby Jesus’ is the only one they can tolerate. Think about when Christ first dawned on your heart, when you first realized His greatness? Keep this in mind during our comment period, I’d love to hear your stories.
In chapter 2 we see Jesus, ‘Who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because of the suffering of death CROWNED WITH GLORY and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone!’ So as we consider Jesus we see Him NOW (as did Stephen), when He completed His mission, allowed to enter the promised land, and SEATED at the right hand of the MAJESTY on high, CROWNED with glory and honor BY THE FATHER according to Psalm 8! This crowned victor once seated became our merciful high priest!
As apostle Jesus was the faithful message (final!) and messenger of God. He was more faithful than Moses because He never failed to accurately deliver EXACTLY what the Father gave to Him to say and do. “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” John 17:4-8, we see here in this prayer He functions as both high priest and apostle.
According to chapter 1:4, “having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.’ The word name is better translated title, so while I can’t do an exhaustive list, we should look at some of His titles, especially those found in Hebrews.
Heb 1:2 His Son
Heb 1:3 Radiance of God’s glory (He does not reflect, but emanate)
Exact material representation of what’s im-material, 3D printed object?
Upholder, creator of all things
Psalm 45:6 God
Heb 1:5, Psalm 2:7 My Son, beloved Son Mark 9:7
Heb 2:10/12:2 author of their (our) salvation, and perfecter of faith. This deserves a little deeper look, the author is one who takes the lead in anything and thus affords an example, or one who in preeminence of His faith far surpassed the examples of faith commemorated in Heb 11 faith hall of fame. So He designed and executed the plan of faith. And perfecter (from 12:2) {used only once} one who has in His own person raised faith to its perfection and so bet before us the highest example of faith, indeed not just our faith, but faith as created object. For me the pinnacle of His demonstration of faith was not, “Not my will but thine be done,’ but was on the cross when He said these His final words, “Father into Your hands, I commit My Spirit! (Luke 23:46, Psalm 31:5) He had fully completed His mission and now He had to taste the bitterness of death, and trust that His Father would accept His sacrifice and endorse it by raising Him from the dead!
Heb 2:17 faithful and merciful high priest
Heb 5:6/Heb 6:20 priest, high forever after Melchizedek
Heb 5:9 the source of eternal salvation
Heb 6:20 forerunner for us
Heb 8:6 mediator of a better covenant
Heb 10:19 new and living way
Heb 13:20 great shepherd of the sheep
Almighty, alpha and omega, advocate, bread of life, amen, arm of the Lord, beginning of the creation of God, blessed and only potentate, chief shepherd, Christ of God, consolation of Israel, cornerstone, wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, King of kings, creator, dayspring, desire of the nations, door, elect of God, faithful, first and last, first begotten, glory of the Lord, good shepherd, ruler, head of the church, head of all things, holy child, holy one, holy one of God (by demons no less), holy one of Israel, horn of salvation, I AM, image of God, immanuel, Jehovah, judge of Israel, just one, king, king of the ages, king of the jews, king of saints, lawgiver, Lamb, Lamb of God, Lion of Judah, way, truth and life, lord of all, man of sorrows, mediator, Messiah, morning star, nazarene, only begotten son of the father, passover, prince of life, prince of kings, prophet, redeemer, resurrection and the life, rock, root of David, savior, Christ the Lord, son of the blessed, son of David, son of Abraham, son of the highest, sun of righteousness, true light, true vine, word, word of God.
What honors has Jesus received? According to chapter 1 verse 4 He was crowned with glory and honor BY THE FATHER. In Luke 24:49 He was granted the authority to dispense the Holy Spirit of God wherever and to whomever He chooses - He tells God the Spirit what to do! In Psalm 97:7 and Revelation 5:12 the angels of heaven were commanded to worship HIM! According to Philippians 2:9-11 He has been given a name above every name to which EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess! He Himself will be the illumination of the new heaven and earth! And finally, He will be worshipped by all the residents of heaven and a;; creation as seen in Revelation 5:13-14.
His attributes are nearly as lengthy as His title, but I’ll stick to just one that is niggling at my scienc-y brain. In chapter 2:9-10 we read that for a little while He was made a little lower than the angels. Meaning that He who was spirit CHOSE to exert His divine supernatural power (demons and angels both have supernatural power, but not divine power!) and wrap Himself in matter, in weak human flesh and be born, like Moses renouncing His ‘palace living’ to be counted among His brethren. In order to be tempted by sin, He must be made of sinful flesh, in order to bestow His reward for obedience on us, He must have obeyed. And in order to be crowned with glory, to be seated in honor on the throne, to nullify ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY of Satan over us, He must have lived a sinless life, physically die, and overcome the grave! And all of this was His plan and His purpose in eternity (author of faith). He redeemed the entire creation! This qualifies Him ALONE for His eternal role as merciful and faithful high priest! He is the priest, the sacrifice, and the throne of grace!
In these difficult days we must CLING to Jesus even tighter and I hope this devotional has elevated Him in your estimation, inflated your faith, and inflamed your passion for Him!
