Fix your eyes on Jesus

Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. This verse begins with a contrasting conjunction, but. Notice what the author has done. Instead of looking at the “all things” that don’t appear to be subjected to us, He looks to Christ. He lays aside unbelief with it’s encumbrances, and fixes his eyes on Jesus. He actually states that we must do the same thing in chapter 12:1-2. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Can you make the connections? The crowd of witnesses of chapter 11 had to not look at their circumstances that all appeared to be testifying that God and His word isn’t true. They had to lay aside the baggage that comes with focusing on being victims of their circumstances, and instead fix their eyes on Jesus. That’s exactly what the author is doing in this verse in chapter 2. He said we see Jesus made for a little while lower than the angels. He appears to be less than God and inferior to the angels. Notice, by the Holy Spirit, the author saw that the Son of man talked about in Psalms 8 was Jesus, representing all of mankind. In sending His Son into this world as a man, He orchestrated suffering into His life and subjected all things to Him so that He might crown Him with glory and honor. He crowned Him with glory and honor by demonstrating His grace in Christ as he tasted death for men and women who were made lower than the angels also. Don’t miss this. He only tasted death. Death and all things did not overcome Him. He appeared to be subjected to them, but in reality, in truth, death and all things were subjected to Him. He rose from the dead, showing God’s glory and majesty. The suffering in this life that Jesus endured was for the glory of God. Love could not be stopped! Love could not be overcome by the sin and death in this world. The love of God subdued all of His enemies, just as God said in 1:14. The love of God was revealed to be everlasting and victorious through His Son, just as God said it would in 1:11-12. So we are encouraged by this verse 9 of chapter 2 to repent of looking at our circumstances, our victimhood, and the baggage that we carry—all the idols of unbelief—and fix our eyes on Jesus who has loved us, tasted death for us, and revealed that He is life and God is faithful to use all of our circumstances to crown us with glory and honor as we faithfully live to love with Him.