King, High Priest, Forever: Session Two
In our last session, we covered the numerous Old Testament references made in the first chapter of Hebrews, the conclusion of which can be summed up by the first few verses of the first chapter of Hebrews.
Recap of Last Session
Hebrews 1:1–4 (ESV)
The Supremacy of God’s Son
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
This main paragraph was backed up by all the references afterward, and continuing on from there, let's read Hebrews chapter 2 which is set up to elaborate on this.
Scripture to Read: Hebrews 2:1-18
Hebrews 2:1–18 (ESV)
2 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
The Founder of Salvation
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”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. 9 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.
10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
A Note Regarding quotations made
If you read the first session, this is identical to the note before regarding the LXX or Septuagint. If you are familiar, feel free to skip this section
Before I proceed, I would like to preface the rest of this study with a note that may shock some people: The Author of Hebrews was more than likely quoting from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. In 2026, it's known colloquially as the "LXX" or Septuagint, but this is not a historical name for the Greek Scriptures. Historically, the "Septuagint" usually refers just to "the Law" (probably the Torah only) that had been translated at Alexandria for Ptolemy II (reigned from 285 to 247 BC) which was shortly after Alexander the Great had Hellenized much of the known world. Ptolemy I, his father, was the Macedonian general of Alexander, and he founded the Dynasty that Ptolemy II inherited. In my own head cannon, I'd like to think his inspiration for wanting to translate the Law came from the prophecy fulfillment by Alexander in Daniel 8 being fulfilled in Ptolemy's own lifetime.
This "Old Greek" translation was carried forward in a few different forms by Jews of the era, who used it in some form along with other Greek Translations of Old Testament books, and was the basis that many of the New Testament authors quoted from. I may refer to the entirety of the Greek Scriptures as the LXX to shorten the name, but please keep in mind they were not all translated at one time, or by the same groups.
Some of the scripture is taken from the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint™. Copyright © 2008 by St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This is found inside the "Orthodox Study Bible" with the NKJV attached for the New Testament, and is the translation I have been using for my study of the Greek Old Testament. All emphasis added to quotations is done by me.
The Trustworthy Word (Hebrews 2:1-4)
At the start of Chapter 2 we have something that may be peculiar to some regarding the word spoken by Angels. The Author contrasts the Gospel preached by Jesus, the Son of God, with the words shared by Angels on behalf of God.
The Author makes a comparison, that if the words of Angels proved true, and every transgression (that is unbelief) received retribution, then we ought to listen all the more carefully to the words of Christ since He is superior to them.
Let's take a look at an example from the New Testament where Zechariah did not believe the Angel Gabriel who was sent to deliver the message regarding the birth of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:8–22 (ESV)
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.
Zechariah did not believe the Angel, because he and his wife were of old age. The just retribution for this was that Zechariah would be unable to speak as proof to him and his wife that the Angel's word was true. It's not too dissimilar to how the Gospel is authenticated by God. God bore witness by signs and wonders, in the Gospel's case they were performed by Jesus, along with the testimony during Jesus' baptism and during the Transfiguration. So if the word of the Angel Gabriel for example proved true, how much more the word of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Son of God? That's the point being made at the start of this chapter.
Creation in Subjection (Hebrews 2:5-9)
Continuing on we have a reference to Psalm 8, and
The quotation here is yet again a contrast of the role that Angels play, compared to the role that Jesus plays in salvation of mankind. Creation was put into subjection to Christ, not to Angels.
If you are not familiar with the last study: The Author of Hebrews often quotes from the Greek Old Testament to make his point, this reference however is seemingly written from memory by the Author by inspiration of the Spirit. "It has been testified somewhere" almost caries that implication, but the wording of the reference being different from all forms of Psalm 8 make it tricky to pin down where the Author was reading it initially. First though, let's look at what Psalm 8 from the Masoretic Text says
Psalm 8:4–6 (ESV)
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
Notice the wording is very different in spots compared to the text of Hebrews 2:5-8, vs 5 in the Psalm says "heavenly beings" instead of Angels and uses the word "dominion" in vs 6 instead of subjection.
For comparison’s sake, lets look at the Greek translation of Psalm 8
Psalm 8:5-7 (SAAS)
5 What is man that You remember him, Or the son of man that You visit him? 6 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor. 7 You set him over the works of Your hands; You subjected all things under his feet,
There are some similarities here with the text of Hebrews. We have the proper use of Angels, and subjection, but vs 5 (vs 4 in Hebrew) has "visit him" instead of "take care of him" or "care for him".
The Passage in Hebrews in the earliest manuscript (Codex Vaticanus) lacks "You have set him over the works of your hands;", while later manuscripts seem to add this back in an attempt to restore it. I think this is even more evidence that the author was writing from memory for this reference.
Of note, both the Greek and Hebrew version of Psalm 8 lack "for a little while" when talking about being made lower than the Angels. This I think adds to the hypothesis this is paraphrased from Memory, but it also adds to prove a point regarding the incarnation, that Jesus was temporarily made lower than the Angels, but His death and resurrection has crowned Him glory and honor.
Ending out the reference into verse Hebrews 2:9, the Author makes it clear to the reader that we don't see all of creation in perfect subjection to Christ yet, for if that were the case then the last days would be upon us. We did however see Jesus, who was crowned with Glory and Honor because of His obedience to the point of suffering and death on the cross. Notice Hebrews 2:5 opens the reference saying "the world to come", indicating it's a promise for the future not a present reality.
Even more indicative of this is the title for Psalm 8 from the Greek translation:
1 For the End; concerning the winepresses; a psalm by David.
If you are at all familiar with the imagery used for the end times, the winepress is one of the stages of judgment for the world. In Revelation 14:14-20, we have those who are being saved getting reaped by "one like a son of man", followed by another reaping of the wicked, who are thrown into "the great winepress of the wrath of God."
The title of the Psalm does not try to hide that the subjection will be later, and if it is a wine press, then literally creation will be put under His feet. If the Gospel preached by the Son of God is trustworthy — confirmed by signs and wonders from God and sealed with the resurrection of Jesus Christ — then we must hold fast in obedience to "what we have heard" until the day the world to come is put in subjection to Him, lest we be one of those under His feet.
Briefly I'd like to bring in some imagery from Isaiah since it's also relevant here
Isaiah 63:1–6 (ESV)
The LORD’s Day of Vengeance
63 Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”
2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. 6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
"I have trodden the winepress alone" and "My own arm brought me salvation" show clearly the plural nature of our God; Jesus is the Mighty Arm who saved us all from our sin, and will save us all from the wrath of God to come. It again uses the winepress imagery that the Psalm used, putting "the peoples" or "the nations" — depending on how you translate it — literally under the feet of Christ.
Jesus, our Brother (Hebrews 2:10-13)
Verse 10 begins to lay out an intro to why Jesus had to come as a Man, with some references from the Old Testament to show that it was always going to be this way. It starts by saying that God saw it was fitting to come as a Man, to suffer for our sanctification, and how Jesus was not ashamed to call us "Brothers"
The very first quotation being made is from Psalm 22, which is beautiful, because Jesus quoted it also right before He died on the cross. It's a Psalm of sorrow, of redemption, and resurrection. The Lord quoted it because it was about himself, at that moment He pulled back the veil, to show us the true Glory that was about to be revealed. This glimpse of the future embedded in this ancient Psalm gives a clear picture with the blinders of sin removed.
I'm going to read the entire thing because it's relevant for our purposes, but here is Psalm 22 in the ESV translation:
Psalm 22:1–31 (ESV)
22 TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOE OF THE DAWN. A PSALM OF DAVID.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; 31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
Some things to note as we continue, since this is not a study of Psalm 22 I cannot cover everything here:
Psalm 22:1
Jesus quotes the opening to Psalm 22 right before His death on the cross
Matthew 27:45–50 (ESV)
The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
As I said earlier, this is to show He fulfills this prophecy contained in the Psalm, so as we read let us be careful to pay attention to what's being said and see if we can draw parallels to the life of Christ.
Psalm 22:2-5
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord cried out to the Father for deliverance from the suffering that was to come. The Answer: Quiet silence; Had God gone silent, or was the answer "Proceed as we planned"?
Matthew 26:38–39 (ESV)
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Continuing reading the Psalm, we see the Author adds: "In you our fathers trusted;" to show that despite the silence, the Messiah knows of God's faithfulness. Why do you think Jesus prayed "nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."? He was submitting to the will of God for His life, even if it meant He would lose it on the cross for our own sakes. Verse 5 ends with "To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame." is the reassurance of the faithfulness of God towards those who trust in Him. He will not forget you, even if today it seems like He has.
Psalm 22:6-8
The Lord's life was filled with scorn and hatred from His own people. His parables often spoke of their rejection of Him, using imagery of a King coming into a kingdom (which is His reality), or the owner of a vineyard sending his Son to check on his property, only for the workers to be beat and kill the Son instead.
The Lord knew of His fate, and this Psalm doesn't shy away from it.
1 Peter 1:10–11 (ESV)
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
Not just the sufferings but the Glories were shared. In these verses, we see the Messiah would be rejected, and mocked for the Faith He preached.
Almost verbatim, these words were spoken to Jesus as He suffered on the cross
Matthew 27:32–44 (ESV)
The Crucifixion
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Psalm 22:9-11
Verses 9 and 10 reference the incarnation, and that "from my Mother's womb you have been my God" The Father was the God of Jesus since the incarnation, since He is the God of all flesh.
Jeremiah 32:26–27 (ESV)
26 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
John 17:1–3 (ESV)
The High Priestly Prayer
17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Jesus was given Authority over all Flesh by the Father to raise us from the dead, but He Himself is subject to the Father. That may be a controversial sentence to hear, but it's actually taught in several places by Paul for example in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 15:21–28 (ESV)
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
This is a great mystery that is probably so deep that we could never grasp it fully, Paul even calls it as much later in the same chapter when he explains that we will all be given spiritual bodies.
Notice the common thread from Psalms, into Corinthians and Hebrews is that Jesus was appointed by God the Father since there is a person who is putting things in subjection, and a person to whom they are being subjected to, but subjection will include Jesus himself since He has a flesh body now. If Zurriel were here, he'd bring up Daniel 7, so I would be remiss if I didn't mention it also
Daniel 7:13–14 (ESV)
The Son of Man Is Given Dominion
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
This is complicated theology, and way above my pay grade, millennium of writers and liters of ink have been spilled attempting to explain this, so I am probably not going to be the one who solidify that understanding in your head. The Son of Man (Jesus), is presented before the Ancient of Days (The Father), and dominion was given to Him. This is the same formula we found in the New Testament letters, and Jesus also spoke of this exact relationship between Himself and the Father.
John 5:19–29 (ESV)
The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Now that probably seemed like an unnecessary tangent, but the point is this: Jesus was given the Authority over all flesh, but is still subject to God due to the incarnation: "from my Mother's womb, you have been my God" which is the submission we see in Jesus' life, even to death on a cross.
Psalm 22:11-21
Let's continue on passed the incarnation and keep reading. We see the Psalmist sharing how the Messiah was scorned by Men, using several animals as imagery to show the suffering of Christ.
Psalm 22:14-15 are fulfilled in Jesus' statement of thirst on the cross
John 19:28–30 (ESV)
The Death of Jesus
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Right afterward we have a variant in the Psalm that's been restored in the ESV, but most Hebrew manuscripts of Psalm 22:16 are different to what we read here:
Psalm 22:16 (ESV)
16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—
The ESV footnotes this to tell you, that the "they have pierced my hands and feet" is restored from the Septuagint, the Vulgate and the Syriac translations of the Psalm. Most Hebrew manuscripts have something like: "like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet" which is not what happened to Christ, and generally doesn't make sense grammatically.
Jesus' hands and feet were pierced during his Crucifixion, why on earth would Psalm 22, the Psalm quoted by Christ have such a large variant in a key location? The Hebrew word here for "pierce" and "lion" are literally a one character difference. The Masoretic text post dates the LXX reading, and "pierced" is even found in the Dead Sea Scrolls of Psalm 22. I personally believe it is safe to say the Masoretic text was corrupted in this instance.
Continuing with the Psalm into verse 17, we see more events around the crucifixion, "I can count all my bones" is fulfilled because they did not break Jesus' legs with the criminals who were crucified beside him because He had already died.
John 19:31–37 (ESV)
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
Verse 18 they divided Jesus' garments and cast lots for His woven tunic. (John 19:23-24; Luke 23:34)
Verse 19-21 we finally get to the peak of the moment that brought us here, Jesus cries out on the cross quoting this Psalm of deliverance.
Psalm 22:20 (ESV)
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
Who is that dog but Satan, and the power he held the power of death? For without the sufferings of the Messiah, the powers of death were still in control of the enemy, a point we will continue on later.
Psalm 22:22
Finally, we arrive at the verse that was quoted in Hebrews, that is the point of this entire section breaking down Psalm 22.
The Messiah is one of us, who came as a Man and suffered at the hands of men enticed by the evil one, and the evil in their hearts.
For Jesus' faithfulness, obedience, and sufferings, God anointed Him as we learned last week. Here we see the Messiah is also not ashamed to call us His brothers, which is finally the quotation and the point being made in Hebrews 2, that Jesus was like us as a Man, one of our brothers. He was tempted as a man, He suffered as a man, He died as a man, and He rose as a man for our salvation.
All of this to say that Jesus is our Brother, and we are his siblings in the household of God. The word here "Congregation" is the Greek word "ἐκκλησίας" or "ekklésia" transliterated into English. It's the same word used for the "assembly" in the Old Testament from the Greek Scriptures, which is essentially the Church of the Old Testament. Jesus will tell of the name of God amongst His Brothers in the assembly of God, the Church in Heaven (we'll get to talk about that Heavenly assembly later in the book of Hebrews)
Psalm 22:23-31
Now the rest of the Psalm closes us out with assurances and reminders about God's sovereignty over all. Promises that the world would turn to him, and remember the salvation found in Jesus, but also an interesting section near the end.
In verse 29 we have "All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive."
This is a callback to the early portion of the Psalm where the people mocked the Messiah. Even the Messiah will bow before God, we see this also in the Daniel reference I shared earlier where the Son of Man is presented before the Ancient of Days, and from the reference in 1 Corinthians that Paul wrote. The Messiah will be subject to God also, although we have previously shown that He Himself is also God. This is why we are His Brothers, He is flesh like us and partook in flesh for our own benefit.
Hebrews 2:13
Now I know that last section was probably a lot. Psalm 22 is a very important Psalm, and I didn't want to do it a disservice by not properly extracting the meaning the Author of Hebrews was trying to convey.
Here we have 2 more quotations, the first is from Isaiah 8:17, the second from Isaiah 8:18 which is very convenient. This one is also a likely reference to the Greek version of Isaiah, simply because the wording matches much closer using "trust" instead of "hope". Another reason I argue for that is because of the synergy of these two quotations being back to back, and how if you see in the Greek, it's as if they are linked regardless.
Isaiah 8:11-18 (SAAS)
11 Thus says the Lord: “With a strong hand they rebel against the course of the way of this people, saying, 12 that you should not say, ‘It is hard,’ for whatever this people says is hard; but do not be afraid of their terror, nor be troubled. 13 Sanctify the Lord Himself, and He shall be your fear. 14 So if you trust in Him, He shall be as a sanctuary for you, and you shall not come against Him as a stumbling stone nor as a rock of disaster. But the house of Jacob lies in wait with a snare, and those in Jerusalem with a trap. 15 Therefore many among them shall be powerless and fall, and be broken, and men who are in safety shall draw near and be conquered.”
16 Then they who seal the law so as not to learn it themselves shall be evident. 17 But One will say, “I shall wait for God who turned His face away from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in Him, 18 behold, I and the children God gave me.” This will be for signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion.
Pay attention to the positioning of the quotation marks around the text that is quoted in Hebrews (verse 17). The Greek makes it as if God is giving the words to the Messiah or to some other figure, using "One will say" indicates prescription or prediction. It also makes it future tense, like it's something that will happen not that has happened or is happening. The capitalization of the word "One" here is a choice by the translators to indicate it's the God in the flesh, Jesus the Messiah who will say it (figuratively)
Compare it to the ESV translation, of the same passage, and it's slightly different, it's like God is speaking until verse 16 where it becomes someone else, but it's not as clear.
Isaiah 8:11–18 (ESV)
Fear God, Wait for the LORD
11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
It could very well be Isaiah's words here, and it uses the word "hope". The Greek in contrast uses "trust" throughout Isaiah 8 making it much more fair to say that's probably what is being quoted here. Some cross-references will tag other scripture for verse 13 also, but I think it's really likely it's these two paired verses.
What is the key here? That the Messiah was given, by God, a remnant of the children of Israel as a sign to the rest of them. This remnant were the Apostles and Disciples chosen for the Ministry by Jesus, and us who put our trust in the Lord Jesus to this day. We are his Brothers and Sisters, we have the same Heavenly Father
John 20:17 (ESV)
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
Why come as a Man? (Hebrews 2:14-18)
Now that we've established the Messiah is our Brother, the Author of Hebrews tells us why that was so important for our sakes.
Jesus was made like us, so that he could relate to us in our sufferings and mediate on our behalf with the Father. When we suffer, He can comfort us because He has suffered; When we are tempted, He can help us because He was tempted.
How easy would it be as a sinful Man to stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and make excuses for your behavior?
"You could never understand how I suffered or how I was tempted, you are an omnipotent God!"
Unless, He Himself partook of the same things as us, was tempted like us, suffered, and even died for us. Jesus partook in Human Nature so as to understand us as mankind, better than we do. Through His obedience to the point of death, He destroyed the power over death that the Devil held, just as Psalm 22 earlier hinted at (Gee, I wonder why the Author quoted it...).
Philippians 2:5–11 (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God bless you, and thank you for reading!