The Glory of Jesus, Higher than the Angels

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ready for more good news? You have a representative in heaven in the person of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

Though Satan has access to God as your accuser (Revelation 12:10), Jesus stands in your place before the Father and forever pleads your case to Him. That’s why believers must pay attention to the warning regarding the peril of falling away from the faith. God wants you to make a deliberate commitment to pay attention to your faith and not to neglect the things of God in your life. That’s the only safeguard against drifting away from the faith.

God loves a heart that says “yes” to Him but responds with certain judgment to those who reject His gracious message (see Genesis 18-19). That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus, to make a way for us to come back to Him.

Still, the humanity of Jesus must not be overlooked. No angel was ever subjected and made low enough to pay the penalty for all sinful humanity. Only Jesus willingly accepted that humble position when He became human (see Philippians 2:6-8).

Only Jesus, not angels, was destined to rule over the future of the world (Hebrews 2:5) because He gave His life to save it.

God made man lower than the angels at creation. Psalm 8 makes it abundantly clear that humans were made lower than angels. Yet, Jesus—the God-man, who is higher than the angels—willingly humbled Himself to a position lower than angels to bring about our redemption!

Ultimately, God longs to honor us and exalt us as displays of His amazing workmanship—His ultimate creative achievement. Though created beings, angels were never given that astounding distinction. In fact, the Bible teaches us that those who trust God in Jesus will one day be joint heirs with Him and join Him in ruling over all of God’s universe for eternity. No angel was created for that purpose.

Though diminished from honor and cut off from God by sin’s condemning power, humanity will once again be exalted to a place of honor by virtue of our relationship to God through Jesus Christ!

Let’s face it: The earth and the world’s systems today don’t look like they’re under Jesus’ authority. Yet, ultimately, that is precisely what God has ordained to occur. And you, as a believer in Him, will join Him in that exalted position (Romans 8:17).

Yet, amid all the brokenness and heartache in the world, we can see Jesus as Savior and Lord. We see Him as the answer to our deepest needs. We see Him as a friend to sinners. We see Him as our eternal High Priest. We see Him as He is, seated in power and glory at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

Jesus suffered and tasted death to lead us back to God. He went through all of that to satisfy the righteous demands of a holy God. No angel could have done that. Moses would have failed. Abraham was not up for that task. Only Jesus. Only He could receive the bitter cup of suffering. And He did. Pressed against His parched lips, Jesus drank every bit of it, including death. He did this for you.

Will you trust Him? Will you believe?

1. For us, life can frequently feel out of control. But if Jesus truly holds the universe together by His word, how should that change the way we think about the things which overwhelm us?

2. Why was it important that the readers of the book of Hebrews understand that Jesus was superior to angels?

3. It wasn’t just that God sent His Son; Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus came at the right time. This is a great lesson for us. How can you more fully rely on God’s timing in your life?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee's, complete teachings ofHebrews 1:2-3, Hebrews 1:3-7, Hebrews 1:8-2:4, Hebrews 2:5-10.