Hebrews 2:8b-9 Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
The pronouns get a little confusing in the phrase “he left nothing outside his control.” The “he” refers to God, who is addressed in the quotation from Psalm 8. The “his” refers to the “son of man,” namely, Jesus. God the Father has made everything under the control of the Son. This idea is in full agreement with the Christ Hymn of Philippians 2:5-11. It is clear that this was an early Christian belief, widespread in many churches. Hebrews contains many ideas similar to Paul’s letters, so it is certainly possible that Paul is the author. Otherwise, the early Christians had a lot more agreement in their theology than what many people think.
Our challenge of faith is that it seems like Jesus is not in control. The Kingdom of God has not come in its fullness. Even the readers of Hebrews may have struggled with their faith because they were going through persecution and suffering. They had doubts about their faith. The author challenges them not to lose heart but to be strong. Jesus was “made lower than the angels” and became like us in suffering. He can identify with us in our struggles. Because he was obedient even to the point of death and remained faithful to the Father, he was “crowned with glory and honor.” Through his faithfulness in suffering even to death, he has made it possible for us to experience exaltation and eternal life as well. Our exaltation will not be to the right hand of the Father, but it will be to God’s presence because we have been made holy (Hebrews 12:14). This verse introduces many of the key ideas of this book. The author has connected our present suffering and trials to what Jesus has done on the cross for us. His victory provides us the victory also, both now and in eternity.
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