Hebrews 2:17
For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.
So He had to be made like His brothers in every way
This phrase emphasizes the necessity of Christ's incarnation. The Greek word for "had to" (ὤφειλεν, "opheilen") implies a moral obligation or necessity. It was essential for Jesus to fully partake in human nature to fulfill His redemptive mission. The term "brothers" (ἀδελφοῖς, "adelphois") signifies the shared humanity between Christ and believers, underscoring the familial bond and solidarity. The phrase "in every way" (κατὰ πάντα, "kata panta") highlights the completeness of His identification with humanity, experiencing all aspects of human life except sin.

so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest
The purpose of Christ's full humanity is revealed here. The Greek word for "merciful" (ἐλεήμων, "eleēmōn") conveys compassion and empathy, essential qualities for a high priest who intercedes for the people. "Faithful" (πιστός, "pistos") indicates reliability and trustworthiness, assuring believers of Christ's steadfastness in His priestly role. The term "high priest" (ἀρχιερεύς, "archiereus") connects Jesus to the Jewish sacrificial system, where the high priest mediated between God and the people, foreshadowing Christ's ultimate mediation.

in service to God
This phrase underscores the divine appointment and purpose of Christ's priesthood. The Greek word for "service" (τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, "ta pros ton Theon") implies duties performed in relation to God, highlighting the sacred nature of Christ's mission. His priestly service is not self-serving but directed towards fulfilling God's redemptive plan, aligning with the Old Testament understanding of priestly duties as acts of worship and obedience to God.

to make atonement for the sins of the people
The culmination of Christ's priestly work is expressed here. The Greek term for "make atonement" (ἱλάσκεσθαι, "hilaskesthai") refers to the act of propitiation or expiation, where Christ's sacrifice satisfies divine justice and reconciles humanity to God. "Sins" (ἁμαρτίας, "hamartias") denotes the moral failures and transgressions that separate humanity from God. "The people" (τοῦ λαοῦ, "tou laou") refers to the collective body of believers, emphasizing the communal aspect of salvation. This phrase encapsulates the heart of the Gospel: Christ's sacrificial death as the means of restoring the broken relationship between God and humanity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The central figure of this verse, who is described as being made like His brothers to fulfill His role as a high priest.

2. High Priest
A significant role in Jewish tradition, responsible for making atonement for the people's sins. Jesus is portrayed as the ultimate High Priest.

3. Brothers
Refers to humanity, emphasizing Jesus' identification with mankind.

4. Atonement
The act of making amends for sin, which Jesus accomplishes through His sacrifice.

5. God
The one whom Jesus serves as a merciful and faithful high priest.
Teaching Points
The Humanity of Christ
Jesus' full humanity is essential for His role as our high priest. He understands our struggles and can intercede for us effectively.

The Faithfulness of Christ
Jesus' faithfulness in His priestly duties assures us of His reliability and trustworthiness in our salvation.

The Mercy of Christ
As a merciful high priest, Jesus offers compassion and grace, inviting us to approach Him with confidence.

The Necessity of Atonement
Understanding the need for atonement highlights the seriousness of sin and the depth of God's love in providing a way for reconciliation.

Our Identity in Christ
As Jesus identifies with us, we are called to identify with Him, living out our faith in a way that reflects His character.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding Jesus' humanity enhance your relationship with Him?

2. In what ways can you rely on Jesus' faithfulness in your daily life?

3. How does Jesus' role as a merciful high priest influence your approach to prayer and confession?

4. What does the concept of atonement mean to you personally, and how does it affect your view of sin and forgiveness?

5. How can you reflect Jesus' character in your interactions with others, knowing He was made like us in every way?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Philippians 2:7-8
This passage describes Jesus taking on human form and humbling Himself, which parallels His being made like His brothers in Hebrews 2:17.

Leviticus 16
The Day of Atonement rituals provide a backdrop for understanding Jesus' role as the high priest who makes atonement for sins.

1 John 2:2
This verse speaks of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, reinforcing His role in Hebrews 2:17.

Hebrews 4:15
Highlights Jesus' ability to sympathize with our weaknesses, as He was made like us in every way.

Romans 8:3
Discusses God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin, echoing the themes of Hebrews 2:17.
A Sermon Preached on Christmas DayR. Farindon, J. D.Hebrews 2:17
Advantages of Christ's Manifestation in the FleshH. Usher, D. D.Hebrews 2:17
Christ a Merciful and Faithful High PriestG. Lawson.Hebrews 2:17
Christ Like His BrethrenS. Charters.Hebrews 2:17
Christ Our High Priest, Merciful and FaithfulB. Whichcote, D. D.Hebrews 2:17
Christ S Likeness unto His BrethrenA. B. Bruce, D. D.Hebrews 2:17
Christ's Intercession CompassionateThomas Watson.Hebrews 2:17
Christ's Priestly OfficeW. Bridge, M. A.Hebrews 2:17
Colossians I. 15-18St. Chrysostom Hebrews 2:17
Human Nature of ChristC. H. Spurgeon.Hebrews 2:17
Like to His BrethrenHomilistHebrews 2:17
Our High PriestH. W. Beecher.Hebrews 2:17
Our High Priest's BlessingW. Bridge, M. AHebrews 2:17
Our High Priest's OfferingW. Bridge, M. A.Hebrews 2:17
Reconciliation with GodJohn Bate.Hebrews 2:17
The Father's Pity and the Son's SympathyJ. O. Dykes, D. D.Hebrews 2:17
The Generosity of Our KinsmanGibbon.Hebrews 2:17
The Reconciliation of Sinners by the Death of ChristB. Whichcote, D. D.Hebrews 2:17
The Work of Our High PriestW. Bridge, M. A.Hebrews 2:17
What Behoved ChristA. Maclaren, D. D.Hebrews 2:17
The Sublime Results of the Incarnation and Death of ChristJ.S. Bright Hebrews 2:14-18
Christ's Humanity the Result of His Desire to be More than a Savior from SinC. New Hebrews 2:17, 18
Our Great High Priest - His Functions and QualificationsW. Jones Hebrews 2:17, 18
The Incarnation Needed for an Efficient PriesthoodD. Young Hebrews 2:17, 18
People
Hebrews
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Atone, Atonement, Behooved, Behove, Behoved, Brethren, Brothers, Chief-priest, Compassionate, Expiation, Faith, Faithful, Full, Keeping, Kind, Making, Merciful, Mercy, Necessary, Obligated, Offerings, Order, Pertaining, Priest, Propitiation, Purpose, Reconciliation, Relating, Resemble, Respect, Respects, Service, Sins, Stedfast, Wherefore
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Hebrews 2:17

     2075   Christ, sinless
     2203   Christ, titles of
     2206   Jesus, the Christ
     5005   human race, and redemption
     5023   image of God
     6028   sin, deliverance from
     6606   access to God
     6610   adoption, descriptions
     6614   atonement
     6682   mediation
     6712   propitiation
     7414   priesthood, NT
     8203   character
     8306   mercifulness

Hebrews 2:11-17

     5682   family, significance

Hebrews 2:11-18

     7388   kinsman-redeemer

Hebrews 2:14-18

     5963   sympathy
     6755   union with Christ, nature of

Hebrews 2:17-18

     2021   Christ, faithfulness
     2033   Christ, humanity
     2306   Christ, high priest
     2595   incarnation
     5853   experience, of life
     6025   sin, and God's character
     6689   mercy, of Christ

Library
September 22. "We See not yet all Things Put under Him, but we See Jesus" (Heb. Ii. 8, 9).
"We see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus" (Heb. ii. 8, 9). How true this is to us all! How many things there are that seem to be stronger than we are, but blessed be His name! they are all in subjection under Him, and we see Jesus crowned above them all; and Jesus is our Head, our representative, our other self, and where He is we shall surely be. Therefore when we fail to see anything that God has promised, and that we have claimed in our experience, let us look up and see it realized
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Note B. On the Word for Holiness.
The proper meaning of the Hebrew word for holy, kadosh, is matter of uncertainty. It may come from a root signifying to shine. (So Gesenius, Oehler, Fuerst, and formerly Delitzsch, on Heb. ii. 11.) Or from another denoting new and bright (Diestel), or an Arabic form meaning to cut, to separate. (So Delitzsch now, on Ps. xxii. 4.) Whatever the root be, the chief idea appears to be not only separate or set apart, for which the Hebrew has entirely different words, but that by which a thing that is
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Men Chosen --Fallen Angels Rejected
But now we wish to draw your attention to two instances of God's doing as he pleases in the fashioning of the works of his hands--the case of angels, and in the case of men. Angels were the elder born. God created them, and it pleased him to give unto them a free will to do as they pleased; to choose the good or to prefer the evil, even as he did to man: he gave them this stipulation--that if they should prefer the good, then their station in heaven should be for ever fixed and firm; but if they
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

The Destroyer Destroyed
There is something fearful in death. It is frightful even to him that hath the most of faith. It is only the gildings of death, the afterwards, the heaven, the harp, the glory, that maketh death bearable even to the Christian. Death in itself must ever be an unutterably fearful thing to the sons of men. And oh! what ruin doth it work! It darkens the windows of the eyes; it pulls down the polished pillars of the divine architecture of the body; it turns the inhabitant the soul, out of its door, and
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Christ --Perfect through Sufferings
Our text invites us to the consideration of three particulars: first, that Christ is a perfect Savior; secondly, that he became so through suffering; and thirdly, that his being made perfect through suffering will ennoble and dignify the whole work of grace. "It became him"--it seemed fitting--that in bringing many sons unto glory he should make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." I. To begin, then, first of all with the joyous thought, so well known to you all, but so necessary
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

A God in Pain
(Good Friday.) HEBREWS ii. 9, 50. 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. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. What are we met together to think of this day? God in pain: God sorrowing; God dying for man, as far as God
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Christ's Work of Destruction and Deliverance. Rev. John H. James.
"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."--HEBREWS ii. 14, 15. There is a special and ordained connection between the incarnation and the death of our blessed Lord. Other men die in due course after they are born; he was born just that he might die. He came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give" his "life a ransom for many." It is therefore
Knowles King—The Wesleyan Methodist Pulpit in Malvern

The Song of Christ
T. S. M. Heb. ii. 12 There sounds a glorious music As though all the Heavens rejoice; There is One who singeth, and wondrous Is the gladness of His voice. A joy of surpassing sweetness, Of love no speech can tell; I hear, and my heart is broken, For the Voice I know full well. That Voice that has called me ever, Called through the years of sin; At my door beseeching and knocking "Let Me, even Me, come in." And now in His joy He singeth, In His joy He singeth of me, And all the Heavens make music
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Communion Broken --Restoration
Cant. ii. 8-iii.5 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest happly we drift away from them."--Heb. ii. 1 (R.V.). At the close of the first section we left the bride satisfied and at rest in the arms of her Beloved, who had charged the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up nor awaken His love until she please. We might suppose that a union so complete, a satisfaction so full, would never be interrupted by failure on the part of the happy bride. But, alas,
J. Hudson Taylor—Union and Communion

The Unbeliever's Unhappy Condition
This morning, with the burden of the Lord upon us, we shall speak upon the words of the text. Our first point shall be a discovery of the guilty one, "he that believeth not the Son." Next, we shall consider his offense; it lies in "not believing the Son;" thirdly, we shall lay bare the sinful causes which create this unbelief; and, fourthly, we shall show the terrible result of not believing in the Son: "he shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." May the Spirit help us in all. I.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Guiltless and Without Sin.
"For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens."--Heb. vii. 26. Throughout the ages the Church has confessed that Christ took upon Himself real human nature from the virgin Mary, not as it was before the fall, but such as it had become, by and after the fall. This is clearly stated in Heb. ii. 14, 17: "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself took part of the same . . . . Wherefore in
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Son and the Angels.
HEBREWS i. 4-ii. 18. The most dangerous and persistent error against which the theologians of the New Testament had to contend was the doctrine of emanations. The persistence of this error lay in its affinity with the Christian conception of mediation between God and men; its danger sprang from its complete inconsistency with the Christian idea of the person and work of the Mediator. For the Hebrew conception of God, as the "I AM," tended more and more in the lapse of ages to sever Him from all
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Jordan: the Decisive Start. Matthew 3:13-17. Mark 1:9-1Luke
3:21-22. The Anvil of Experience: knowledge only through experience--the Fourth, Daniel 3:25.--three Hebrews, Daniel 3.--Babylonian premier, Daniel 6:16-23.--George Mueller--Jesus made perfect through experience, Hebrews 2:10. 5:8, 9. 7:28, l.c.--all our experiences, Hebrews 2:14-18. Philippians 2:7. Hebrews 4:15, except through sin, Hebrews 4:15, l.c. 7:26. 2 Corinthians 5:21, f.c. 1 Peter 2:22. 1 John 3:5, l.c.--Jesus' suffering, Philippians 2:6-8. Hebrews 2:9, 17, 18. 4:15. His obedience, Luke
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

"For what the Law could not Do, in that it was Weak through the Flesh, God Sending his Own Son in the Likeness of Sinful Flesh,
Rom. viii. 3.--"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." For what purpose do we meet thus together? I would we knew it,--then it might be to some better purpose. In all other things we are rational, and do nothing of moment without some end and purpose. But, alas! in this matter of greatest moment, our going about divine ordinances, we have scarce any distinct or deliberate
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Child Jesus Brought from Egypt to Nazareth.
(Egypt and Nazareth, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 19-23; ^C Luke II. 39. ^a 19 But when Herod was dead [He died in the thirty-seventh year of his reign and the seventieth of his life. A frightful inward burning consumed him, and the stench of his sickness was such that his attendants could not stay near him. So horrible was his condition that he even endeavored to end it by suicide], behold, an angel of the Lord [word did not come by the infant Jesus; he was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 17),
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Letter iv. You Reply to the Conclusion of My Letter: "What have we to do with Routiniers?...
My dear friend, You reply to the conclusion of my Letter: "What have we to do with routiniers? Quid mihi cum homunculis putata putide reputantibus? Let nothings count for nothing, and the dead bury the dead! Who but such ever understood the tenet in this sense?" In what sense then, I rejoin, do others understand it? If, with exception of the passages already excepted, namely, the recorded words of God--concerning which no Christian can have doubt or scruple,--the tenet in this sense be inapplicable
Samuel Taylor Coleridge—Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit etc

"And for Sin Condemned Sin in the Flesh. "
Rom. viii. 3.--"And for sin condemned sin in the flesh." The great and wonderful actions of great and excellent persons must needs have some great ends answerable to them. Wisdom will teach them not to do strange things, but for some rare purposes, for it were a folly and madness to do great things to compass some small and petty end, as unsuitable as that a mountain should travail to bring forth a mouse. Truly we must conceive, that it must needs be some honourable and high business, that brought
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How Christ is to be Made Use Of, as the Way, for Sanctification in General.
Having shown how a poor soul, lying under the burden of sin and wrath, is to make use of Jesus Christ for righteousness and justification, and so to make use of him, go out to him, and apply him, as "he is made of God to us righteousness," 1 Cor. i. 30, and that but briefly. This whole great business being more fully and satisfactorily handled, in that forementioned great, though small treatise, viz. "The Christian's Great Interest," we shall now come and show, how a believer or a justified soul
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Christianity
WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY? WHAT is Christianity? The question seems a belated one. It never was more pertinent than now. Its pertinency rests upon two facts. First: the modern drift in Christianity and its absolute failure. Second: the phenomenal triumph of primitive Christianity. The modern drift is antagonistic to doctrine and repudiates the miraculous. It sets aside the virgin birth, has no toleration for atonement by sacrificial death, and positively refuses to accept the bodily resurrection of our
I. M. Haldeman—Christ, Christianity and the Bible

The Essay which Brings up the Rear in this Very Guilty Volume is from The...
The Essay which brings up the rear in this very guilty volume is from the pen of the "Rev. Benjamin Jowett, M.A., [Fellow and Tutor of Balliol College, and] Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford,"--"a gentleman whose high personal character and general respectability seem to give a weight to his words, which assuredly they do not carry of themselves [143] ." His performance is entitled "On the Interpretation of Scripture:" being, in reality, nothing else but a laborious denial of
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Jesus Makes a Preaching Tour through Galilee.
^A Matt. IV. 23-25; ^B Mark I. 35-39; ^C Luke IV. 42-44. ^b 35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up went out [i. e., from the house of Simon Peter], and departed into a desert place, and there prayed. [Though Palestine was densely populated, its people were all gathered into towns, so that it was usually easy to find solitude outside the city limits. A ravine near Capernaum, called the Vale of Doves, would afford such solitude. Jesus taught (Matt. vi. 6) and practiced solitary
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Characters and Names of Messiah
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. S uch was the triumphant exultation of the Old Testament Church! Their noblest hopes were founded upon the promise of MESSIAH; their most sublime songs were derived from the prospect of His Advent. By faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, they considered the gracious declarations
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

How Christ is to be Made Use of as Our Life, in Case of Heartlessness and Fainting through Discouragements.
There is another evil and distemper which believers are subject to, and that is a case of fainting through manifold discouragements, which make them so heartless that they can do nothing; yea, and to sit up, as if they were dead. The question then is, how such a soul shall make use of Christ as in the end it may be freed from that fit of fainting, and win over those discouragements: for satisfaction to which we shall, 1. Name some of those discouragements which occasion this. 2. Show what Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

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