“Why Such Suffering?” (2) (Hebrews 2:9-18 (LD 16)
Introduction: The Problem of Pain
Even the most pious Christians may ask: "Where was God?" in the midst of a deep trial. It's a question that can shipwreck faith or deepen it. Our catechism reminds us that we do not suffer alone. In fact, we expect to persevere through our suffering because Jesus Christ is our pioneer, or translated “founder” (v. 10).
The catechism reminds us that Christ's death was not optional. It was necessary. God's justice and truth required it. When Adam fell, someone had to die. God could not simply overlook our rebellion. God said that sin would bring death. When Adam sinned, there had to be a payment. This is not because God is cruel, but because God has to be consistent with his word.
One thing we must remember is that when we suffer or witness suffering, we should realize that this is what we asked for. When we decided to rule for ourselves, we said we wanted our chaos. We did not want God’s order. We wanted broken relationships rather than the communion we have in our redeemer.
The beauty of Christ’s work is the call to see that God does not let us have what we want. Why is it good that God does not give us what we want?
Christ's Necessary Death (From Humiliation to Exaltation)
Hebrews 2:9 teaches us that Christ humbled himself to be exalted and ultimately to secure our exaltation. Jesus is "made lower than the angels" by taking on the flesh, entering our vulnerability to die as the God-man, and then "crowned with glory and honor" in his resurrection. This is the path of the true Messiah: Christ does not avoid suffering, but endures it. He does this to be our merciful high priest. This is why Hebrews 2:10 assures us that Christ is the pioneer (founder). He is the one who goes before us into the most holy place: heaven itself.
Our catechism assures us that Christ had to die because God’s justice demanded it. We sinned against God in Adam. Christ’s death is transactional. Adam earned an eternal debt, and Christ made an eternal payment. The Greek word propitiation carries the weight of both covering and payment. Our sin is imputed/credited to him; his righteousness is imputed/credited to us.
God is not distant in the midst of trial. Rather, Christ takes on the flesh to suffer so that the chaos of this world is guaranteed to be overturned.
Christ's People Delivered (From Slavery to Sonship)
The author of Hebrews uses startling language: Christ destroys "the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil," and delivers us from "lifelong slavery" to the fear of death. Death and suffering no longer have the final word over us. We live in our High Priest. We die in the power of our High Priest. He shepherds us from heaven. Our High Priest has taken away everything that stands in the way of our communion with God.
Notice the scope: he helps "the offspring of Abraham." This is inclusive language. We should see at least two things going on. This is telling us that Christ confirms the promise made to Abraham. This calls the Jewish converts away from a tangible system. Christ is the fulfillment of Abraham’s promise. The old priests were models, but Christ is our fulfillment, securing true cleansing.
If we put ourselves in the gentile converts shoes, we might feel excluded. In verse 9, there is the assurance that “he tastes death for everyone.” He brings “many sons to glory” (v. 10). Those who are sanctified are sanctified in one source. (v. 11) Hebrews is saying that the sons of Abraham are all who are found in Christ. The intention is that Abraham, being the father of many nations, means that the many people from all the nations will be Abraham’s descendants. The covenant community is intended to be comprised of diverse people.
Christ the Merciful High Priest (The Pioneer Who Goes Before)
We might think that Christ is distant because he is in heaven. Hebrews tells us that "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Certainly, Christ is without sin, but we need to realize that Satan brought everything against Christ that he had. He wanted to overpower and destroy Christ. Hebrews is assuring us already in chapter 2 that he is a priest, a real priest, and a perfect priest who truly experienced temptation.
The point that is laid out for us is Christ saying, “Come to me in your mess. Come to me while you're tempted. I know the allure of it. I persevered to preserve you.” Yes, Christ was tempted without sin, but he was really tempted.
So, when Christ is our "pioneer,” He goes before us, entering the "heavenly tabernacle" not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with his own blood, securing eternal redemption. And because he lives forever, his priesthood is uninterrupted. His power is infinite. He continues to preserve his people.
Conclusion: Drawing Near to the Living God
So how do we answer the sufferer who asks, "Where is God?" We need to think about what happened in the fall. We wanted chaos, separation from God, disorder, and everything destructive to who we are as humans.
Why is it good that God does not give us what we want? If God gave us what we wanted, the chaos of this world would be unbearable. The trials and tragedies of this age would be relentless. We would never rebuild. We would never see any order or structure.
God gave us a faithful High Priest, who is the pioneer. He goes before us, blazing the trail to the eternal temple. We wanted to live for ourselves, but our Lord secures our everlasting communion with him.
Let us turn to our high priest in the midst of our struggle. Let us continue to rest in our high priest. Let us take the yoke of our high priest upon ourselves, seeing the beauty of his redemptive mercy. We are a people delivered from wreckage, sharing in Abraham’s inheritance, and called from the many nations. Bow the knee to Christ and find life in him.