Hebrews 2:3b-4 Jesus: The Emboldened Messenger
God Confirms Christ’s Announcement of the Good News of Salvation
Hebrews 2:3b-4: πως ημεις εκφευξομεθα τηλικαυτης αμελησαντες σωτηριας ητις αρχην λαβουσα λαλεισθαι δια του κυριου υπο των ακουσαντων εις ημας εβεβαιωθη συνεπιμαρτυρουντος του θεου σημειοις τε και τερασιν και ποικιλαις δυναμεσιν και πνευματος αγιου μερισμοις κατα την αυτου θελησιν
Hebrews 2:3b-4: “which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by those who heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with different kinds of miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
The literal meaning of the phrase “which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord” is “which at the beginning the Lord seized proclaiming constantly”.
The idea the author conveys is that at the beginning of His ministry the Lord took a hold of the good news of salvation (the salvation that is not to be given the same or lesser value as the old revelation) and began to proclaim it without let up.
The picture one gets of the Lord Jesus in this verse is as if He said, “Here, give me the good news of salvation”, as He seizes it from the Father’s hand. He then begins to proclaim it boldly, without let up. This is the picture of Jesus that arises from this passage. He is an emboldened Christ, with a message of salvation of which He is thoroughly convinced, and He runs with it. He will not give it to another. He’ll make it His responsibility at that point for its preaching.
He is here more than a new Moses, a new law giver. He is the messenger of salvation, as well as the giver of salvation. He will not “outsource” His responsibility for the preaching of the good news of salvation. He will make it His own task, His mission, His very life.
The Lord’s announcement of the news of salvation is compared with God’s giving of the law at Sinai. In Sinai the giving of the law to Moses was confirmed by the voice of God heard as thunder and heard by the people.
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw, they trembled, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and so that His fear may be before your faces, so that you may not sin. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. And Jehovah said to Moses, So you shall say to the sons of Israel, You have seen that I have talked with you from the heavens (Exo 20:18-22).
The testimony of the author of Hebrews is that when the Lord Jesus spoke, His voice spoke with such authority and conviction that for them it was unmistakably the voice of God. In the old revelation the giving of the law had been confirmed by thunderings, lightnings, noise of the trumpet, the mountain wrapped up in smoke. In this greater revelation God Himself, not angels or thunderings or lightnings, or trumpet noises, nor smoke had confirmed Christ’s announcement of the good news. In this revelation it was the voice of God Himself that was heard at the baptism of Christ clearly attesting: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17). Then again at the mount of the transfiguration “a voice out of the cloud” was heard saying “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him. Keep on listening to him!" (Mat. 17:5 ISV).
Once again the author of the epistle focuses the reader’s attention on Christ, His person, His mission, His unique identity as the Son of God, of the same substance of God, as the very YHWH God of the Old Testament!
The “different kinds of miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit” manifested during the ministry of Christ were unique events designed to confirm Christ’s proclamation of the good news of the gospel. Both the Father and the Spirit, according to their will which was to love the Son, were involved in the confirmation of Christ’s announcement of the good news of salvation. This is the reason why Christ’s gospel of salvation is not to be undervalued or given an equal standing with the old revelation. Christ’s announcement of the gospel, His bold act of taking a hold of the good news and making it His task, is a much greater event than the giving of the law at Sinai. His announcement is the new law, the good news of salvation is God’s new law for humankind, and Jesus the Son is both the giver and the substance of that good news!
Hebrews 2:3b-4: πως ημεις εκφευξομεθα τηλικαυτης αμελησαντες σωτηριας ητις αρχην λαβουσα λαλεισθαι δια του κυριου υπο των ακουσαντων εις ημας εβεβαιωθη συνεπιμαρτυρουντος του θεου σημειοις τε και τερασιν και ποικιλαις δυναμεσιν και πνευματος αγιου μερισμοις κατα την αυτου θελησιν
Hebrews 2:3b-4: “which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by those who heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with different kinds of miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
The literal meaning of the phrase “which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord” is “which at the beginning the Lord seized proclaiming constantly”.
The idea the author conveys is that at the beginning of His ministry the Lord took a hold of the good news of salvation (the salvation that is not to be given the same or lesser value as the old revelation) and began to proclaim it without let up.
The picture one gets of the Lord Jesus in this verse is as if He said, “Here, give me the good news of salvation”, as He seizes it from the Father’s hand. He then begins to proclaim it boldly, without let up. This is the picture of Jesus that arises from this passage. He is an emboldened Christ, with a message of salvation of which He is thoroughly convinced, and He runs with it. He will not give it to another. He’ll make it His responsibility at that point for its preaching.
He is here more than a new Moses, a new law giver. He is the messenger of salvation, as well as the giver of salvation. He will not “outsource” His responsibility for the preaching of the good news of salvation. He will make it His own task, His mission, His very life.
The Lord’s announcement of the news of salvation is compared with God’s giving of the law at Sinai. In Sinai the giving of the law to Moses was confirmed by the voice of God heard as thunder and heard by the people.
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw, they trembled, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and so that His fear may be before your faces, so that you may not sin. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. And Jehovah said to Moses, So you shall say to the sons of Israel, You have seen that I have talked with you from the heavens (Exo 20:18-22).
The testimony of the author of Hebrews is that when the Lord Jesus spoke, His voice spoke with such authority and conviction that for them it was unmistakably the voice of God. In the old revelation the giving of the law had been confirmed by thunderings, lightnings, noise of the trumpet, the mountain wrapped up in smoke. In this greater revelation God Himself, not angels or thunderings or lightnings, or trumpet noises, nor smoke had confirmed Christ’s announcement of the good news. In this revelation it was the voice of God Himself that was heard at the baptism of Christ clearly attesting: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17). Then again at the mount of the transfiguration “a voice out of the cloud” was heard saying “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him. Keep on listening to him!" (Mat. 17:5 ISV).
Once again the author of the epistle focuses the reader’s attention on Christ, His person, His mission, His unique identity as the Son of God, of the same substance of God, as the very YHWH God of the Old Testament!
The “different kinds of miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit” manifested during the ministry of Christ were unique events designed to confirm Christ’s proclamation of the good news of the gospel. Both the Father and the Spirit, according to their will which was to love the Son, were involved in the confirmation of Christ’s announcement of the good news of salvation. This is the reason why Christ’s gospel of salvation is not to be undervalued or given an equal standing with the old revelation. Christ’s announcement of the gospel, His bold act of taking a hold of the good news and making it His task, is a much greater event than the giving of the law at Sinai. His announcement is the new law, the good news of salvation is God’s new law for humankind, and Jesus the Son is both the giver and the substance of that good news!
posted by www.exadventista.com @ 5:18 AM
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