Per Hebrews 2:9, Jesus was indeed temporarily “lower than the angels”, but He has now been given glory and honor. Why? Because He took on humanity and the death that we deserved, so that we could accept His death to pay for our sins.
In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again he says,
“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”
Hebrews 2:10-13 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.2.10-13.NIV
I’ll let others explain how Jesus was made perfect through suffering, but let’s consider that even after we have received salvation through Jesus Christ, our sufferings have a purpose, too.
What is amazing (and would have been impressive to those in the first century, too) is that Jesus is willing to call us His family – His siblings. I think that we can all agree that there is no comparison here between us and Jesus. Jesus is greater than the angels, glorified and honored by God the Father. He lived perfectly and yet died for our sins. On the other hand, we are, well…us: fallible, broken sinners, undeserving of an eternity with God and only saved through incredible grace and unthinkable sacrifice.
Still, despite our shortcomings, we can be part of the family of God – children of God. Note that we don’t get there because we were better than anyone else. We didn’t create our own holiness, but rather we were made holy…made holy by God after we had made ourselves “ordinary” or “common” through our sins. (By the way, if your translation reads “sanctified” in this passage, that means made holy. And, per Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.87, since being holy is being set apart, we are not just set apart for any old purpose: we are set apart for God.
As a result, Jesus doesn’t have to be ashamed of us because our sins were all paid for…by Jesus Himself.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.2.14-15.NIV
If salvation hadn’t come through Jesus, the devil would have won. Satan hates God and he hates humankind, and wants to drag as many people into his punishment as possible. In a universe that points us to a good and loving God who is worthy of our honor and praise, the devil will do everything he can to lie, cheat, and distract people from the obvious…not because he wants to win the final battle (since he knows that he won’t), but because he wants to destroy what God loves.
Even today, where salvation isn’t accepted, the devil wins. As a result, it is so important not only to share the good news – the truth – about salvation through Jesus Christ, but also to help people understand who God really is and what He is really like. And, as the author of Hebrews reminds us elsewhere, it is critical to stick with our faith, even when that becomes a challenge.
In the meantime, though, may we remember that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, and that this was on purpose. When you are talking with someone about your faith, don’t forget that the gospel of Jesus Christ is completely opposite of most worldviews. There’s a reason for that: Satan is pushing as many lies as he can to distract people from the truth, because – again – the devil hates people. Conversely, God actually loves us so much that He did the only thing that could possibly save us, despite the terrible cost to Himself. I’d like to think that most people would follow Jesus if they just understood and believed who God really is and what He has done for us.
So yes, we need to preserve the truth about Jesus, but because He lived as a person, He understands us. He understands you and what you are going through – probably better than anyone else in the world. And, He loves you and can help you through whatever is going on. He is even willing to call you “brother” or “sister”!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for January 11, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 