The Word Became Flesh

Read: Hebrews 2:5-18

Christmas is about the Incarnation – the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity becoming a human being in order to redeem and restore lost humanity.  That is what we celebrate in Christmas – not winter or snow or sleigh bells ringing; not presents or decorations; not coziness and cocoa; not chestnuts roasting on an open fire and that elusive “Christmas feeling”; not even family and friends.  It’s about one thing: the Incarnation of Jesus the Messiah.  If it’s not about that, it’s nothing.

The American Atheists have placed a billboard near the Lincoln Tunnel with a picture of the Nativity that states, “You KNOW it’s a myth. This season, celebrate reason.” 

If they are right and it is just a myth, then God (if he even exists) has not come near.  God has left us alone to wallow in our wars and greed and violence and perversion and corruption and cruelty.  There is no hope and ultimately no meaning to life.  If they are right, then God does not care and is uninvolved.  Therefore Freud is right: we are basically beasts driven by sexual impulses; Darwin is right; we have simply evolved from primordial muck and only the fittest survive; and therefore Nietzsche is right: all we have is the will to power and the highest human goal is to dominate others.  “Merry Christmas” or should I say “Happy Holiday”?  Either way, if the Incarnation is a myth, it is an empty statement.

But we who belong to Christ know that it is NOT a myth.   “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth.”  We stake our lives on that fact.

Hebrews 2:5-18 is about the Incarnation – about the Son of God being made, for a time, lower than the angels and sharing our humanity so as to redeem and restore us.  Jesus came, as the text says, “to bring many sons to glory”.

And so, Jesus came to destroy (in the sense of making powerless or impotent) sin, death and the devil.

Sin – v. 17 “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way … that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.”  By His death, Jesus made atonement for the sins of the people.  Sin is not a very popular term these days.  People don’t want to hear about sin.  Sin, however, is an unavoidable reality and so people refer to it through round about means, such as ‘dysfunctional behavior’ or being ‘morally challenged’.  They see it as only on a human, personal/interpersonal level and so bad behavior is not an offense against a holy God that demands justice , but is simply a dysfunction that can be corrected through education or therapy.  But there is a God – a God who is holy and who takes sin seriously – so seriously that He sent His Son Jesus our Messiah to suffer and die in our place and to rise again so that our sins could be covered and God’s justice could be satisfied.  Jesus came to destroy sin.

Death – v. 14b-15 “that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”  Death is our reality as human beings but is something we fear and avoid.  All of our safety measures, our exercising, our health food and our medications are attempts to hold off and avoid death, because we fear it.  All of our fascination with death (TV, movies, video games) stems from, oddly enough, our fear of death.  That is why the author speaks of “those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”  But Christ came to free us from the fear of death.  How?  We read it in v. 9, “because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”.  Jesus’ death was the death of death.  It was so because Jesus who was without sin became sin for us and because He died in our place and rose again so that we might rise.  Therefore, as Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”  If we belong to Christ, we do not need to fear death for Jesus has overcome.  Jesus came to destroy death.

Devil – v. 14 “that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil”.  And as the apostle John wrote (1Jn 3:8), “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work”.  The devil is a created being who does not himself create, but only corrupts.  He wields the weapons of sin and death against creation.  But the work of Christ has destroyed the devil’s work.  Satan is a defeated enemy. Though while we wait for the fulfillment of all things we still feel his antagonism, we have been, as the Hiedelberg Catechism states, set free from the tyranny of the devil.  “The prince of darkness grim - we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for, lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.”  And that word, above all earthly powers, is the Word of God made flesh for us and our salvation. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil.

And so, Jesus came as our Pioneer, our Champion and our Mediator.

Jesus came as our Pioneer.  We read in v. 10, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering”.  The word the NIV translates as “author” literally means, “one who goes first on the path” and therefore can be understood as originator, founder, leader, trailblazer or pioneer.  Jesus went ahead so that we could follow behind.  We don’t bushwack our way to Jesus, rather He blazed the trail of salvation and we simply follow in His path.  He is the author and pioneer of our salvation.  And as such he suffered.  The text says that He was “made perfect through suffering”.  This is not referring to moral perfection but to completion.  Jesus had to suffer not to make up for any deficiency in Himself (He is perfect) but in order to make His saving work complete.  His incarnation and suffering were necessary to complete God’s plan of salvation.  Christ came as a human to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.  We read in v. 11, “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” And in v. 14, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.” The Word became flesh – Christ shared our humanity in order to pioneer our salvation.

And Christ came as Champion.  He came as our Rescuer.  He came to “destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” We were told back in Genesis 3 that the “seed of the woman” (of Eve) would eventually crush the head of the serpent (the devil).  And that is what Jesus did.  And so we read in 1 Corinthians (15:55-57), “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.  And we read in Colossians 1:13-14, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”.  Christ is our Champion.

And Christ came as our Mediator.  We read in v. 17, “he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Jesus is our High Priest.  He brings us to God and reveals God to us.

We read in the H.C. 15-18:

               Q.  What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?

A.  One who is truly human and truly righteous, yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God.

Q. Why must the mediator be truly human and perfectly righteous?
A. God's justice demands that a human being must pay for human sin; but a sinful human could never pay for others.

Q. Why must the mediator also be truly God?
A. So that, by the power of his divinity, he might bear the weight of God's wrath in his humanity, and earn for us and restore to us righteousness and life.

Q. Who is this mediator true God and at the same time truly human and perfectly righteous?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given us to set us completely free and to make us right with God.

Christ came as our Mediator to make us right with God.

And so this passage in Hebrews is a fitting one for the first Sunday of Advent, for it speaks to the very essence of Christmas: the Incarnation.

But, “You KNOW it’s a myth” right?  So we should probably just “celebrate reason”.  Well if it is a myth, what do we have?  We’ve got some pleasures in life … and a whole lot of unexplained sorrow and pain, fighting and cruelty, hatred and retaliation, which ultimately turns out to simply be part of a meaningless existence (with a purposeless beginning and a hopeless end).

BUT, if it’s true:

• We have ultimate purpose to which God is restoring us, as Christ brings many sons and daughters to glory; 
• We have fellowship with God to which Christ has redeemed us;
• We have a Pioneer who has blazed the trail of salvation so we can be free from the tyranny of sin;
• We have a Champion who has destroyed the power of our enemy, the devil, so that we can be fearless in the face of death and therefore fearless in the reality of life.
• And we have a merciful and faithful High Priest (a Mediator with God) so that we can be assured of our forgiveness, confident in our requests and guaranteed a Helper in the midst of temptations.

I’m a big fan of reason.  But this season (and every season) I would (for very reasonable reasons) much rather celebrate Christ.

Taking Christ Seriously

“Understanding Christ means taking Christ seriously.

Understanding this claim means taking seriously his absolute claim on our commitment.”

                                          - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How many of us – if any – take Christ as seriously as we ought?  How many of us take His claim on our commitment as seriously as we ought? 

If we did, would we be as preoccupied with ourselves?  Would we waste as much time as we do?  Would we put off doing things to the extent that we do?  Would we be as willing to offer half-measures as we are?  Would we be as concerned about things and possessions as we are?  Would we be as lackadaisical about sharing the Gospel as we too often find ourselves to be?  Probably not.

To take Christ seriously means to bring the center of your life into contact with the claim of Christ to be the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life.  It means recognizing the absolute and urgent significance of knowing Christ and being committed to Him.

F.F. Bruce has written, “the truth and teaching of the gospel must not be held lightly; they are of supreme moment, they are matters of life and death, and must be cherished and obeyed at all costs.”   Please read: Hebrews 2:1-4 …

That passage begins with the word ‘therefore” signaling a connection between what follows and what came before.  And so, what have we learned so far in the first chapter of Hebrews?  We’ve learned that God has spoken to us by His Son who is heir of all things; the agent of creation; the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature who upholds the universe by the word of His power; who has provided purification for our sins and who now is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high; and who is the center of Scripture, is superior to the angels and is our Mediator.  We have learned that Jesus is not optional, He is everything.  He’s not peripheral, He is the Center. “Therefore,” the author states, “we must pay more careful attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”  And so the author expresses, in these four verses the importance and authority of what he has been talking about – i.e. the Gospel.

                                                                                                                               

This message is authoritative.  The author shows this by comparing it with the OT.  We read in vv. 2-3, “For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

The Law was given through angels.  Deuteronomy 33 suggests this and both Stephen and the apostle Paul speak of that fact.  The Law was put in place by angels through Moses, but the Gospel was given through the Son (in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son - this Son who we have learned is superior to the angels.)

The Law proved reliable in that both the promised blessings and curses became reality.  It was binding on the people – it shaped their life together.  But even more the Gospel is proved reliable: 1) by its Source - namely Jesus (This salvation…was first announced by the Lord), 2) by its messengers (it was confirmed to us by those who heard him), and 3) by its divine witness – (God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit). 

And so the author makes his point that if the Law demanded our attention and obedience, how much more does the Gospel of our salvation?  If the words communicated through angels to Moses were essential for us, how much more the words spoken by the Son, Christ Jesus.  And if there were consequences for breaking the Law, how much more if we ignore or reject the message of such a great salvation?  The message of the Gospel has authority – it is God’s accredited word to us and so we must be attentive to it.

To say that the Gospel is important is putting it mildly.  It is crucial, essential, for it is the message of salvation and as such is a matter of life and death.  That is why the readers of Hebrews are encouraged to “pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

The phrase “pay more careful attention” comes from the Greek word meaning to attend to or pay close attention to, but more expressively it also refers to turning or holding one’s mind to someone or something; to be intent upon; to give oneself to; to attach oneself to or be held fast by.  The word was used, among other things, to bringing a ship near or to bring it to port.

That last bit is interesting since we are then told to pay attention to what we have heard so that we don’t drift away from it.  That word can refer to a boat drifting without an anchor or a boat drifting past its port.  It’s a similar image to that which Paul presents in Ephesians (4:14) about being “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”  And that can happen when we “ignore such a great salvation.” 

And when we ignore such a great salvation and allow ourselves to drift away, we are in danger (“how shall we escape?”).  We are in danger of missing out on salvation.  Life and death, heaven and hell are at stake.  Therefore, so as not to drift into dangerous waters or simply to drift without purpose or center, we are called to pay much closer attention to the message of the Gospel; to turn and to hold our minds to it; to be intent upon it; to attach ourselves to it and be held fast by it; to bring the vessel of our lives into its port; to take it – to take Christ seriously!

F.F. Bruce said that, “the truth and teaching of the gospel … must be cherished and obeyed at all costs.”   Paying more careful attention to what we have heard means cherishing and obeying the message of the Gospel. And this passage calls us to do that.  It is a corrective to two major misconceptions: 1) that doctrine doesn’t matter, and 2) that doctrine is all that matters.

Doctrine matters.  What we believe about life and death, truth and God, human nature and the purpose of the world really matters a lot.  Many people in the church today shout “deeds not creeds”, suggesting that what you do is the only thing that matters and what you believe is basically irrelevant.  That’s moralism – a belief that religion is only about morals, about being a good person and that it’s not interested necessarily in truth. It posits that if you are a good person, that’s enough.  But the author of Hebrews maintains that what we believe matters a lot.  The vision in the first chapter is a vision of Christ with immense cosmic dimensions – a huge, overwhelming vision – that emboldens us to persevere in the midst of trials and difficulties and opposition and enables us to stare down our fears and questions and doubts; a vision that, when taken seriously, gives us faith to follow Christ confidently. 

But doctrine is not all that matters.  You can believe a particular medication will make you feel better, but unless you actually swallow the pill, it’s not going to do you any good.  You can believe that God has a better job for you, but unless you send out resumes and go for interviews – unless you act on that belief – it doesn’t much matter.  Doctrine is meant to be acted upon

If we take Christ seriously, we cannot be satisfied with mere head knowledge or with simply having our theological cap on straight.  We can’t be satisfied with legalistic purity.  Keeping our nose clean is not enough.  That was the problem with the servant in Jesus’ parable of the talents ... he was afraid of his master and so he buried what the master had given him in the ground.  He kept it safe, but didn’t do anything productive with it.  He didn’t do anything negative, but he didn’t do anything positive either.  He didn’t do anything and so he was condemned. 

Looking out for ourselves is not enough.  We have to care for each other and for others – the poor, the helpless, the lost, the broken, the hurting, the hopeless. 

We must pay closer attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away from it.  With our minds and with our hearts and with our actions, we must take Christ seriously.

Above & Beyond

In the opening verses of Hebrews, we saw, as Raymond Brown puts it, “a vision of Christ with ... immense cosmic dimensions, a Christ who transcends all our noblest thoughts about him and all our best experience of him.”  We discovered that Christ is not optional.  He is everything.  He is the center.  We continue that theme as we read: Hebrews 1:3-14.

Christ is the center of Scripture and He is superior to all creation.

The author of Hebrews maintains that Christ is the center of Scripture and so he quotes from the OT seven times in nine verses to speak of Christ.  And there is good reason for this as Jesus Himself stated the same truth:

• John 5:39 - "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me..."
• Luke 24:27 - "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."
• Luke 24:44-45 - "He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."

And so, because Christ is the center of Scripture, the author of Hebrews uses the OT Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and is superior to all creation - even angels.  

The author shows in 1:4-6 that Jesus' name is superior.  "Angel" means "messenger" and that's what angels are: created spiritual beings who act as God's ministering agents.  But Jesus is the Son.  He was not created.  He is, in fact, the radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of His nature.

Because of who He is, Jesus' honor is superior.  We read in v. 6, "let all God's angels worship him."  Only God is worthy of worship.  Angels are not to be worshiped (see Revelation 22:8-9) they themselves worship God the Father and the Lamb (see: Revelation 5.11-12).

And Jesus' nature is superior.  We find in 1:7-8 that though angels are made, the Son is begotten.  Angels are powerful forces (like wind and fire) but they are dependent.  Christ exists eternally and independently.  The Son is enthroned forever.  Creation will wear out, Christ will not.  Creation and created beings change, Christ does not.  His righteousness is the scepter of His Kingdom.

And Jesus' position is superior.  He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  his position shows that He is our Mediator and He is our Lord.  He is above and beyond.

Because of His superiority, Jesus is our only Mediator.  He is our help.  Angels minister as messengers for the Lord, and we must not take them lightly.  But our eyes are to be fixed on Christ.  He is our access to God.  he is our salvation and hope. he is God's final and definitive revelation.  He is the Center.

  

        

God Has Spoken Gloriously

Many people want a tame Jesus who is content to simply be a prophet or wise teacher or religious guru or social activist; who floats around telling us that “it’s all good,” “whatever” and “just listen to your heart”.  They want a tame Jesus who encourages us to be nice, but doesn’t demand that we love; who wants us to be happy without demanding that we be holy; who suggests we seek God without demanding that we follow Him; who shows us a way to God without demanding that He is the only Way truth and life – a Jesus who is optional rather than everything.

Many may want a tame Jesus, but that is not what we find in the book of Hebrews.  We find Christ not as an option, but as everything.  We find Christ the Center.

In a world that claims that God is silent or ‘God is dead’, the book of Hebrews declares that God has spoken.  In a world of pluralism that claims that there can be no absolute truth and that there are many equally valid ways to God, Hebrews declares the uniqueness and supremacy of Christ.  In a world that tempts us to give up and give in, Hebrews declares that we must and can persevere with eyes fixed on Jesus!   And the first four verses most definitely fix our eyes on Jesus.  They present an astounding picture of His glory.  Read: Hebrews 1:1-4.

In those verses, we see the themes of revelation and redemption. 

Revelation - God has spoken.  He spoke through the OT writers but has spoken definitively through His Son.  As one writer has put it, “Jesus is God’s final and definitive revelation” (ESVSB).  We do not require further revelation, whether it comes from the Mormons or the Jehovah’s witnesses or, for that matter, Islam.  God has spoken fully, clearly and definitively in Christ.

Redemption - In Christ, we find redemption.  The first four verses of Hebrews presents eight facets of our Redeemer that work together to form a glorious picture.

Jesus is the Son of God.  Revelation involves analogies.  And so it appears that when God wanted to communicate the relationship that exists within the Trinity, he chose that of a father and son, so that we would be able to understand it.  As son is like his father.  He is of the same essence.  He reflects his father.  That is what Jesus does.  Jesus is the definitive revelation of God.

Jesus is heir of all things.  Jesus said, in Mat 11:27, "All things have been committed to me by my Father.”  In Eph 1:9 we are told that God’s will is, “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”  And then in v. 22, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”  All things belong to Jesus.  Every knee shall bow before Him.

Jesus created all things.  We read that God “has spoken to us by his Son … through whom also he created the world.”  Jesus is the agent of creation.  God spoke the world into existence and Jesus is the Word of God.  As we read in John’s Gospel, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”  Likewise, in Colossians, Paul writes, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”

Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.  The glory of God, in Scripture, was always an expression of the presence of God.  We see it in the pillar of fire, on Mt Sinai, at the Tent of Meeting, with the Ark of the Covenant, but we see it most clearly we see it in the Person of Christ.  As John declared, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” We read in Revelation 21:23, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” 

Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature.  Jesus bears the stamp of God’s nature.  The Greek word for stamp or imprint is “charakter”.  Jesus is the character of God.  As we state in the Nicene Creed, Jesus is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father.”  When we see Jesus, we see God.  As Jesus Himself said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9).

Jesus upholds the universe.  Quite literally, “He’s got the whole world in His hands” – and then some!  Jesus sustains the universe.  He is the center – the hub of the wheel – who holds all things together.  We read in Colossians, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  And Jesus holds all things together by the word of His power.  God spoke creation into existence through His Word and the Word that created also sustains.

Jesus has made purification for sins.  Christ came, as we will be reminded in Hebrews, to be our Mediator (our High Priest) and as the sacrifice for our sins.  We read in Hebrews 9, “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”  Jesus’ blood is the purification for sin.

Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.  He died and rose again for our salvation  and now He intercedes for us as our Mediator.  We come to the father through His Son our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  We hear in Hebrews 4, “Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Through Christ we have access to God and confidence in our prayers.  He is our Mediator.  He is the Way to God, the Way of salvation.

So much for a tame Jesus who floats around as a religious guru or spiritual therapist!  So much for a tame Jesus who is merely an important prophet or a good moral teacher!  So much for a tame Jesus who shrinkingly presents himself as one of many spiritual options – one of several equally valid life choices – one possible way a person could come to God if they chose!  So much for a Jesus that can be dismissed or ignored or controlled! 

What do we find?  We find a glorious Jesus!  An awesome Jesus!  A supreme Jesus!  We find the final and definitive revelation of God!  We find the Son of God who is heir of all things; the agent of creation; the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature who upholds the universe by the word of His power; who has provided purification for our sins and who now is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high! 

We need to hear that!  We need to see that!  As Raymond Brown writes, “We need a vision of Christ with these immense cosmic dimensions, a Christ who transcends all our noblest thoughts about him and all our best experience of him.”  We need a vision of this glorious Lord and beautiful Savior.  Brown continues, “[The] first century readers would be less likely to turn from Him in adversity if they had looked to him in adoration.  The opening sentences of the letter are designed to bring them and us to our knees; only then can we hope to stand firmly on our feet” (The Message of Hebrews, IVP 1982).

This vision brings us to knees in humility, wonder and adoration so that we can be raised up to stand firm and persevere. This vision has the power to burn away our pettiness, our bickering and complaining; to burn away our apathy and complacency; to burn away our fear and timidity and cause us to persevere, to hold fast, to live fully and confidently in the Lord.

God has spoken and He has spoken gloriously!