⁹ But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Jesus—He is finally named! Not that His identify was hidden, but the humbleness of His being made a little lower than the angels follows a crescendo into His breaking forth as higher than the angels – and His name is now fully revealed.

Faith sees broadly the sweeping span of God’s purpose in Jesus Christ. This verse says it all in one succinct summary. And through faith, we can say that, “We do see…” It is just as real, no, even more real, than physical sight. That is why the author in Heb 3:1 says to “consider Jesus” and in Heb 12:2 to fix our eyes upon Him. Faith is the filter through which we perceive the world around us and God in it. Like the young witness who told this author, “Jesus is more real to me than you are.”

Faith then takes as truth that Jesus was incarnate, God in the flesh, and that that incarnation was a lowering of Himself. This lowering is epitomized in the extreme human experience of death. There was nothing angelic or exalted in this experience. Angels do not experience the human life cycle of birth and death. Jesus did. For God, this was a humbling and lowering of Himself.

Now, some observations are important here. Jesus’ suffering had the direct purpose and result of bringing Him glory and honor. The great irony of the ages is that God transformed the human experience – what a relevant thing for the readers who themselves were experiencing persecution for their faith. Death is no longer to be feared, because Jesus has experienced it for us.

The phrase “for everyone,” we take to speak of substitution. He died in our place as our substitute. Further, this substitution is universal, as John affirms, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world”(1 John 2:2).

While clearly Jesus fully died, the reference to “tasting” death refers to His personal experience of it, similar to a person tasting food. One eats food to sustain his body, but one tastes food for the personal experience of the food. So, Jesus fully and personally experienced death. It was just a matter of fact. He entered fully into the experience.

Finally, this experiencing of death was by God’s grace. It is a gift to us that He took our place in this fully human experience.