DRIFTING
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1
In 1989, Michelle Hamilton, a teacher from Australia, planned a getaway trip for herself and her mother on the small Philippine island of Boracay. The island was a tiny tropical paradise only four miles long and a mile wide. After getting acclimated to her surroundings Michelle rented a small canoe. The little boat, called a bunca, was only about seven feet long (2.13 m.) with outriggers attached to its sides. Michelle, only 22 years old and full vigor and daring, decided to paddle the little canoe to the end of the island. She was having a wonderful day enjoying the lush tropical scenery and listening to her favorite music on headphones.
However, as Michelle began rowing back toward the harbor she realized that she was caught in a very strong ocean current. With a sick feeling in her stomach she began rowing with all her might only to see the harbor and at last the whole island slipping away from her and finally disappearing from sight. Michelle, clad only in a bikini and with almost no provision found herself a captive of the vast Pacific Ocean.
To make bad matters worse, on her first night at sea the bunca was overturned in a terrifying storm and Michelle was left helplessly clinging to the wreckage of her little boat. For three days she drifted some 100 miles (160 km.) as she was battered by the waves, blistered by the sun, parched by thirst and threatened by sharks. At last, through several direct miracles from God, she was rescued by Philippine fishermen. Michelle, who became a believer in Jesus on that harrowing trip, later began a ministry telling others of her Jonah-like experience and of the God who can rescue those who drift away.1
Hebrews seems to be a book for our day when people in droves are drifting away from the harbor of true faith into false prophecy, the worship of angels, idols, numerous other spiritual entities and into just plain old sin. They have forgotten the uniqueness of the Son of God. They do not in the least realize how strong are the currents of this present evil age or how swiftly they are being swept away from safety into certain destruction.
In light of this present danger the author of Hebrews gives us the first of five distinct warnings about the way we live our Christian lives and about our inherent tendency to drift. The warnings are found in Hebrews 2:1-4; 3:7— 4:13; 5:11— 6:12; 10:19-39 and in 12:14-29. This first warning, said to be the mildest, is still a stern rebuke for us all.
We are challenged to “pay attention” or “give heed” to the things we have heard lest we drift or slip away. The late New Testament Greek scholar, William Barclay, notes that both words used here have a nautical sense dealing with current and tide. The words “to pay attention” (Gk. prosechein) means “to moor a ship,” while “drift away” (Gk. pararrein) speaks of a ship allowed to drift due to wind or current.2
In the case of Michelle Hamilton there were many points along the island where she could have easily returned. There were other points after she realized her dangerous position that she could have swallowed her pride and signaled for help from the islanders. She did neither but tried vainly to save herself after it was already too late.
“For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him” (2:2-3). Here the author introduces the first of his “a fortiori” arguments (kal va-homer in Hebrew). These are arguments from the least to the greatest. He is saying that if the word spoken by angels was serious, how much more serious is the word spoken by the Lord himself?
In the time between the Old Testament and New Testament there was a great deal of emphasis upon angels as we mentioned in the first chapter. It was generally felt that angels were the mediators of the law at Sinai. While we do not have mention of angels in Exodus chapters 19-20, there is a mention of myriads of angels in Deuteronomy 33:1 ff. The ministry of angels regarding the giving of the law is confirmed in other places by the Holy Spirit, like in Acts 7:38, 53, and in Galatians 3:19. Obviously those who transgressed the law that was given by angels received severe punishment. There are many instances of this in the Old Testament. We think particularly of the man who broke the Sabbath by gathering wood. The whole assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him (Num. 15:32-36).
The Gospel was not delivered to us by angels but by the very Son of God incarnate. If people in the Old Testament were punished for disobedience how much more will we be punished if we ignore the words of Jesus himself? This gospel was not only given by the Son of God but was duly confirmed by those eyewitnesses who were with him and heard him. In saying this, of course, the author is clearly identifying himself as a “second generation” Christian.3 Obviously, this is not the Apostle Paul speaking here.
The writer is giving us some clear word pictures of how people fall away from the faith. We saw in verse one how they simply drift away from the safe harbor. Coffman remarks how people seldom just dramatically turn away from the Lord. Rather their defection is little by little and almost imperceptible. It is a gradual departure until the haven is lost and at last there is a great gulf between them and safety.4
Of course, the cure for such drifting is the “anchor of the soul” mentioned later in Hebrews 6:19.5 That anchor is a firm and vibrant hope in the living Christ. The pastor and well-known Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe mentions that the primary causes of such drifting today are neglect of God’s word and prayer, both privately and publicly.6 We will learn later in Hebrews 10:25, that the forsaking of our regular assembly with God’s people can also contribute to this loss of our hope and our harbor.
Not only was the word of the Lord witnessed by the apostles but it was witnessed in another dramatic way. “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (2:4). We have some things mentioned here that are very prevalent in New Testament teaching and that is signs, wonders, miracles and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. Whole sections of the Bible are devoted to these things, particularly 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14; Romans 12: 3-8; and Ephesians 4:7-13. Since the deliverance of Israel from Egypt was accompanied by mighty signs and wonders, should we expect anything less as God’s New Testament people are being delivered from sin and death by the ministry of the Lord Jesus?
It has been quite popular in modern times for whole groups of Christians to deny that such signs and gifts exist today. Many say that miracles were only for the first century. However, since the turn of the twentieth century there have been numerous accounts of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous activity in the church worldwide. So God is still delivering his people.
We also have only to look at church history to see that such signs, wonders and miracles were never removed. In AD 160, the church father and apologist Justin Martyr spoke of people receiving gifts of healing, understanding and foreknowledge.7 The church father Irenaeus (around 180) spoke of devils being cast out, of healings and of the dead being raised and remaining among the church people for years.8 The African father Tertullian (about 197) wrote of exorcising evil spirits and performing cures.9 The influential father Origen (around 248) mentioned the expelling evil spirits, performing many cures and of foreseeing certain events.10
John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Movement, in his book Power Evangelism, Signs and Wonders Today, recounts many later miracles and gifts of the Spirit. In the case of Ambrose (339-397), this father recounted gifts of healings and tongues.11 He states how the great Augustine (354-430) related the miraculous healings of blindness and cancer as well as the casting out of demons. Augustine said that there were actually too many miracles for him to list.12 Wimber goes on to relate many additional miracles happening in the days of Gregory of Tours (c. 538-594) and even in the later times of Gregory the Great (540-604).13 Thus it is obviously false and fallacious for church leaders today to declare that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased with the first century.
In his first warning of Hebrews (2:1-4) the writer has digressed briefly from his discussion of angels. He will now continue to show how Jesus is better than the angels.
MADE LIKE HIS BROTHERS
It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. Hebrews 2:5
The simple Bible truth is that while angels have a part in the administration of the present world order,14 they will have no part in administrating the world to come including the millennial world. In fact, “God never gave angels the kind of dominion man originally had over the earth (Genesis 1:26-30).” 15 It is a stark and almost unbelievable truth that man in Christ will finally be given dominion over the world to come.
This astounding truth is brought out in Psalm 8:4-6, which is quoted here: “But there is a place where someone has testified: ‘What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.’ In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them” (2:6-8).
Professor of Religion William L. Lane comments how the extravagance of this psalm is mocked by human experience.16 Obviously things are not yet subject to man, and his crown has been rolled in the dust, with his honor tarnished and stained. “Some traces of the old lordship are still apparent in the terror which the sound of the human voice and the glance of the eye still inspire in the lower creatures…But for the most part anarchy and rebellion have laid waste man’s fair realm…So degraded has he become, that he has bowed before the objects that he was to command; and has prostrated his royal form in shrines dedicated to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.” 17 How tragic it is that humankind, who was to rule over all living creatures, has through the centuries willingly bowed themselves down to these very creatures in worship!
We have a great need today not only to understand more about God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent to save us, but we have a crying need to know more about human beings. Meyer remarks about this: “We need not only a true philosophy of God, but a true philosophy of man, in order to [do] right thinking on the Gospel…See what gigantic systems of error have developed from mistaken conceptions of the true nature and dignity of man!” 18 Here we have only to think of those great twentieth century myths and errors of Communism, Nazism, Fascism that degraded or destroyed hundreds of millions of human beings.
How dark the picture of humanity has become. It is precisely at this point that the gospel light breaks forth in these words: “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (2:9). Here the author makes his first mention of Jesus by name, Jesus who is greater than the angels but had to become lower than the angels for a short period in order to rescue fallen humanity (Phil. 2:6-9).
Through Christ and his great redemptive work, humans had fallen to a position lower than the angels will now be lifted higher than the angels.19 They will be redeemed by the one who himself was and is far higher than the angels but who made himself lower than the angels for human redemption.
Since humankind had fallen into death through their disobedience, it was necessary for Jesus to actually taste death to secure their salvation. Obviously, it had been death which largely removed humanity’s power to rule over the earth. Jesus, by his suffering, death and resurrection, broke death’s dominion over humankind forever.20
He who was and is the Son of God had to become a real man to do this. Jesus did not just appear to be man as the heresy of Docetism proclaims. He actually became man and tasted of man’s death. It was apparently customary in ancient times to put some criminals to death by making them drink a cup of poison, as was the case with Socrates. Jesus asked the Father to take that awful cup away if it could be possible (Mt. 26:39). But since it was the will of God he drank every drop of it and endured the cross.21
BRINGING MANY SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO GLORY
In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Hebrews 2:10
What an incredible truth— a truth to which the devil has long tried to blind us! There is a glory coming to humankind. That glory will be found only in Christ. He has suffered humiliation that we may be glorified. That glory can be experienced to some degree even now as we live in Christ, but it will take the final consummation of the age to bring this glory in its fullest measure.22 Ultimately, the full glory of restored humanity will be seen on this earth. This is no doubt a greater work than God accomplished in his original creation. 23
Perhaps we need to stop here and deal with a problem that is sure to come up in this “politically correct” age of ours. Here in the Greek we see the frequent usage of “sons” and “brothers,” expressions that are likely to bring displeasure to some. Our age has tried to force us into the “unisex” mold of “gender-blindness” in all our expressions. While this may be helpful in some areas where there has been obvious discrimination in the past, it does not work well when we are dealing with precise theological terminology as in this section of scripture.
George Guthrie remarks about this problem saying: “When in 2:10-18 the author [in Greek] speaks of us as ‘sons’ or ‘brothers,’ he has specific reasons for doing so. The concept of sonship flows from the author’s treatment of Jesus as the Son and closely relates to the idea of inheritance in the ancient world.” 24 We will realize from the rest of the Bible that the feminine sex is not excluded or diminished in God’s great redemptive program. The New Testament did much to lift women from the oppression found everywhere in the ancient world. In fact, so many of the New Testament champions of the faith were women.
We understand that it is Jesus who is leading many “sons” to glory. Thus this is an expression that includes the human race, male and female. Jesus is called “pioneer” of their salvation.” The Greek word used here for “pioneer” is archegos and it speaks of a captain or trailblazer for others to follow.
Most people who live in America know about Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark. These two explorers were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to find a route across the old trackless West, from St. Louis all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Lewis and Clark journals of the trip, which itself stretched from 1804-1806, tell us of much preparation, wise decisions, great hardships and many dangers. However, when the explorers returned, the whole American West was opened wide for settlement and development. It is this similar thought which is behind the word archegos. In a very real sense Jesus became our archegos and opened up before us the great spiritual realms or heavenly country. He introduced us to the idea of a regained dominion, lost to the human race through Adam. Those followers of Jesus are now trained and prepared to walk and live in this new spiritual world. All this is made available by the one who has gone before.25
Just as members of the Lewis and Clark expedition experienced a great deal of suffering, Jesus had to bear an even greater suffering as he rescued the whole human race and blazed a trail for us. We see here in the text that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. It is obvious that suffering is a key ingredient in the Christian life. We see it in virtually all the New Testament books. Many today seem to be saying that a real Christian should never have to suffer, but this is clearly a false idea by which Satan is deceiving millions.
The idea of becoming perfect through suffering however seems at first to be strange when applied to Jesus, who was already perfect. How could suffering or anything else make him more perfect? The problem is cleared up when we look at the word “perfect” in the Greek language. The word is telios and it has nothing to do with metaphysical and philosophical perfection, but rather has to do with one carrying out the purpose for which he or she was designed.26 It conveys the idea of being complete, adequate and effective. It would have been impossible for Jesus to have become the adequate Savior and the great high priest of the human race had he not joined with the human race— had he not suffered as well as died for the race.27
“We human beings needed a bridge between deity and humanity that could be built only by one who had experienced fully both sides of the gulf separating us from God.” 28 In the final analysis it was and is the suffering of the cross that awakens humankind to the great salvation that is offered. It is the cross that reveals most fully and clearly the loving nature of our God.
“Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (2:11). Jesus, the divine Son of God, has completely identified himself with the human family. This was an unthinkable scandal to the Greek mind. The Greek saw the world and flesh as evil and the spirit as good and desirable. The idea of the Greek was that God should be detached from the world while the idea of Christianity is that he should be identified with it.29 It is unfortunate that the Greek concept of God has so often prevailed in our modern and postmodern worlds.
We see that Jesus is not ashamed of us— not even ashamed to call us “brothers” and sisters (cf. Rom. 8:29). He has sanctified us that we may fit into his holy family. The word “sanctify” means to “set apart” or “set aside” for a holy purpose (to consecrate or hallow).
“He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises’” (2:12). It is Jesus who really declares or reveals the great name of God to his family on earth. This passage is taken from Psalm 22:22, which is a messianic psalm relating prophetically to the crucifixion.30 The words “in the assembly” are especially significant. In the Greek Septuagint from which the writer is quoting the word for congregation is ekklesia, or “church.” 31 Later in the epistle the writer will stress the importance of Christians meeting together (10:25). It is only in togetherness that we grasp the great truths of God and grow into the likeness of the Messiah. No one has ever gained true Christian maturity alone.
“And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again he says, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me” (2:13). This quote is taken from Isaiah 8:17-18. The prophet Isaiah had to wait on the Lord who was hiding his face from sinful Israel. It is interesting that the children given to Isaiah had special names and the children as well as their names were special signs to Israel. In like manner the faith children of the Messiah became great signs to the nation of Israel especially in the early part of the first century AD.
GOD’S CHILDREN, ABRAHAM’S DESCENDANTS
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of 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. Hebrews 2:14-15
The problem faced by all humanity, indeed by all flesh and blood, is that we all must die at some point. This is the “biggie” in all human existence. This is what people dread. The comedian Woody Allen once remarked, “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” 32 Death is a great mystery that has haunted the human race from almost its beginning. Death is the last enemy, that foe who brings all human plans to nothing.
How can this great human problem be solved? It is only in Christ that we have an answer to this ancient dilemma. Jesus came to destroy death and bring life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). In order for him to defeat death it was necessary for him to actually die. Of course, in order for him to actually die it was necessary for him to actually become flesh and blood like us. All doctrines declaring that Jesus only appeared to come in the flesh or only appeared to die— or doctrines saying that Jesus wasn’t really God are opposed to the true gospel. They in fact have their origin in the antichrist (2 Jn. 1:7).
Jesus the immortal Son of God had to become human.33 That is the glory of the incarnation, the wonder of the Christmas story. God came to live with us—Immanuel. Jesus not only came to live as a human being but he came to die as one too. But by his death on the cross and by his resurrection he destroyed the power of death. In Colossians 2:15, we read this glorious statement: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” The sting of death is now gone for believers (1 Cor. 15:55) and we no longer have to fear it or remain as its prisoners. Meyer remarks about this: “It is a growing opinion among thoughtful men that the moment of death, when the spirit passes from its earthly tabernacle, is probably the most painless and the happiest moment of its whole earthly story.” 34
“For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants” (2:16). We may have decided by now that the author has veered away once more from his theme of Jesus being better than the angels. Suddenly he returns to it again. We see here that God is not concerned with helping angels. Obviously, angels do not need to be redeemed and those angels who are fallen cannot be redeemed.35 It is Abraham’s descendants who need redemption. The angels are only ministering spirits in this process. The scriptures in several places tell us that angels look with great interest as the Messiah redeems humankind (cf. 1 Pet. 1:12).
We may wonder why Abraham and his descendants are singled out here and why the whole human race is not mentioned. Surely we all need redemption. We must realize that it is God’s great plan to save humanity specifically through Abraham and his seed. In Genesis 18:19, we are told that God chose Abraham because God knew he would instruct his children after him. “Thus God discerned in Abraham the necessary qualities required for the long process through which redemption would be achieved.” 36
“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human 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” (2:17). We might wonder if we in the church actually believe this verse. Do we believe that Jesus was made exactly like us in every way? Did temptations ever present themselves to his mind? Did he ever have a headache or a toothache? Did the mosquitoes ever bite him? Did he ever get tired or sick at his stomach? Yes, all these things probably happened plus a lot more. All these things attest to the complete manhood of Jesus.37 He was made like us in every way so that he could redeem us in every way.
Here in this passage the title “high priest” occurs for the first time in Hebrews. This marks the first instance in scripture that the title is applied to Jesus.38 Because Jesus has experienced everything that we humans experience he is therefore a perfect high priest and is sympathetic to our failures and sins. How different is his ministry to that of Annas or Caiaphas. They seemed to have no feelings whatsoever for the burdens and sins of the common people. Actually because of political pressures from outside Israel the office of high priest had come to be a cheap political prize and was no longer accountable to the needs of the people.
While these priests wore the proper vestments they no longer bore the needs of people of Israel on their breastplates or carried them on their shoulders (Exo. 28:9-12; 15-21, 29). “Jesus did not wear the high priest’s breastplate; but the wound in his chest and the cross on his shoulders are even more eloquent testimony to his heart for us and work on our behalf – to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” 39 This Greek noun ilasmov (propitiation) is used in other places such as 1 John 2:2 and 4:10. It has the meaning of “to appease, to reconcile, to conciliate.” 40 The Bible in 2 Corinthians 5:19 states “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them…”
The author of Hebrews closes this chapter with these words of consolation: “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (2:18). We all know by our human experiences that suffering causes us to feel compassion for others who are themselves suffering (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Our hearts go out to them and we feel instant empathy. Coffman sums up the benefits of suffering in relation to the high priestly office: “People who have never fallen are likely to be too severe, those who have, too lenient; but Christ, though tempted in all points, did not fall, and is alone capable of making the proper judgment concerning people…there is none of that cold arrogant detachment that characterized men like Annas and Caiaphas.” 41