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By: AJ Hochhalter You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 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. 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.
God, in the beginning of time, gave humanity the Cultural Mandate—to rule over the earth and subdue it—but because of the curse of the fall things have not been going particularly well. Verse 8 says, “There is nothing that is not subject to [humankind]. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.”
We experience this reality acutely when fires roar out of control, when rain does not come when we need it, when hurricanes, earth quakes, or tsunamis rip through cities… Even when we receive a bad diagnosis—When “natural” causes take our loved ones from us. We know things are not as they should be.
A second reading of the text in question provides some interesting insights—NT Wright suggests that the plural pronouns in the text could also be translated as singular pronouns.
What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet.
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 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.
The pronouns, when translated as singular, become clear references to the Messiah. The Psalmist referenced here by the writer of Hebrews is writing about Jesus, and the author of Hebrews means to make that clear. When read through this light, we realize that where we have failed to subdue the earth, Jesus will not. In those places where it seems the curse of sin and death has claimed victory, and we do not see all things subjected to him, we look forward with confidence to the coming kingdom where Christ will reign. And because he has tasted death for everyone, we will reign with him. We have hope even though everything is not yet subjected to Christ, he is already on the throne “crowned with glory and honor.” We are the ambassadors of his Kingdom, called to fulfill his purposes here on earth until he returns again in glory.
So, what does this actually mean for us? Things still aren’t great—drought, sickness, death—difficulty and suffering of all kinds are still a part of our lives. It’s nice to imagine and dream about when Jesus will return to make all things right, but this passage also provides us hope and comfort in the moment now, not just something to look forward to. Jesus was made low, he suffered, he tasted death. Because of this we can be confident that Christ is with us in our pain and is bearing it with us.