We Rule the World
Hebrews 2:8-9 says,
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
We are far from rulers over the world. And yet, at the same time, we can see that, because of Christ, we, in fact, are rulers over the world. How do we know? Because we can see him. Who is this him? Interestingly, this is the first time the author of Hebrews has used the name “Jesus.” Everything he’s said so far has been building to this crescendo. Jesus, the earthly name of the Son of God, is the one through whom the human race gets its life back. We receive the blessing of God not from some ethereal spirit in the sky, but through a flesh and blood brother come down from heaven. We get our lives back through the God-man, Jesus.
We can see Jesus, and in him, see that one day everything will be in subjection to us. One day, we will be crowned with glory and honor. One day, we will no longer be lower than the angels, we will judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3)!
Nothing is outside of our control because nothing is outside of the control of Christ. He upholds the universe by the word of his power (1:3). We have seen what God plans for mankind in sending Jesus to earth as a man on our behalf. He has entered in. He has been made like us so that we can see where we are headed. Our salvation was made visible in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
In verses 2-8 of chapter 2, the author of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 8. Psalm 8 is about mankind. But the problem is we don't see what Psalm 8 proclaims about mankind. So how can the author apply Psalm 8 to us?
What Psalm 8 says about mankind came true – and is coming true more fully in the future – because Christ has suffered and died to give it to us. We ruined it. Jesus redeemed it. He was made perfect through suffering. We are made perfect through his suffering. He sanctifies. We are sanctified. He came from God and went back to God. We came from God and are going back to God because of him. He is not ashamed to call us brothers because he has done all that is necessary to restore us and to redeem us. As Tim Keller says, Jesus is the King that gets involved with us and he’s the brother who is proud of us.
Our life matters now and forever because Jesus made himself like us so that he could bring us to glory. That’s not simply a theory. That’s a loving, visible action. That’s not a formula. That’s a story of love and loss, and life and death, and sin and redemption. That’s something to pay attention to and to listen to and to believe. That’s what the book of Hebrews is about. We are being awakened from our slumber. We are rousing from our sluggishness and beholding the worthiness of Christ.
