Hebrews 2:5-18 | Jesus & Suffering
Why Jesus Suffered: Life, Freedom, and Adoption Through the Son of Man (Hebrews 2:5-18)
If Jesus is the reigning King—greater than the angels and worthy of all praise—why did he suffer and die? The book of Hebrews (2:5-18) answers this foundational question by showing that Christ’s humiliation was the necessary pathway to His ultimate exaltation, bringing us three radical gifts: Life, Freedom, and Adoption.
The message of Hebrews 2 is clear: when Jesus faced sin, death, and Satan, the fight was not close. He conquered them all and inaugurated His reign as King. In the chaos of life, we must look to King Jesus.
1. Look to King Jesus for Life (Defeating Death)
The passage quotes Psalm 8, identifying Jesus as the Son of Man—the exalted representative of humanity, or as the sermon put it, the "goat" (greatest of all time). The objection arises: if He reigns over everything, why is there still so much suffering?
Hebrews confirms we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him (v. 8), but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while (humiliation), and then crowned with glory and honor (exaltation) because of the suffering of death.
Crucially, Jesus was made "perfect through suffering" (v. 10). This doesn't mean He went from sinful to sinless; it means He perfectly established His priestly and kingly reign over death as our champion. For Christians, this means:
Your suffering is not karma, fate, or pointless.
Your pain has a purpose because you suffer in the presence of a loving God.
In the Christian life, suffering will always lead to glory, and death always leads to resurrection.
Tim Keller said, "Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel makes him just a gardener." All death can do now is plant us for something extraordinary.
2. Look to King Jesus for Freedom (Destroying Satan)
The Devil uses our fear of death to keep us in lifelong slavery (v. 15). Satan works by encouraging sin, which leads to death, and exploiting our fear of mortality.
Through the cross, Jesus defeated the Devil. Hebrews 2:14 states that through death, he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil. This is the Christus Victor model of atonement—Christ is the victor over sin, death, and Satan.
Because Christ triumphed over the demonic powers:
You don't have to be afraid of chronic illness or death; Jesus gets the final word.
When you face spiritual attack, Jesus is there protecting you.
When Satan whispers lies ("You will always be alone," "You don't deserve love"), Jesus shows you your infinite value by dying for you.
If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (John 8:36).
3. Look to King Jesus for Adoption (The Merciful High Priest)
Because we were separated from God by sin, we were spiritual orphans. But Jesus came to welcome us into the family of God.
Hebrews says Jesus is "not ashamed to call them brothers" (v. 11). The Son of God became a human being so that human beings could become sons and daughters of God.
To achieve this, Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every respect (v. 17) to become a merciful and faithful high priest who makes propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means He turned aside God's just wrath by bearing our sin in His own body on the cross, allowing us to receive God’s love freely.
Because Jesus suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted (v. 18). He understands sin better than we do because He faced temptation longer without giving in. Richard Sibs said, "There is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us." When we are weak, God's heart leans in closer, offering us a limitless supply of grace.