READ: Hebrews 2
THINK: Read verses 6-10 from The Message aloud slowly, noting the diverse themes of death and suffering verses angels and glory:
It says in Scripture,
What is man and woman that you bother with them;
why take a second look their way?
You made them not quite as high as angels,
bright with Eden’s dawn light;
Then you put them in charge
of your entire handcrafted world.
When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.
It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory.
What words or phrases form this passage catch your attention most? Pause for a moment and ask God to help you understand them and fully grasp what they mean for your life. Why do you think these particular words or phrases jumped out at you? What is going on in your life right now – feelings, circumstances, decisions – that they might correspond to?
PRAY: Ask that you would be continually fascinated by God’s glory, God’s well-deserved honor and brightness.
LIVE: Sit in the quiet and reflect on how you would feel if God were degrading, dishonoring, and not at all beautiful. Why is it better to live and breathe on an earth created by such a magnificent God?
– Adapted from Eugene Peterson in Solo
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