Crowned with glory and honour
Today's reading Hebrews 2:5-9
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Today's Blog
“But we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9)
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Jesus knew that he had come into this world for a specific purpose – to die. He came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk.10:45). This is why, says the writer of Hebrews, it was essential that he became a mortal being, “so that he might taste death for everyone”.
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Suffering and death is a problem and mystery for us all. And for that to happen to the perfect Son of God is, on the face of it, even harder to understand. But it was the very reason why he came, so that he might enter into the suffering of humanity “for everyone”. He stands with us in solidarity, knowing what it’s like to suffer and be tested (2:18; 4:15). More importantly still, his death was not just with us but for us – “he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, so that he might make atonement for the sins of the people” (2:17).
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This theme is central to Hebrews – Christ has died as a ransom to set us free from our sins so that we might receive the promised eternal inheritance (9:15). Human beings were created by God for a glorious purpose but that was lost through human sin. Through his death, Jesus, the perfect man, dealt with that sin. His resurrection means he is now crowned with glory and honour, and so, through his continuing solidarity with us, his followers will also share in his eternal glory (2:10). This is the gospel message, and it’s all “by the grace of God”.
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(To dig a bit deeper into Hebrews 2:5-9 click here for some commentary notes.)