But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. (10) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (11) For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.

The author of Hebrews is unknown. The primary group addressed were Hebrew Christians who suffered rejection and persecution by fellow Jews. The letter was written to give them encouragement and confidence in Christ, their Messiah and High-Priest. Judaism had a very difficult time with a suffering Messiah so we can understand how the author of Hebrews, dealing with professing Jewish believers who are in danger of rejecting Christ would underline the necessity of the sufferings of the Lord. Christ is spoken of as a captain (author) of the many and He will bring them to glory. As originator of their salvation he had to suffer and die. His person is perfect but He had to be perfected through suffering as a Savior. Jesus is the Son of God, in incarnation taking the form of a man, making purification for sin. He is constituted the heir of all things as He created all things. He makes the invisible God visible

Capital punishment serves justice and warns that those who may consider a similar crime that they might be executed: but consider how it could be fitting that a good man die. That is precisely what the author of Hebrews says about the death of Jesus Christ. Jewish Christians were struggling with the offense of the cross. They were tempted by unbelieving Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah because He died – not as conqueror or hero but as a common criminal, the most shameful death on a Roman cross. The author of Hebrews is showing why Jesus’ death did not disqualify Him as Messiah and Savior. In fact, Jesus’ death was God’s means not only to glorify Jesus but to also bring many sons to glory. It was part of God’s eternal plan – the cross did not thwart this plan but fulfilled it. Jesus death was fitting because it displays God’s perfect attributes – justice demanded that the penalty for sin be paid. His death was fitting because it confirms His perfect humanity. Jesus is perfect in His attributes and perfect in moral obedience. To be our perfect substitute He had to be without sin Himself but had to experience life as a human in this fallen world. To be our perfect sympathetic High Priest, He had to be tempted in all things, as we are, yet without sin. His suffering and death confirmed His perfect humanity and qualified Him as author of our salvation.

Trust in the death of Jesus as the only acceptable payment for sin. It is not a stumbling block or foolishness to you but rather the power and wisdom of God. Jesus Christ is God’s final word to man.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! (2) Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. (3) Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. (4) Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. (5) You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. (6) You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Our verses today were written to the unbelieving rich oppressors by James, the half brother of Jesus and the head of the ancient church in Jerusalem. James turns his full attention to their foolishness in amassing wealth in the face of the coming of the Lord in judgment and addresses particular sins they have committed. The reason for writing to unbelievers is both to comfort the Christian who has suffered at their hands and also to warn the believers of the true condition of many of the wealthy. Weep and howl are the response of the rich when judgment falls on them; words such as rotten, moth-eaten and rusted reveal the real worthlessness of the wealth these people have accumulated. To be rich without God is to be short sighted. Wealth of this world is temporary – eternity is ahead. Man may pursue wealth to neglect pursuing God; or to trust wealth as a solution to our deepest need – both are folly. The things some trust for comfort now will result in final ruin.

There is nothing wrong with living comfortably but these things become a problem when they begin to control us instead of us controlling them. To be rich without God provides short term advantages but long term loss – nobody escapes God’s judgment. Be careful not to use wealth in an ungodly manner; hoarding, cheating people out of money, living in luxury while disregarding needs of others, hurting people for the sake of gain. A small sin always exposes us to worse sin. And no man can be certain that his wealth will abide – it may be swept away in a most unexpected manner. James rebukes selfish pleasure lovers who have been wanton and whose doom is certain in the coming day of the Lord.

The spirit the rich manifested in heaping treasures together, oppressing the poor and needy, robbing them and living in pleasure is the same which condemned and killed the just one, the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not resist. Wealth can be a good tool if we are careful to use it as stewards for the Lord – or a dangerous trap if we adopt a worldly perspective towards it.