You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.” In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.
Hebrews 2:7,8
When it comes to doing just about anything with my hands, I’m terrible at best. Or, to be more honest, I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. If I have to make something perfectly horizontal with one of those levels, I’m hopeless.
You know what I’m talking about when I say one of those levels. You can fine them in any neighborhood hardware store. Even the “big box” home improvement centers have them. The fancier ones even come with a laser to make sure you get it right. That there’s no way for you to not have a perfectly horizontal, level line.
Well, they should hire me as a consultant to see how someone can make an absolute mess of making something level. I can hold the long, straight level in my hands. And I see that the little bubble that says when it’s parallel to the ground. But then everything starts to go sideways.
The bubble never starts out in the middle, it’s always on one side or the other. So, I try and gently tap the level up and down, trying with all my might to get that little bubble in the middle. But, when I tap it on one side, that darn bubble goes too far to the one side. So, I then gently tap the level on the other side. This time, that bubble races to the opposite side.
And so it goes. Once I start, it just goes on and on. Up and down. Right and left. From one side to another. No matter how gently I tap one side, that bubble just won’t cooperate. It just jumps all over the place. From one side to the other. You can’t imagine the total frustration I feel inside.
That bubble goes left and right like a dance. It just doesn’t want to stay in the middle. Or, I should say, I can’t get it to stay in the middle. I can’t control it. I can’t make it do what I want it to. It seems to have a mind of its own. It’s totally out of my control.
When the writer of this letter to the Hebrews tries to describe God’s Son, he’s sort of got the same problem. How do you describe perfection to imperfect humans? How do you explain God to flawed and broken people like you and me? I’ll tell you how, he uses the lover and higher approach.
Lower. God’s Son is a little lower than the angels. When he comes from outside this world, the Son doesn’t have all the powers and abilities given to angels. He’s a spiritual person like the angels, but different because the Son has no beginning. He’s from all eternity past. He has no beginning. He was not created like the angels. And when he comes into this world, he arrives as a man. Not a superman, but like you and me.
Higher. God crowned him glory and honor and put everything under his feet. The Son came down, but one day will return. He came lower but will be lifted up and return to the highest place possible. Back on the throne of heaven. He’ll return to his rightful place with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
And this is how life goes also. Isn’t it? Life’s a roller coaster. You go up and then you go down. And then there’s another up followed by another downward fall. The only thing that you depend on from this life is this constant up and down. Being thrown around by forces you can’t see. Powers that you can’t control.
Yes, life is a roller coaster. We can’t stop it. But we can look for someone else to ride along with us. To hold our hand. To go through the ups and downs with us. Someone who can go through the Ride of Life[1] with us.
So, when I hear you calling 'Cause you have hit your all time low
I will hold you to my side and I won't let you go
And when it seems your falling 'Cause life has got you on a roll
I will take the wheel and hit the brakes we'll take it slow
And as you go through highs and lows And all that's in between
The Lord alone is in control of this big scream machine[2]
The question isn’t if life’s going to throw you up and down, it’s how are we going to respond? Or, should I say, who we’re going to respond towards? Are we going to try and fix this life ourselves, or are we going to turn towards the Son? Will we give him the right to design our roller coaster ride of life? Will we trust him to be with us through each and every turn?
Notice that I didn’t say that it would be easy. Or that life would be one great big party where everything turns into a fairytale ending. There’s not even a promise that it’s going to make sense either. But the God-given promise, the God-guaranteed commitment is that he will make everything right. It may not be in this life, but Jesus promises to wipe away every tear. He will make all things new[3]. So, are we willing to wait?
Noodling Questions
Do you tend to think of life in terms of lower or higher. Explain.
How has God followed this idea of lower and higher? Give examples.
Why do we think that an easy life is a blessed life?
[2] Ride of Life, Songwriters: Donald. Koch, Mark Harris, © Capitol CMG Publishing
[3] Revelation 21:4,5
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