The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 84

quot.es here. 'l'hey are not the texts we should have chosen-indeed, we should hardly have applied them to Christ; but he who, like the writer, is taught by the Spirit and has deepest spiritual insight into these pages, discerns Christ where others do not' as Jesus did when" beginning at Moses and all," etc. The Old 'l'estament begins with the promise, "'l'he seed of the woman," etc., goes on to state that he should be of the st{1 ck of Abraham, tribe of Judah, family of David, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, be a Man of sorrows, bear the chastisement of sins, and pour out his soul unto death; and then it closes with the declaration that he is about to come, and that his coming should be preceded by his forerunner. Then the Gospels come in as the counterpart and fulfil- ment of all that, and there is not an Epistle which follows which is not based on the fact with which Paul opens his Epistle to the Romans (i. 3). This doctrine is the key to the Bible ; aad no wonder, for this is the great mystery of godliness, "God was manifest in the flesh." 2. This doctrine involves that Christ was at the same time possessed ef two distinct natures. 'l'hat is hinted at here, in "not ashamed to calJ [men] brethren " which intimates an act of condescension which could not be fulfilled by one who w~s merely man. You cannot imagine, it affirmed, e.g. of Moses, or Elijah, or Paul, or John, that they were " not ashamed," etc.; the bond of brotherhood in their case existed of necessity, and there could be no humility in admitting it, as is implied with regard to Jesus. The words are meaningless, unless he was by nature far exalted above man, and assumed man's nature voluntarily. Thus the writer who declares Christ's manhood plainly implies that Christ was more than man. He who walked the earth in human nature was at the same time the most high God. It is not that he laid aside his Godhead. He could not do that; God cannot undeify himself. Being God before tlie Incarnation (as he said, "Before .Abraham was, I am"), he was God on earth as be must be for ever. How it could be we know not, but our ignorance of the mode does not prove impossibility. He who "in the beginning was God . . . was made flesh." 3. The doctrine of tM Incarnation asserts that, notwithstanding Ohrisfs Godhead, he was a real man. In opposition to the later theories that his body was a phantom, or that his soul was not human, the writer asserts here that Christ was man in every respect save sin. .Are not the particular texts quoted here chosen to prove this exhaus- tively? Man is a trinity-body, soul, and spirit; if Christ was man, he was human in these respects. "Behold I and the children which thou hast given me. Forasmuch aa the children are sharers in flesh and blood." In the Old Testament the Messiah calls men his children ; that points to likeness in physical nature. Christ was born, grew, needed food and rest, sweat drops of blood, was nailed to the cross, lay in the tomb, bore nail and spear marks. Christ had a human body. .Again, "I will declare thy Name unto my brethren." Does not that-" brethren "-point to what we call soul, the seat of affec- tion, emotion, thought, conscience, etc.? He increased in wisdom, was moved with com- 11assion. " J csus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus;" "Jesus wept." Christ had a human soul. Again, " In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise," and a!!:ain, " I will put my trust in him.'' Christ worshipping God, and trusting God I Doesn't that refer to what we call spirit, that part of our nature by which we aro brought into fellowship with the Most High? Christ's spiritual life was wrought by the Holy Ghost as ours is, tempted by our tempter, cherished by the same Divine Word, needed communion with the Father, prayed and worshipped and trusted as ours do. Christ had a human spirit. Body, soul, and spirit, he was Man amongst men. Beware of supposing that, because he waa God at the same tiID:e, his Godhead in any way lessened the infirmities nnd necessities of his humanity; no ,vould not have been truo man had it been so, and could have been no example to men. As God, there was the hiding of his power in his humanity. Christ entered on his work, and fulfilled it in the position in which Adam stood before he fell. II. ONLY AB ]IIAN COULD HE DELIVER MEN FROM BONDAGE, (Vere. 14, 15.) A confessedly difficult verse. 1. Death is curse. This text is made J.ifficult or com pre- hension because it is read as though it referred to the fear which Christians often havo of dyin~. We must remove that idea from the text. The writer is dealing with what is much more fundamental than that. Observe, the text does not speak of bondage to the fear of death, but of bondage to Satan through the fear of death. 'l'he death here spoken of is death in its main idea. Death as curse; death as witnessing to man'111iinful condition ; death as the declaration that he is wider condemnation. Man's fear of death OIi. II. 1-18.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 75