But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9
As my wife had me search through the online catalogue for curtains, we skimmed through pages and pages of items until we found something that she thought she would like. As I clicked that item, to obtain a closer view, the item opened in a new window on the page, and everything else on the page became fuzzy and blurry, so that the selected item was the only thing in clear focus. This is what we do today, as we gather to remember our Lord; the things of the world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
We have to live in a world that keeps us busy with attending to our needs for food, clothing, and shelter. But today, we set aside those considerations, and see Jesus. We all encounter little and big crises in our lives, things that demand our attention and effort, but today, those issues fade into insignificance as we focus on our Saviour. We are all so different in our personalities and appearances, but today, those differences matter not a whit, as unitedly, we fix our gaze on the One in the midst. All of earth and self becomes fuzzy and unimportant, as we seek to give our Lord the preeminence He deserves.
What do we see of Jesus today? Our text tells us we see Him made lower than angels, humbled to the level of humanity. The One who made us in His image was made in our image. While never yielding His deity, He willingly, lovingly, and eternally took on humanity. He did so for the suffering of death – our death. This brings His suffering on the cross into focus today. We see Him lifted in anguish and torment, suffering the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God.
What else do we see of Jesus today? Our text tells us we see Him crowned with glory and honour. The tears and groanings of Gethsemane are replaced with adoration and praise from His saints. The spitting and rejection of Gabbatha are replaced by the highest station in Glory. The cruel thorns of Golgotha are replaced today with a victor’s wreath. We see Jesus today as the mighty Conqueror and as the King of Kings.
Today, we see Jesus, Whom we ought to have seen as our judge, as our Friend, our Saviour, and our Lord. – Jim MacIntosh