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10 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. 11 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. 12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises." 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” ~ Hebrews 2:10-13
In our last blog and podcast, we considered how man, through his rejection of God, lost his authority over the earth to Satan and his demons. But, the Lord Jesus Christ chose to take on a human body, never ceasing to be God, so that He would be able to bare the punishment of God for our rebellion. Today, the curtain is pulled back just a little bit more so that we will be able to understand God's great cosmic plan behind our salvation.
In v.10 of today's passage we read, "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."
At the heart of the Christian gospel is: the Lord Jesus Christ faced sin and death head on and garnered the forgiveness of God on the behalf of all humble enough to believe. In so doing, the Lord Jesus Christ became our substitute. As a result of paying our penalty, believers in Christ are now viewed by God as "sons and daughters" of God. Not only that, now that the Lord Jesus has died in our place, we are positioned to know God in the deepest possible way.
Notice the last phrase in this verse, "should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered."
The word translated "pioneer" is a reference to someone who is an author. As the Lord Jesus died on our behalf, He became the author of our salvation. The Lord Jesus, alone, authored our salvation. "Pioneer" also describes someone who has opened up new land so that others could follow. It is a word that could refer to a trailblazer, someone who blazed a trail on which others could travel. To the extent to which we are willing to blaze this trail to God will be the extent to which we get to know God and His ways for ourselves.
Our salvation is not just the forgiveness of our sin, it is a new life, it is being in a new family. The Lord Jesus blazed the trail into this new life, and He did it by enduring the cross and its shame. God sent His Son to earth, so that He could do what no angel could ever do: He died the death that was ours. And by His death, He became the perfect trailblazer who opened the path of salvation to all who would believe. It wasn't that He was perfected, it was that the pathway to God for anyone who would believe was perfected by the Perfect One.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "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."
In addition to having our sin forgiven, this verse reminds us we have been sanctified which means we have been made thoroughly righteous in the eyes of God. The Lord Jesus Christ literally made the believer holy by making it possible for His righteousness to be applied to us. This does not mean that we are sinless now, it means God treats us as if we are Christ Himself. While the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, God treated Him as if He lived our lives, so that He could treat us as if we lived His.
The result of all of this, according to v.11 is, "So Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers."
We, having believed in the Lord Jesus, share the same privilege as sons. Having believed on the Lord Jesus, we are joint heirs with Christ. He is the Son of God, and we have become sons of God covered by His very righteousness, and in that sense, we are His perfected brothers and sisters.
In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises." 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me."
These two verses are quotations from the Old Testament, one from Psalm 22 and the other from Isaiah 8. The writer of Hebrews consistently quotes the Old Testament because his readers were very familiar with the Old Testament and they trusted it. The writer of Hebrews uses the Old Testament to help his readers understand the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Hebrews 2:12 is a quotation from Psalm 22:22. This verse describes the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, talking to His Father; saying, "I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters." He said this, indicating, He, the Messiah, knew there would be those who would trust in His finished work on the cross for the payment for sin, and be called His brothers. In Psalm 22, He was speaking to the Father about us. It is because of His death on the cross that He can call us brothers.
Interestingly, before the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He never called His followers "brothers." He called them "disciples," "friends," "sheep." He did not call them "brothers" until after He died and rose from the grave. The first thing He said when He came out of the grave to Mary was, "Go to My brothers." That was the first time He called them "brothers" and it was only possible because He paid the penalty for our sin and His righteousness could have been credited to the account of the willing.
Hebrews 2:13 is a quotation from Isaiah 8:17-18 which reads "17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. 18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion."
Again, here is another text from the Old Testament showing that Messiah would accept the children of God given to Him as "brothers." When the Lord Jesus came into this world, He trusted the Lord during the time of His incarnation, His death, His burial, and His resurrection. It was the most difficult choice as indicated during His time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. And, we who have trusted God through Him, have been given the identity as His brothers.
