“having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs … Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Our last discussion focused on the work and glory of Jesus. Having sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High, having satisfied the righteous requirement of God’s nature and character in human flesh, fellowship is offered to fallen mankind through Jesus’ excursion into created humanity. Having sat down on God’s throne tells us: grace is available!! Man can now share in God’s glory, not only on earth, but through the eternal abode of glory, in the presence of Deity Himself.
Now the writer to the Hebrews begins the description of who Jesus is. Jesus, now in heaven is completing work to bring His bride, His redeemed body of believers into Himself, the lover in the Song of Solomon!
In his commentary on this passage, AW Pink reminds us to distinguish between the “essence” and the “character” of Jesus. In our first three verses, we see His “essence,” His eternality and the power of His presence in the Godhead. When Jesus enters into human flesh, He walks into a life form “lower than the Angels.” In this state, the “character” of Jesus is on display. We see Jesus laying aside His deity, living in complete submission to His Father God. Even though He Himself is still God, He reveals God’s character by becoming lower than Angels, becoming a human person in flesh. Jesus does not lose His essence in flesh i.e., who He is. Rather, He demonstrates the “character” in His essence. Jesus models for us the character we are called to display because believers are created new in Christ Jesus. We have His essence so that we can display His character.
Pink’s profound observation helps us discern within our own person who we are “created” in Christ Jesus. It explains the difference between our essence in Christ verses the character we display in our flesh. Because of Him we are in Christ Jesus.
Angels are prominent in Jewish history and culture
Angels were seen by Israel as supernatural beings who represented God by carrying out His will for the benefit of created mankind. It was angels who delivered the law to Moses we are told in Acts 7:53. There are several references suggesting a glorious presence of angels were at Mt. Sinai. Old Testament references exalted the role of angels as they glorified the things God was doing. An Angel of the Lord found Hagar by the spring and told her to return to her mistress Sarai. Angels were the protectors of the first born at the first Passover in Egypt. Angels spoke individually with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Angels are the highest form of created life. They are holy and numbered in the thousands of thousands around the throne in heaven. Heaven is their domain. Some Hebrew believers may have perceived the man Jesus as becoming lesser in essence than their view of the majestic, holy angels.
One reason Angels takes a prominent role in this letter is because history suggests born again believers were being led astray by a teaching suggesting angels would have a prominent role in God’s new kingdom on earth. It’s not just about these Hebrew believers. We see a similar reference in Paul’s letters to the Colossians but there it is probably an issue of eastern influence in the geographic valley where Colossae is located. In Hebrews it is more likely related to Old Testament culture and the Dead Sea Sect who believed priestly and kingly functions would be subordinate to the Archangel Michael in a messianic kingdom. We need to keep in view these Hebrew believers did not have a published copy of Hebrews or anything else. They likely had not seen any of Paul’s letters, so they relied upon the “oracles of God” and the Old Testament Law of Moses to interpret their life as believers in the resurrected Jesus.
A role of angels is pictured for us in 1Corinthains 11:6 where Paul speaks to woman’s relationship to a man and slips in a comment about observing the covering on the wife’s head. The covering the women wore was the man’s protection over her. It is an angel’s reminder that woman is under man’s authority as man is to God. This reference to angels observing the role of mankind provides perspective because it suggests our own transition in earthly created life.
The marriage picture of man and woman is a shadow understanding about our shift into Spiritual reality through regeneration. We are under the covering of God’s justification, sanctification and redemption. Our present tense sanctification, walking in the created resurrection Life of Jesus by grace, we are actually becoming qualified to judge angels. This obviously is not our primary function but included in the inheritance of being in Christ and ruling with Him, ”are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
This letter focuses Jewish attention on Jesus the Person but as we have previously suggested, we desire to view this message from God’s perspective. We want to understand what is intended concerning Jesus’s name compared to angels but, we also want to understand God’s purpose and context for us in Jesus, the Son of Man. We will focus more on this in chapter 2 but mention it here because the comparison of Jesus to angels, priests and prophets are all subject to a larger dominion over earth by humanity. Originally, this was God’s charge to Adam. As we consider the author of Hebrew’s discussion of angels, the focus is the preeminence of Jesus, the Christ, being better than God’s ministers of salvation. We also find this re-establishment of God’s intent for Adam now made possible through the “second” Adam, Jesus. Jesus is able to sanctify us, redeems us, justifies us because He overcomes death by going through it, delivering us back into the freedom of dominion, but now, this time, it is Spiritual, it is in Christ Jesus. Jesus enters flesh beneath the status of angels providing a pathway for mankind to join Spiritually into Jesus, dominating over angels.
Given these circumstances, it is easy to understand the writer’s concern about showing the status and place of Jesus in the scheme of God’s intention for His people Israel. We bring our own preferences to this letter looking for God’s answers to questions the Hebrew believers had not yet considered. We read this letter with a widened understanding of both angels and our Redeemer Savior. It has a distinct message for us who have the benefit of God’s published revelation with references.