Hebrews: The New Covenant Administration of Christ Max A Forsythe (c) Anno Domini 2002

From the Pulpit at Pilgrim's Rest Presbyterian Church in America

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Introduction:  In Shakespeare’s greatest siloquy, that of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”  the Great Dane examines several theories on the place and plight of the soul after death.  In the context of the play  Prince Hamlet has lost his rightful throne to his uncle and has been informed that he should not return to college studies but remain within the confines of the royal castle.  Indeed, he is little more than a royal prisoner and he believes he must play a pretended madness game of cat and mouse in order to even survive.  While the prospect of revolution could be considered, as well as suicide  he hesitates and wonders in the siloquy if a sudden death could improve his lot or not?

To be brief, at least two thoughts on death cross his mind as he argues with himself for what course of action to take.  One theory on death that he considers briefly is if any or every death results in nothingness?  As he briefly considers the prospect, he understands the potential of that belief.  However, he is called back to the Christian doctrine through a careful analysis of what may happen:

 “to die, to sleep;

To sleep? Perchance to dream, Ay, there’s the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come? …

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveler returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?”

What dreams may come after death has been a real dilemma for mankind since the dawn of time.  Yet, even primitive pagans realize some hope of an afterlife even as we see here in the ruminations of Hamlet himself.  However much of the Christian gospel Shakespeare knew and understood we can never know for certain  yet, the themes of providence, punishment and reward are not unknown throughout the many different plays that were published in his short time on earth.  The final outcome of Hamlet’s personal dilemma is left partially unresolved, but there is the implied blessing of Hamlet’s friend Horatio to leave him to the care of a Divine providence:  “Good night sweet Prince; and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!”  Even and ever as we might offer a same glimmer of hope in eternity for all of those in attendance at any common and ordinary  funeral.

Development:  I recently had a conversation with a friend who had attended a funeral, she was pleasantly surprised that hymns were sung  having never been to a funeral where that had been done.  Instead of the dreadful mourning that is becoming all too common, she was left with a sense of hope in the doctrines present in the hymns chosen.  The same sort of pleasant surprise was shared with me by both funeral directors when we remembered Ruth Brown and Harold Kuhn before the Lord of all the earth.  There was a cheerful, hopeful difference that stood out in the minds of men who provide these services day in and day out over the course of long lives.

It is a hope long cherished from the time of Adam and finally made manifest in the resurrection of glorification of Jesus Christ.  A Christian hope almost abandoned by the worldly in our time who presume either that everyone accomplishes salvation by death or ceases to exist!  No wonder, much of the world around us is so uptight about the dreadful subject  simply because they have not realized the doctrine being explained before us in the text for today.

It is a doctrine well known to Paul when he writes to the Corinthians in both letters, it is a doctrine of hope which is central to all of the gospel writers.  It is a doctrine “that the apostle takes for granted will be known by the Hebrews: (as John Owen writes it) first, that the devil had the power over death; second, that because of this, people were full of fear of death and so lived a life of anxiety because of their fear of death; third, that the Messiah could deliver people from this state; and fourth, that the Messiah would accomplish this through his suffering.”

Let us look carefully at the two verses in our text for today and analyze the substance of what is well written.  We begin with the first phrase of verse fourteen:  “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood.”  The words “flesh and blood” here refers simply to the human condition.  It “is a common expression for mankind or human nature,” John Brown carefully asserts.   He goes on to explain further:  “To be a ‘partaker of flesh and blood,’ is just to be a man.”  Then he goes on to argue further:  “’The children’ were men.  “’The children’ here are plainly ‘the heirs of salvation’ the sons of God to be brought ‘to glory’ the ‘brethren’ of the Messiah.”

The next phrase is also pregnant with meaning.  When we read: “‘he himself likewise partook of the same things”  We should focus on the implications of the word “partook”.  John Brown tells us why:  “The language of the inspired writer seems obviously intended to suggest the idea of the pre-existence of the Deliverer of men before He became a man.”

This is an important point doctrinally. Jesus didn’t simply appear to be a man, he was indeed “flesh and blood” even while He was also “God of very God” as the creeds would emphasize as well.

John Brown again explains the case before us:  “The design of the Saviour in assuming the nature of the saved  a nature capable of suffering and death  was, that He might be capable of suffering and dying, - that He actually might suffer and die, and thus accomplish what, in consistency with the perfections of the divine moral nature, and the principles of the divine moral government, could not be otherwise accomplished  the destruction of the power of the great enemy of His people, and their complete and everlasting deliverance from his dominion.”

The last portion of verse fourteen celebrates the victory over death and Satan:  “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

There is a lot wrapped up in those few words.  John Owen explains.  The power of Satan “lay in his power in and over death, for he holds the power of death.  He was the means of bringing death into the world.  He was able to introduce sin and so he had power to bring in death also.  Romans 5: 12 states, ‘just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.’ Satan is called the ‘prince of this world’ (John 12: 31), and the ‘god’ of this world (2 Corinthians 4: 4) in that all in the world are under the guilt of that sin and death that he brought to them.  God passed the death sentence against sin, and then Satan’s power frightened men’s consciences and so brought them into slavery.”

Application:  This much we knew of course from the Old Covenant record, but what is new in the Covenant administered in Christ is that which the Old Covenant saints could see only in faith and hope, that which is now declared clearly and plainly in verse fifteen: “and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

The ongoing power of the great deceiver is circumscribed; he is nothing more than a junkyard dog on a short leash.  Whereas before the coming of Christ and His triumph over death  we may presume that Satan had slightly more leeway.  It is not without cause that in the miracles recorded from the hand and word of Jesus  that Satan’s minions were driven out of persons being saved.

If I may not sound too pithy, what we are describing here is a lot like driving cattle from one closed area to another.  It takes quite a bit to get them moving, but once they are moving  if you keep up the pressure they will go where you want them to go.  The hellish leader of course resisted the providential coming and purpose of Jesus Christ and in the short run appeared to win a great victory in the crucifixion.  However  a short three days later the important battle had been won in Christ’s resurrection. And Satan’s reign is much reduced and the enemy is and has been on the run ever since.

The final battle of course remains to be finished  but the victory is assured.  Even as we await the beginning of the end in Baghdad  we know full well that once the charge is sounded  the Madman and his devilish servants have little hope, except in hell where we may within God’s will and allowance quickly send them!

And what is accomplished because of what we learn in these verses?  There is the blessed hope in the verb “delivered,” which certainly and finally describes what Christ has done for us!  What is being described here is the accomplishment of our own salvation which is the “deliverance” from the power of the evil one and the handing over of our souls to the care and protection of Jesus Christ.  Years ago, when I was required to make night bank drops for the store where I worked, we were encouraged at a certain level of dollars to request a police escort down the street.  So we would wait at the door and when the patrol care pulled up, we would walk out to our vehicle, jump in and drive two blocks to the bank, kept under observation all the while.

Such is the kind care of our risen Savior in our lives today.  Because He has called us, because He has died for us and risen again we are safe forever in His hands.  May we always remember to give thanks for what Jesus has done for us, and if we understand the words correctly and apply them carefully  we may learn that there is no fear in death for those who belong to Christ.  May the mind of Christ be yours in this matter.  Amen.