He became not just a man but He became a Hebrew. We're always emphasizing that in Christ’s earthly ministry, how did He live? He lived under the Law. He went to the synagogue on the sabbath day just like any other Hebrews, and He kept the Law. Oh, a lot of times they accused Him of not keeping it, but nevertheless, He kept the Law in all of its purity as a Hebrew. So, the Apostle Paul is appealing to these Hebrew people on that basis, that this One that he is lifting up in all of His power and glory was from the seed of Abraham. Verse 17 again.
Hebrews 2:17a Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, (like the children of Israel, the people He chose to come through as those of their forefathers where deemed righteous ones for they all believed God) that he might be a merciful and faithful (now a word is going to pop up for the first time in Hebrews and what is it?) high priest…"
We haven’t seen that before. Do you see how the Scripture builds? See, we’re going to be getting into the priesthood here in Hebrews and it’s not going to be the Aaronic priesthood (dealing with the external or material realm), but rather it’s going to be Melchizedek (the internal and spiritual realm). And Melchizedek was not the priest of Israel, but rather He was the priest of the Most High God, which was reference to what people? Gentiles. That’s why the verse we looked at in the last posting was Deuteronomy 32:8, what did it say?
Deuteronomy 32:8 "When the most High (the term of God concerning Gentiles) divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." So the Most High is the term of Deity that reflects on the Gentile world. Now here in Hebrews chapter 2 is the first mention of a high priest in this book.
Hebrews 2:17b "…that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." Now that word reconciliation, if we're not mistaken, is almost exclusively used by the Apostle Paul. We don’t know of any other place that it’s used, but we always stand to be corrected, but think it is a Pauline term. Now let’s go back to Romans chapter 3, and we’ll just build on this whole premise, that now we have reconciliation as a part of our redemption which is designed to lead us to the salvation experience, or the second blessing. Remember that we all have to come through the first estate or first blessing, where we now receive the Holy Spirit, unlike the nation of Israel they did not have that blessing as we now do because Jesus and of the cross.
We suppose that it never hurts to define terms does it? What does it mean to be reconciled? Well the best place we can use it in everyday living is a husband and wife. A husband and wife can have something come up that just totally drives them apart. Glenda and I have found over the years that it can be the least of reasons, and invariably it will do just that. We have found over and over for example that a tragedy strikes a couple, and the one that I’m thinking of right now, is their home burned to the ground, and one or the other had failed to send in the payment for their fire insurance, and so they ended up with no coverage. It ruined their marriage and ended up in divorce, because one accused the other. Both were bullheaded and stubborn and would not given in and neither would accept it.
We’ve known others where a child committed suicide and it drove that couple to divorce, it became a dividing point, as one blamed the other. Now there’s only one remedy for such a thing and what is it? Reconciliation. By bringing them back together again, and that is exactly what has happened to the human race. When Adam sinned, what happened? There was a great division that developed between God and the human race. Just like a husband and wife who have had a tremendous falling out by a tragedy, but the tragedy in Adam’s case was what? He ate of the fruit, he disobeyed. Now that’s simple, and through the tragedy of his eating he lost fellowship with his Creator, and so what did they need? Reconciliation. He needed to be brought back into fellowship with God.
Now we don’t use reconciliation as a doctrinal word, as we see some of you are looking in your concordance for that word, and if you find one let me know, because we're just sort of shooting from the hip on this word, but we don’t think reconciliation is a term until we get to Paul. It was a concept, but it wasn’t actually used, but here in Romans chapter 3, let’s just start with verse 25.
Romans 3:25-26 "Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26. To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: (in other words the Righteousness of God) that He (God, Christ) might be just, and the justifier of him which believe Jesus."
Now there in that word propitiation is the first implication then of God’s role of reconciling lost mankind to Himself, and this is His whole premise, it’s His whole reason for bringing about the work of the cross. Now to use the word more explicitly than it is here in Romans, follow with us to II Corinthians chapter 5. And here again we hardly know where to drop in, but let’s just start with verse 14, because this is just too serious a subject to take lightly. This whole idea that God wants to reconcile lost humanity to Himself and bring us into full fellowship as a husband and wife who have been estranged and are brought back together. That’s what God wants to do with lost humanity. So this is a good place to look at that for a few moments.
II Corinthians 5:14a "For the love of Christ…" Now just stop and think. If a husband and wife had lived together for years, they’ve worked together, they’ve gone through thick and thin together, and raised their children together, and all of a sudden they’ve had this tragedy that separates them, what spark still has to be there to bring them back together? Love! Love has to still be there to rekindle, and bring them back. Now it’s the same way with God. Remember, God’s LOVE hasn’t died down to a fading ember, it is always vibrant, but mankind’s love is a different story. In Adam and the woman when they disobeyed the Love of God which they had turned to fleshly love or inward and self fulfilling, selfish. So we have to kindle that spark of love that will respond to the Love of Christ. Christ's Love was self-sacrificial, or self giving with NO holes barred, without limitation.
Now again, remember way back when we talked about creation, what was the main purpose in God’s thinking, in creating man in the first place? Well, to have a creature that He could extend His LOVE to and have it returned. So it’s the same way in the marriage relationship. It’s an extension of love, and a return of that love. Now this is exactly what Paul is talking about. The Love of Christ that is constantly being extended to lost mankind.
II Corinthians 5:14-16a "For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one (Christ) died for all, (the whole human race) then were all dead: (and in need of reconciliation, being brought back to God) 15. That he died for all, that they which live (spiritually) should not henceforth live unto themselves (selfish, worldly, or carnal), but unto (positional phrase of being conjoined to) him which died for them, and rose again. (Paul’s Gospel of salvation that we must believe with our heart) 16. Wherefore (Paul says, ‘because Christ died, and rose from the dead’) henceforth know we no man after the flesh (externally the corrupted place):…" A reference to Christ’s earthly ministry. Paul couldn’t keep salvation based on Christ’s earthly ministry of miracles and signs and wonders because that’s not where salvation rest's. Salvation rests in His finished work of the cross and our redemption through that work. So he says in verse 16 again:
II Corinthians 5:16a "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh (as the son of man housed in flesh and the corruption that the flesh contained),…" We hope when we read something like that, that we know what we’re reading. We tell people constantly when they come up and say, "Well I never understood this until I heard you read it." We'd say, "You know why? Because we're constantly making people aware of what it’s saying." Most people just read it, and don’t get what it says. So do we see what it says here in verse 16? Paul says, "I have known Christ after the flesh." Well what does that mean? Paul was living contemporary with Jesus of Nazareth. We think they were both born within a year of each other. I think Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, was a young man of 30 about the same time that Christ began His earthly ministry, so yes, Saul knew Christ in the flesh by reputation. Now knowing Him is not recorded in Scripture until we get to the stoning of Stephen, but listen, old Saul of Tarsus knew all about Jesus of Nazareth, and don’t think for a minute that he didn’t, and that’s what he’s referring to here.
II Corinthians 5:16b "…though we have known Christ after the flesh,…" Paul knew all about His signs, wonders, and miracles, but Paul thought He was an imposter and blasphemer, a magician or wizard - that’s why he became the chief persecutor.
II Corinthians 5:16b "…yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now (this side of the cross) henceforth know we him no more." See, that’s why Paul will never mention Bethlehem or His earthly ministry, because that’s moot. The closest he comes is in Galatians 4:6 when he refers to Christ’s birth, not as being born in a stable in Bethlehem, but all he says there is, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." Now that’s as much as Paul gives us, because that had nothing to do with the message that Paul had for the world and that is, that Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. In full compliance with the Law and the Prophets, the end or fullness of the appointed time, the completion of the days. See, that’s where it’s at, and so now he says, henceforth know we him no more, and that’s why he doesn’t make reference to his earthly ministry. Now verse 17.
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