BUT WE SEE JESUS

Heb. 2:9

Morning Meditation 2/6/2014

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."

The inspired writer goes from angels to Christ. He states that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. The angels do not die. Jesus did, and by doing this, He tasted death for every man. For Him to do such a great thing brings to light some important things. In what way do we see Jesus?

WE SEE HIM AS GOD'S EQUAL

John 1:3, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." 0ur Bible begins with: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Now the inspired writer says, "all things were made by Him," and to drive a nail in a sure place Inspiration says, "And without him was not anything made that was made." The meaning is clear enough to credit Jesus with the creation of all things. This would certainly make Him God's equal.

Then again as Jesus is described by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Hebrews 1:3 says, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" The description of Jesus in this verse, there can be no doubt that Jesus is being set forth as God's equal. He is introduced by the words, "Who being the brightness of his glory." The word "being" translates "eimi" i.e., "I am." It is the same "to be" verb that is use to express "I am" when the Textus Receptus identifies Jesus as Jehovah of the Old Testament. John 8:58, "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

The "I am" in this verse translates "ego eimi," and is the same as God spoke to Moses saying in Exodus 3:14, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Jesus us God's equal. Next,

WE SEE HIM IN GREAT POVERTY

2 Corinthians 8:9, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

It would be hard to explain the place from which Jesus came and compare it to the place to which He came. Suffice it to say that there is no greater condescension than that Jesus made when He came from the glory of heaven to the poverty of this earth. The riches of heaven were laid aside and the robe of a pauper were taken up. He said in Matthew 8:20, "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." The words "became poor" aches to say more than its limited definition will allow. We see Jesus in great poverty. Next,

WE SEE HIM IN DEEP SORROW

Isaiah 53:3-6, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

He is truly a man of sorrows. Is it possible for Jesus to stoop below the greatest of sorrows and lift them to the place where they can't operate? There will be no sorrows in heaven. The reason is that Jesus "carried our sorrows" to the place where they lose their power to afflict the saints, and are sent to the region of the damned where they will continue to exercise their torments upon the eternally lost. Next,

WE SEE HIM IN SELF-SACRIFICING LOVE

Matthew 20:28, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." There is no love greater than the love of God in Christ, when the eternal Son became the "Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." God created man and God became the Man in Christ that would redeem the lost creation. Next,

WE SEE HIM IN MIGHTY POWER

Ephesians 1:19-20 says, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places," There is power immeasurable exercised when Jesus was raised from the dead and exalted to the Father's right hand. Jesus has power unlimited. He cannot be resisted. Therefore, He has the power to bring His promises to pass as we wait by faith to see this accomplished.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White