Hebrews 2:5-9 (HCSB)
For He has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. But one has somewhere testified:
What is man that You remember him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
You made him lower than the angels for a short time;
You crowned him with glory and honor
and subjected everything under his feet.
For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death.
As the writer of Hebrews transitions his argument about Jesus’ superiority in every realm, he draws one more contrast between Jesus and the angels by showing that it is to God’s Son that He has entrusted the world to come, not to angels.
Psalm 8, which the writer sees as a basis for this claim, is usually seen as the first of the “nature psalms”, extolling the glory of creation and expressing wonder at the fact that, in spite of the massiveness and complexity of the created universe, God spends so much time focusing on mankind.
The writer of Hebrews on the other hand, sees the middle portion of this psalm as clearly messianic. After all, it was Jesus Himself who was made lower than the angels for a short time, and it was Jesus who proudly carried the title of Son of Man while He was here on earth. And it was Jesus who, even though being a genuine human being, ended up with all things placed under His feet (that is, under His control and dominion).
The writer understands that until Jesus returns in glory, we do not see all things subject to Him. The corruption and decay brought into the world by the sin of Adam and Eve still runs rampant. There is still death, and darkness, and sin all over the world as people continue to reject the truth and to choose their own ways.
But in this “in- between time”, we do see Jesus crowned with glory and honor among those whom He has saved by His death and resurrection. We do hear His name lifted up and worshipped by those who have committed themselves to serve Him. Thus, even though the messianic prophecy has not yet been brought to completion, the evidence is there that that fulfillment is in the works right now!
Father, thank you for the promise implied in these verses. Help me to live every day allowing it to shape my expectations and my worldview. Help me to always glorify Jesus in my every thought, word and deed, as I work in Your power to do expand the range of those who have voluntarily placed themselves under Jesus’ control and dominion. Amen.