The Incarnation and the Defeat of Death’s Power—Lectionary Reflection for Christmas 1A (Hebrews 2:10-18)

Hebrews 2:10-18 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

¹⁰ It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹ For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ¹² saying,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;

    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”

¹³ And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”

¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶ For it is clear that he did not come to help angels but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

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                The Sunday following Christmas is often referred to as a “low Sunday.” Preachers, including me, often take that Sunday off from preaching. It’s a good Sunday to join with other churches for lections and carols.  Nevertheless, the lectionary offers us texts to consider. The Gospel reading comes from Matthew 2:13-23, which features the massacre of the innocents and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. The opening verses, which speak of the visit of the Magi, are saved for Epiphany. The first reading for the day comes from Isaiah 63:7-9, where the prophet known as Third Isaiah speaks of the Lord whose presence among the people saves them. Since I am working through the Second Readings (normally one of the Epistles), my attention goes to the reading from Hebrews 2:10-18. The text before us comes from Hebrews 2:10-18.

                The Book of Hebrews (is it a letter, a sermon, or some other form of literature?) is rather enigmatic. We don’t know who wrote it or to whom it was written. The author, whoever that might be, seeks to put Jesus in a Jewish context, such that he serves as the perfect high priest who offers himself as the atoning sacrifice. Because sacrifice plays a significant role in the book, it is repelling for many modern Christians who wonder why Jesus must suffer so we can be free from sin. The Book of Hebrews, while it sets Jesus within a Jewish context, also diminishes Judaism, suggesting that in Christ there is a better covenant that is mediated by the perfect high priest who need not offer sacrifices on his own behalf. Thus, the author writes in chapter 8: “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one” (Heb. 8:1-9). I believe my Jewish friends would not accept that interpretation of their religious faith. So, perhaps we might envision this new covenant in Christ in ways that do not denigrate Judaism, which would be my preference.

                With the above caveat in mind, we can move into our reading from chapter 2 of Hebrews. As we ponder the meaning of the Christmas story, which focuses on the birth of a child who, as Matthew’s Gospel proclaims, is “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23), and yet whose family, again drawing from Matthew, must flee because a murderous king wishes to do him harm (Matt. 2). Whether he qualifies for refugee status since Egypt is also part of the Roman Empire might be a matter of debate, according to Matthew his family sought shelter where Herod could not harm him. He may have escaped that threat, but eventually he would face a threat he could not avoid. When that day came, according to the story of Holy Week, he would die on a cross in Jerusalem. For the author of Hebrews, this event has atoning significance.

                In the preceding verses, the author draws from Psalm 8:4-6, which asks the question of why God would take an interest in humanity and their fate. Though lower than angels, for some reason God had crowned them with glory and honor. In answering that question, attention is placed on Jesus, who, though he became lower than angels, was crowned with glory after suffering death, “so that he might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:5-9). Our reading begins by declaring that it was fitting that God would bring children to glory by making the pioneer of our salvation perfect through suffering.  

One of the great questions that still haunts Christianity is the question of why salvation seems to require suffering on the part of Jesus. This question has led to the development of numerous atonement theories, with the most popular in Protestant circles being “penal substitution.” While this theory is rather simple, it presents numerous problems, with the most important being why God’s mercy requires the suffering and death of someone. I can’t go into the details of the debate here, but it is an issue that bedevils Christians. That Jesus suffered and died on a cross is not a matter of debate. What is up for debate is the meaning of that death.

In offering a response to the question of the basis of our salvation, the author of Hebrews declares that both those being sanctified and the one who sanctifies share the same Father. Therefore, Jesus isn’t ashamed to call us brothers and sisters (siblings). He makes this declaration of his relationship with us in the midst of the congregation, as he gives praise to the Father, in whom Jesus places his trust as he stands with the children the Father gave to him. Therefore, through his sufferings, Jesus becomes one with us, sharing in our suffering. Richard Ward puts it this way:

It is that experience of suffering as a human being that makes Jesus fully one with human beings. The idea that the preexistent Son was joined with human beings in the experience of suffering infuses the sufferer’s plight with meaning. The sufferer has “help” in the person of Jesus (2:18), who serves as “pioneer” and “priest” on their behalf— “priest” because through him they have access to God’s abundant grace and are brought into God’s presence; “pioneer” because he models trust in God, even as his faith in the goodness of God is being tested.  [Connections,  Kindle Edition, loc. 4055].

So, as Jesus’ siblings, who gain this status because of his sufferings on our behalf, we have access to salvation, and therefore to God’s glory.

                When it comes to the incarnation, the author makes it clear that Jesus shares with us full humanity— “flesh and blood.” As such, he shares our propensity to die. By suffering and dying, he destroys the one who holds the power of death. That would be the devil (there’s another word many Christians struggle with, perhaps because of its overuse by some). Here, we need to be careful that we don’t embrace a form of Manichaeism, such that God and the devil are somehow equal to each other. The devil, according to Hebrews, has power over death, but not ultimate power. By undergoing suffering and death, Jesus breaks death’s hold on us. It is clear from reading the New Testament, especially 1 Corinthians 15, that death is an enemy, but that Jesus has overcome it.  Luke Timothy Johnson notes that Jesus conquers death not by commanding its disappearance but by undergoing it. “What is remarkable about Hebrews’ statement is the instrumental phrase “through death,” which matches the phrase “through sufferings” in 2: 10: Jesus does not conquer death by avoiding it or commanding its disappearance, but by experiencing it in the manner of other human beings. [Johnson, Hebrews (The New Testament Library) (Kindle, p. 194).] Therefore, we need not fear death (though we need not court it as is often true for some who seek martyrdom).  Therefore, we have been set free, so that we might be freed from the slavery that is the fear of death. Just to be clear, Jesus did not come to help angels, who are not subject to death, but the descendants of Abraham.

                In the final two verses of our reading, the message of the sacrifice of atonement emerges. The first declaration is the one that connects our reading with Christmas. In verse 17, the author of Hebrews declares that “he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God.” He is like us in “every respect.” That is, he is fully human, such that he might be tested and even suffer, even as we do. Therefore, he can serve as a “sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.” Note that there is no mention of the cross here. Rather, Jesus serves as a high priest standing before the altar. While high priests might offer a lamb, this high priest offers himself by doing so; he atones for the sins of the people.

                The Greek word translated as atonement (expiation) is hilaskesthai, which in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament translates the Hebrew kippur, which often speaks of the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat as on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). As history shows, there have been several ways this has been interpreted, including the idea of recapitulation, in which Jesus’ entire life and death serve as the atoning sacrifice, a sacrifice rooted in the kenotic manner of his earthly life and death. This leads to the final verse, where we read that “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he can help those who are being tested” (Heb. 2:18). Because he was tested through his suffering, he can help those who are also tested in their suffering. In other words, he assists us in overcoming the fear of suffering and death because, like us, he experienced suffering and death. Of course, death is not the final word. There is still resurrection to come.

Christmas informs us that God is with us in Emmanuel, the child born in Bethlehem. God remains with us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, who is the perfect high priest and the pioneer of our salvation. So, we sing with the angels:

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings,

Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die,

Born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn king!”

                                —Charles Wesley, 1739, alt.

 

Image Attribution: Swanson, John August. Flight into Egypt, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56547 [retrieved December 21, 2025]. Original source: Estate of John August Swanson, https://www.johnaugustswanson.com/.