Jesus was a sight to see

JESUS WAS A SIGHT TO SEE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Hebrews 2:9 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. (NASB: Lockman)
A SERMON DELIVERED BYC. H. SPURGEON,AT THE
METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
“We see Jesus.”Hebrews 2:9.
THE apostle, in this verse, does not claim to have seenthe Lord in the flesh,
although he boasts in another passagethat he has done so, and asserts itas
one of the proofs of his apostleship. He is not, indeed, in this text referring to
any seeing ofthe Lord by mortal eyes at all; he is speaking of faith—he means
a spiritual sight of the Lord Jesus Christ. The point to which I shall have to
draw your attention this evening is that sight is very frequently used in
Scripture as a metaphor, an illustration, a symbol, to set forth what faith is.

Faith is the eye of the soul. It is the actof looking unto Jesus. In that act, by
which we are saved, we look unto Him and are savedfrom the very ends of the
earth. We look to Him, and we find Salvation. So far as seeing with these
natural eyes of ours is concerned, it is the very opposite of faith. We have
heard people speak as though they wished they had lived in the Savior’s day,
and could have seenHim. It must have been a greatprivilege to those who
were spiritually-minded, but it was no privilege (as they know now, alas, to
their regret), to those who were spiritually blind; for many of those who saw
our Lord, and heard Him preach, rose up in wrath to thrust Him out of the
synagogue, andcastHim down the brow of the hill. Instead of being overawed
by His sweetmajesty, or won by that love which sat upon His brow, they
scoffedat Him, saidHe was a Samaritan, had a devil, and was mad. Even the
sight of Jesus Christ upon the cross did not convert the men who stoodthere,
but they thrust out their tongue, and calledHim by ignominious titles, and
increasedthe sorrows ofHis death by their scornful expressions. To seeJesus
Christ with the natural eye is nothing, my brothers and sisters, forthis shall
be the lot of all men, and they shall look on Him whom they have pierced, and
shall weepand wail because ofHim. The sight of Him, when He shall come in
the latter days to judge the earth in righteousness, willbe the source of terror
to the wicked, so that there can be no kind of benefit, certainly no saving
blessing, from such a sight of Jesus Christ with the eyes as will be afforded
even to lost spirits. The apostle is speaking ofthe spiritual eye here. He is
speaking ofthat mental vision which God affords to those who have had their
eyes anointed with heavenly eye salve by the Holy Spirit, that they may see,
and our business tonight is, first of all, to show why faith is so frequently
compared to the sense of sight. I. Let us, in the first place, give our attention
for a few minutes TO THE REASON WHY FAITH IS COMPARED TO
SIGHT. Is not sight, in many respects, the noblest of all the senses?To be
deprived of any of our senses is a greatloss, but perhaps the greatest
deprivation of all is the loss of sight. Certainly, whatevermay be the degree of
pain that may follow the loss of any other sense, theywho lose their sight, lose
the noblestof human faculties. For observe, in the first place, that sight is
marvelously quick. How wondrously fast and far it travels! It does not take
you an hour to make a journey from one part of the country to another by
your eyes. You are on a mountain, and you can see 50 or a 100 miles, as the

case may be, and you see it by the simple opening of your eyes. It is all there.
Your thought is flashed far away in an instant, in the twinkling of your eye.
Standing on some of the Alpine summits, you look far and wide, and see lakes
spread at a distance beneath your feet, and far away, there is a range of black
mountains, or of hills clothed with snow;you know they are perhaps 200 miles
distant, but in a moment you are there. So quick does the sense ofsight travel,
that we go to the moon or to the sun without knowing that any space of time is
takenup by our eyes traveling there; and those remote stars which the
astronomers tell us are so distant, that they can scarcelycompute how far off
they are, yet my eyes travel to them in a secondof time, when I gaze upon the
starry firmament—so quickly does sight travel—and equally rapid is the
actionof faith. Brothers and sisters, we know not where heaven may be—
where the state, the place called “heav
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en” is, but faith takes us there in contemplation in a single moment. We
cannot tell when the Lord may come;it may not be for centuries yet, but faith
steps over the distance in a moment, and sees Him coming in the clouds of
heaven, and hears the trumpet of resurrection. It would be very difficult,
indeed it would be impossible for us to travel backwardin any other chariot
than that of faith, for it is faith which helps us to see the creation of the world,
when the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy!
Faith enables us to walk in the garden with our first parents, and to witness
the scene whenGod promised that the seedof the woman should bruise the
serpent’s head. Faith makes us familiar with patriarchs, and gives us to see
the troubles and trials of kings. Faith takes us to Calvary’s summit, and we
stand and see our Savior as plainly as did His mother when she stood
sorrowfully at the foot of the cross. We this day can fly back to the solemn day
of Pentecost, andfeel as if we could hear the mighty rushing wind, and see the
cloventongues sitting upon the chosencompany, so swiftly does faith travel.

And, bestof all, in one moment faith cantake a sinner out of a state of death
into a state of life, can lift him from damnation into salvation, can remove him
from the land of the shadow of death, where he sat in affliction and irons, and
give him the oil of joy for mourning, and the garments of praise for the spirit
of heaviness. O sinner, you can get at Christ in a moment of time. No sooner
has your heart trusted Jesus, thanyou are with Him, united to Him! You need
not say, “Where is He? I would fly to heaven if I could but find Him, or dive
under hell’s most profound wave if I could but embrace Him.” He is near you,
so near that the actof faith conveys you at once into His bosom, plunges you
into His blood, clothes you with His righteousness, adopts you into the family
of God, and makes you co-heir with Jesus Christ, joint-heir with Him in all
things. See, then, why faith is like sight, because ofthe rapidity of its
operations, requiring no time; so that a dying sinner, believing in Jesus, is
savedat the 11th hour, needing not to go roundabout to do penances, and pass
through probationary periods, and I know not what besides. He may come to
Jesus, weary, and worn and sad; and the road to Jesus, though it seems long
to some, is so short that one step takes you there. You have but to leave self
behind, and trust in Him, and you are with Him. “We see Jesus”then. Faith is
like sight for its quickness. Is not faith like sight, too, in the secondplace, for
its largeness?It is a wonderful faculty, that of sight. Your eyes and mine, take
in at once the whole of this building with all the assembledcompany. These
eyes will next, if they are placedat a point of vantage, take in the entire city of
London with the whole of its populous streets. Give the eyes but the
opportunity, let the sun go down, and they will take in all the thousands of
worlds that stud the brow of night. What is there which the eyes cannotgrasp,
and mark you, not the eyes of the greatand mighty only, but of the poorest
also? Yes, the little insignificant eyes of the lark cantake in as much, no
doubt, as the big eyes of the bull; and the smallesteyes that God creates, He
enables to compass greatthings. A marvelous thing is that eye, darting its
shafts everywhere, sending its rays around and embracing all things. Now,
just such a poweris faith. What a faculty faith has for grasping everything,
for it lays hold upon the past, the present, and the future. It pierces through
most intricate things, and sees Godproducing goodout of all the tortuous
circumstances ofprovidence. And what is more, faith does what the eyes
cannot do—it sees the infinite; it beholds the invisible; it looks upon that

which eye has not seenand which ear has not heard; it sees beneaththe veil
that parts us from the land of terror, and, moved with fear, it makes us fly to
the Savior. Faith sees through the pearly gate, and, beholding the glory of the
better land, it makes us fly to Jesus, who bears the keys of paradise at His belt.
Faith sees—Iknow not how to describe fully what faith sees. Whatis there she
does not behold? She sees evenGod Himself; for though in my finite
conceptionI cannotgrasp God, and my understanding can only perceive, as it
were, His train and skirts, yet my faith, with awful comprehension, can take in
the whole of God, and believe what she does not know, and acceptwhat she
cannot comprehend. Oh, wondrous faculty of faith! God give it to you, my
dear Hearer. God give you more and more of it, that it may be to you the
substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, and that all
comprehending faculty shall enable you to say— “All things are mine, the gift
of God, The purchase of a Savior’s blood; This world is mine, and worlds to
come. Earth is my lodge, and heaven my home.” Again, sight is a most
remarkable faculty, because, in the judgment of most men, it is very sure. We
believe that we are often deceivedby hearing. We are inclined often, when we
hear a story, to say, “I could believe that if I saw it, but I could not otherwise;
I have been so often deceivedby hearing tales,
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that I cannotalways credit what my ears tell me.” We know how, by feelings,
we are readily enough deceived, like Isaac, who would not have given his
blessing to Jacobhad not his eyes waxed dim, and his touch deceivedhim. But
“seeing is believing”; according to the world’s proverb. When a man sees a
thing, then he says he knows it; though, indeed, of late years especially, we
have learned that even sight itself is not always to be trusted, for the most
extraordinary illusions have been practicedupon persons for amusement, and
have become a part of the apparatus of pleasure and philosophy. You cannot
believe your own eyes nowadays. Yousee a greatmany things, or think you

see them, which are not there, and things which you could declare to be in
such-and-such a position turn out not to be there at all; it is merely some
reflection, or some delusion, simple enough when explained, but most puzzling
until it is opened up to you. However, sight is generallyregarded by men to be
the most sure of all our faculties. If we see a thing, there it is, there is no
questioning it. Now, faith has this certifying power in a much higher degree,
for the faith which is of the operation of God and which distinguishes His own
elect, is infallible. The faith of God’s people will not believe a lie. It is written
that “if it were possible,” such-andsuch“would deceive the very elect,” but it
is not possible. Where faith takes the word of God as her basis, and rests upon
it, she becomes an infallible faculty, and we may depend upon that which she
reveals to us. It is a glorious thing to know certainties, suchas the existence of
God, and the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; such
blessedcertainties as the effectualatonement which has put awaythe sin of
the Lord’s people; and such certainties as the enjoyment of the presence ofthe
Holy Spirit in His indwelling powerwithin our soul. May we have much of
this faith which is like sight for its certifying power. Once more, is not faith
wondrously like sight, from its powerto affectthe mind, and enable a man to
realize a thing? What I mean is this. That eminent preacherin America, Mr.
Beecher, frequently used to address his audience upon slavery, and his
touching eloquence never failed to move his people to an abhorrence of the
thing, and to sympathy with those who smarted under its power. But on one
occasion, as I have been told, he wished to produce an extraordinary feeling in
order to raise a large sum of money for a certain purpose. He therefore spoke
enthusiasticallyupon the sorrows ofa beautiful girl, almostwhite, but still
with sufficient African blood in her veins for her masterto claim her for his
slave, and she was about to be sold far south for the worstof purposes. Mr.
Beecherwantedto touch the hearts of his people to purchase her liberty, that
she, their sister in Christ, might be freed. He had spokenearnestly, but to
produce the required effecthe called her from her seat, and bade her stand up
in the midst, and you may guess that that morning there was no difficulty in
collecting all the needed funds to sether free. The sight of the slave-girlhad
moved their hearts as the preacher’s words could not do. Now, it is usually so.
We talk about poverty, but when do you feel your hands go into your pockets
so freely as when you have been visiting a poor family where the little ones are

crying for bread, and where the parents have no means for providing for
them? You feel for orphans. Many of us do very sincerely, but we never felt
for them so thoroughly as when we beganto deal with them, and to see them
and their widowedmothers. In our newly-founded Orphanage—forwhich I
would ask your help continually—we have already had to deal with many
fatherless ones, and we have come more than everinto contactwith them, and
we feel that the fatherless are indeed objects of pity, for the sight of them, and
of the widows has put the thing forcibly before us. We have heard of one
who, being cold in the streets, and seeing a poor shivering family, thought that
winter was very hard, and that when he got home he would take care to put
by some money to buy blankets for them; but when he had sat down by the
fire, and thoroughly warmed himself, and partaken of his cheerful meal, he
thought the weatherwould change, and that it was not so bad a thing, after
all, to have a little winter; and so the blankets were never bought, and the
poor were never cared for. There is nothing like sight, my brothers and
sisters, to convince, notwithstanding the moment when sight is over, feelings
may depart. Now, faith has also this mighty reasoning powerin even a higher
degree. If it is realfaith, it makes the Christian in dealing with God feel
towards God as though he saw Him; it gives him the same awe, and yet the
same joyous confidence which he would have if he were capable of actually
beholding the Lord. Faith, when it takes a stand at the foot of the cross, makes
us hate sin and love the Saviorjust as much as though we had seenour sins
placed to Christ’s account, and had seenthe nails driven through His hands
and feet, and seenthe bloody scourgesas they made the sacreddrops of blood
fall— “We were not with the faithful few Who stoodYour bitter cross
around;
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Nor heard Your prayer for those who slew, Norfelt that earthquake rock the
ground; We saw no spear pierce Your side— Yet we canfeel that You have

died.” Faith realizes the thing, and thus becomes “the substance ofthings
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”;hence the glory and the beauty of
faith. Now, many of you have heard about the wrath of God, but it has all
been forgotten. You have heard about the judgment and the wrath of Godto
come afterwards. You have heard of the atonement, and the power of Jesus to
put awaysin; but you have had no effectproduced upon your minds, because,
as the apostle puts it, “It was not mixed with faith in them who heard it.” But
if you had had faith in that which was proclaimed, and had come savingly to
trust in the truth of God which was presentedas the grounds of your
salvation, you would have been moved, and stirred, and excited, and led to
hate sin and to fly to Jesus. Godgrant to us, then, that we may have more and
more faith. I have thus, I trust, at sufficient length shown the parallel
betweenfaith and sight. II. And now we shall spend a minute or two upon
another thought, namely, that FAITH, THE SIGHT OF THE SOUL, IS
HERE SPOKEN OF AS A CONTINUOUS THING. “We see Jesus.” Itdoes
not say, “We can see Jesus”—thatis true enough: the spiritual eye cansee the
Savior; nor does it say, “We have seenHim;” that also, glory be to God, is a
delightful fact, we have seenthe Lord, and we have rejoicedin seeing Him;
nor does the text say, “We shall see Him,” though this is our pride and our
hope, that “whenHe shall appear, we shall be like He, for we shall see Him as
He is;” but the text says, “We see Jesus;” We do see Him now and continually.
This is the common habit of the Christian: it is the element of his spiritual life;
it is his most delightful occupation;it is his constantpractice. “We see Jesus.”
Dearbrothers and sisters, I am afraid some of us forgetthis. For instance, we
see Jesus Christas our Savior, we being sinners still. And is it not a delightful
thing always to feel one’s selfa sinner, and always to stand looking to Christ
as one’s Savior, thus beholding Him evermore? “As you have receivedChrist
Jesus the Lord, even so walk you in Him.” Not merely sometimes coming to
Him as you came at first, but evermore abiding in Him; “to whom coming”—
always coming, constantly coming—“asunto a living stone.” I was presentat
a meeting of believers a short time ago, when a conversationof this kind
occurred. A brother in the Lord, one of the most fervent men I know, said
that sometimes when his piety flagged, and his heart grew cold, he found it a
very blessedthing to go and visit the sick and the dying; and he found this to
be such a sweetrestorationto his faith that he recommended us all, as often as

we could, to frequent dying beds. Now, anotherbrother who was present, who
preaches the gospel, but who at the same time is a butcher, said he thanked
God he did not need to go to a dying bed to see Jesus,and to get his heart set
right; that he had had as sweetfellowshipwith God in Camden Town Market,
as he everhad in the house of prayer, and that he found it best always to live,
as his brother wishedto live sometimes, namely, always consciousofsin, and
always looking to the sin-offering. Come to Jesus, then, as you came at first.
Fly to the fountain always as needing constantcleansing—notas though you
had not been washed, but still abiding, continuing in blessedrecognitionof
your present cleansing that flows from the fountain filled with blood. It is very
sweetto remember that the fountain we sing about as being opened in
Jerusalemis opened“for the house of David and for the inhabitants of
Jerusalem”—notso much for sinners, though it is opened for them, as for
believers—“forthe house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” Letus
always be coming to it; and eachmorning and eachnight, let this be the cry of
our spirit, “Still guilty, still vile, still polluted, we see Jesus,and, seeing Him,
we know that we are saved.” Should not this, also, be the mode of our life in
another respect? We are now disciples. Being savedfrom our former
conversation, we have now become the disciples of the Lord Jesus;and ought
we not, as disciples, to be constantly with our Master? Oughtnot this to be the
motto of our life, “We see Jesus”?We should not regardthe commands of
Jesus Christ as being a law left to us by a departed Masterwhom we cannot
see, and to whom we cannot fly. Is it not better to believe that Christ is a living
Christ, that He is in the midst of His church still, observing our order, noting
our obedience orour disobedience, a Masterabsentin one sense, but still in
another point of view ever present, according to His promise— “Lo, I am with
you always, evenunto the end of the world”? We should— “Staywith Him
near the tree, Stay with Him near the tomb;
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Stay till the risen Lord we see, Staywatching ‘till He come.” Mybrothers
and sisters, should we be so frequently cold and carelessif we could always see
Jesus? Wouldour hearts be so hard towards perishing sinners if we always
saw that face which was wetwith tears for them? Do you think we could sit
still, or grow worldly, or spend all our energies upon ourselves, if we could see
the crucified, who though “He savedothers, Himself He could not save”?I
wish I could always come here to preach Jesus “seeing”Him by my side, and
feeling in my heart that I was preaching in my Master’s presence. Iwould that
you could always come into this place, both at prayer meetings and at all other
times, feeling, “The Masteris here; let us bow as in His sight; let our worship
be given—not to one who is blind, and who will not see us, but to one who
beholds us all, and sees our inmost thoughts.” As disciples we should be more
punctual in our obedience, more consistentin our imitation of Jesus, if we had
Him always before us. The Catholics puts up the crucifix idol before their
eyes;well, let us put up Christ in our spirits. He wears the cross idol around
his neck:let us carry Christ in our heart, still thinking of Jesus, seeing Him at
all times. Would it not also, dearfriends, be very much for our comfort if we
were to see Jesus always as our friend in our sojourn here? “Henceforth,” He
says, “I callyou not servants, but I have called you friends.” You are very
poor, my dear brother; do you see Jesus? He was poorerthan you. You have
somewhere to go to sleeptonight, but He could say, “The foxes have holes, and
the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has not where to lay His
head.” Are you rackedwith pain tonight? Let it help you to see Jesus. Youare
not “exceedinglysorrowfuleven unto death,” nor are your griefs to be
compared with His. Have you been desertedand betrayed? See Jesus kissed
by Judas! Have you been denied by some friend who promised to be faithful?
Look into the face of Jesus as He turns to Peter!Does death itself stare you in
the face? RememberHim who, “being found in fashion as a man, humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”We
would never be alone if we could see Jesus;or at least, if we were, it would be
a blessedsolitude. We would never feeldesertedif we could see Jesus;we
would have the best of helpers. I know we would not feel weak if we always
saw Him, for He would be our strength and our song, He would become our
salvation. The bitter waters of Marah, the afflictions and troubles of the day,
would all be sweetif this tree were castinto the flood for us, and if Jesus were

brought, in solemn meditation, into contactwith our spirits. Oh, to see Jesus!
You have seenHim as your Savior—youdesire to see Him as your Master.
Oh, to see Him as your friend, upon whose bosomyou can still leanyour
aching head, into whose earyou can always pour out your tale of sorrow.
Through the wilderness you may continually come up leaning on your
Beloved, and with Him you may have perpetually such sweetenjoyments, that
earth, desertas it is, shall seem to blossomlike a garden of roses, and your
spirit shall enjoy heaven below. Again, would it not be much better for us,
dear friends, if we were to see Jesus as our Forerunner? I do not know
whether it is so with the most of you, but while some of us rejoice in the
prospectof heaven, yet the thought of death is sometimes surrounded with
much gloom. It cannotbe an easything to go down amidst the chill darkness
of the river, and there to be separated, the soul from the body, and to leave
this earthly tabernacle behind an inheritance to worms. It has a hideous
appearance to us sometimes. Eventhe apostle himself shuddered a little at it
when he said, “Notthat we would be unclothed, but clothed upon.” death
seems a bitter pill to us all; and unless it is swallowedup in victory, and the
victory takes awaythe sting of death, the hour of dissolution will be bitter. But
do you not think that our thoughts of gloomabout death sometimes arise from
a forgetfulness that Jesus will be with us? If our faith could see Jesus as
making our bed in our sickness,and then standing by our side in the last
solemn article, to conduct us safely through the iron gates, wouldwe not then
look upon death in a very different light? You know how Watts’s hymn puts
it— “Oh if my Lord would come and meet, My soul should stretchher wings
in haste, Fly fearless through death’s iron gate, Norfeelthe terrors as she
passed. Jesuscanmake a dying bed Feelsoftas downy pillows are, While on
His breastI lean my head, And breathe my life out sweetlythere.”
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My dear brothers and sisters, gathering up all I should like to have said, but
cannot say, into one, it is this—if we see Jesus as being always with us, from
morn till eve, in life and in death, what noble Christians it will make us! Now
we shall not get angry with eachother so quickly. We shall see Jesus;and we
cannot be angry when that dear loving face is in view. And when we have been
offended, we shall be very ready to forgive when we see Jesus. Who can hate
his brother when he sees that face, that tender face, more marred than that of
any man? When we see Jesus, do you think we shall get worldly? Oh, for that
consciousnessofthe eyes of Jesus whichare like the hands of Jesus molding us
according to His will. “We see Jesus.” Wouldyou have spokenas you did
across the counter today, brother, sister, had you seenJesus? Mydear friend,
would you have been as you have been to your work-fellow?Would you have
spokenas you did to your employees? Wouldyou have actedas you did to
your employer had you seenJesus? Theysay“a master’s eye does much;”
certainly the presence ofJesus would do much. “The master’s eye does more
than both his hands,” they say. Oh, for that consciousness ofthe eyes of Jesus
which are like the hands of Jesus molding us according to His will. “We see
Jesus.” Now, I hope you see Jesus as you sit in the pews there. Sometimes on
Sunday, when the Lord helps the preacher, and Christ is evidently setforth
among you, you have seenJesus;but will you see Him after you have gone
down those steps? Will you see Him when you gethome to your houses? Will
you see Him the next morning in the workroom, orat the business, or in the
market? This is not quite as easy, and yet I hold that, if we had more divine
grace, we would see Christ just as well in the market, among the baskets of
fruit, as we can at the Tabernacle sitting in our pews. We would see Him quite
as well if we were driving a horse, or walking along Cheapside, as when we
are in our closets, bowing the knee;for that is true grace whichis with us
always, and that is the presence ofJesus which abides with us forever, and
that is true piety which shines the fairest in the midst of worldly cares. May
we eachone of us have this, and may it be the expressionof our life—“We see
Jesus;” and then we shall be able to go farther and say, “Forme to live is
Christ, and to die is gain.” III. I shall detain you just a minute or two longer,
for a third point about our sight of Jesus, namely: we have saidthat faith is
like sight, and that our faith should be a present grace in active operation; but
there may be this reflectionabout our presentsight of Christ, that

SOMETIMESOUR FAITH, LIKE OUR SIGHT, IS NOT QUITE CLEAR.
You do not always see, I suppose, equally well. There are many things that
affectthe optic nerves, and we know that in fair weatherwe cansee a greater
distance than we can in cloudy weather. I was at Newcastle, some time ago, in
a friend’s house, and when I went up to the top window and lookedout, he
said, “There is a fine view, sir, if you could but see it; we can see Durham
Cathedral from here on Sunday.” “On a Sunday!” I said, “How is that?”
“Well, you see all that smoke down there, all those furnaces, and so on; they
are all stopped on a Sunday, and then, when the air is clear, we can see
Durham Cathedral.” Right awayI thought—ah, we cansee a greatdeal on a
Sunday, when the smoke of the world is gone for a little time; we can see all
the wayto heaventhen; but sometimes, what with the smoke we make in
business, and the smoke the devil makes, and the smoke that sin makes, we
can scarcelysee anything at all. Well, since the natural sight has to undergo
variations, both from itself within, and from the smoke without, and from the
state of the weather, we must not wonderif our faith undergoes variations
too! It ought not to do so, but sometimes it does. There are seasons whenwe
realize that Christ is ours. Glory be to His name, if all the devils in hell would
speak to the contrary, yet we know that our Belovedis ours, and that we are
His. We are sure of it. Though all the angels in heaven should come and deny
it, we would face them, and say, “I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keepthat which I have committed unto Him
againstthat day.” But there are other times when the same believer sings
Newton’s hymn, but wheneverhe does, he ought to sing it alone, for fear
anybody should catchthe contagionofit— “‘Tis a point I long to know, Oft it
causes anxious thought: Do I love the Lord or no, Am I His or am I not?”
There are hours when some of us would be glad to creepinto a mouse hole or
hide ourselves in a nutshell. We feelso little, so insignificant. Our faith is at so
miserable an ebb that we know not what to do. Well, let us not be astonished
as though we were not the children of God, because ofthis. Everything that
has life has variations. A block of woodis not affectedby the weather, but a
living man is. You may drive a stake into the ground, and it will feelno
influence of spring, summer, autumn, or winter; but if

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the stake is alive, and you drive it into the soilwhere there is moisture, it will
soonbegin to sprout, and you will be able to tell when spring and winter are
coming by the changes that take place in the living tree. Life is full of these
changes;do not wonder, then, if you experience them. Again, faith, like sight,
is not only subjectto variations, but it has greatgrowth. Our children, in a
certain sense, seeas truly when they are a day old as when they are grown up
to be 20 years old; but we must not suppose that they see as accurately, for
they do not. I think observations would teachus that little children see all
things as on a level surface, and that distant objects seemto them to be near,
for they have not yet receivedexperience enoughto judge of the relative
position of things. That is an acquired knowledge, andno doubt very early
acquired, but still it is learned as a matter of mental experience. And let me
say, though you may not have noticed it, all our measures ofdistance by the
eye are matters which have to be gained by habit and observation. When I
first went to Switzerland, with a friend from Lucerne we saw a mountain in
the distance which we were going to climb. I pointed out a place where we
should stop half-way up, and I said, “We shall be there in about four and a
half hours.” “Four and a half hours!” my friend said, “I’d undertake to walk
it in ten minutes.” “No, not you.” “Well, but half an hour!” He lookedagain,
and said, “Anybody could get there in half an hour!” It seemedno distance at
all, and yet when we came to toil up, the four and a half hours turned into five
or six before we reachedthe place. Our eyes were not accustomedto
mountains, and we were not able to measure them; and it is only by
considerable experience that you getto understand what a mountain is, and
how a long distance appears. You are altogetherdeceived, and do not know
the position of things till you become wiser. And it is just so with faith. Faith
in the Christian, when he first gets it, is true and saving;but it is not in
proportion. The man believes one doctrine, perhaps, and that is so delightful
that it swallowsup every other. Then he gets hold of another, and he swings
that way like a pendulum; no doctrine canbe true but that one. Perhaps in a

little time he swings back like a pendulum the other way. He is unsteady
because, while his faith perceives the truth of God, it does not perceive the
harmonies of the truths of God—his faith, for instance, may perceive the Lord
Jesus Christ, but as yet it has not learned the position which Christ occupies
in the greateconomyof divine grace. He is half-blind, and cannot see very far.
He has sight, but it is not the sight which he will yet receive. Like the blind
man who, when our Lord healedhim, saw men at first as trees walking. He
came in due time to see clearly, for grace always goes onin its work—it will
never halt half-way; but at first all was obscure and confused. Just as when
you pass from darkness into light, you are unable to bear it, you are dazzled,
and need a short time to accustomyour eyes to the brilliance; but in due time
the eyes are strengthened, and you canbear more and more light, till you
againsee with comfort. Let us ask, then, of the Lord, that He will increase our
faith till the mental eyes shall become clearand bright, and that we be made
meet to be partakers ofthe inheritance of the saints in light, to be with Christ,
and to see Him as He is. If you have but little faith, remember that that will
save you. The little diamond is as much a diamond as the Kohinoor, and so,
little faith is as truly the faith of God’s electas the greatestfaith. If you but see
Jesus, though it is but by the corner of your eye, yet if you see Him, you shall
be saved; and though you may not see as much of Christ as advanced
believers do, yet if you see enoughof Him to trust Him, to rely on Him
entirely, your sins, which are many, are forgiven, and you shall yet receive
grace for grace until you shall see Him in His glory. However, always be
praying, “Lord, increase ourfaith.” The last thing I have to notice about this
true faith in Christ as sight, is, that it is at all times a very simple thing to look.
Look!No one needs go to a grammar schoolor to a university to look. Look!
The smallestchild, as we have said, can look;the most illiterate and untaught
can look. If there is life in a look, glorybe to God for such a provision, because
it is available for eachone of us! Sinner, if you would be saved, there is
nothing for you to think upon but Christ. Do your sins trouble you? Go to
Him, and trust in Him, and the moment you look to Him you are saved. “Oh,”
says one, “but I cannot do that; my faith is so weak.” Well, whenI walk about
and see a beautiful sight, very seldom do I think about my own sight; my mind
is occupiedwith the sight, and so let it be with you. Nevermind those eyes—
think more about the vision to be seen. Think of Christ. It would be a pitiful

thing if, when there were some great processionin the streets, all you thought
about was your own eyes;you would see but very little. Think less about your
faith, and more about Jesus— “Wearysinner! Keep your eyes On the
atoning sacrifice. View Him bleeding on the tree, Pouring out His life for
thee.
8
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Castyour guilty soul on Him, Find Him mighty to redeem; At His feet your
burden lay; Look your doubts and fears away.” Turn over and over in your
mind the greattransactionon the cross. I have sometimes saidto young
seekers, Go home and spend an hour deliberately reading about the death of
Christ, and then picture it in your mind’s eye, for it is in that way that faith
comes. Throughthe Holy Spirit’s power, we come to believe that story by
thinking upon it, seeing Jesus in it, and then following on, and giving it the full
acceptanceofour spirit. Go to the cross for faith if you cannot go with faith,
and the Lord grant that you may find in Jesus— “True belief and true
repentance, Every grace that brings us near,” so that you, too, may saywith
us, “We see Jesus.” What is there in this world which is worth looking at in
comparisonwith Him? All else is like the mirage of the desert which appears
but to fade away, deluding the weary traveler with hopes of rest and
refreshment, and leaving him sick at heart, because allhas passedas the
baselessfabric of a dream. Can you gain anything by watching the bubbles on
the streamof time? Will they shake your death thirst and coolyour brow in
the article of death? Is there anything of healing in the uplifted images of
earthly gold, honor, wisdom, and power? You have tried them—well, how do
they answer? I know of one who, traveling over a pass in Italy, one evening,
secureda light to help him over a dangerous and difficult part of the way
further on. It was not needed till the narrow steepdescentwas reached, in
fact, it was in the way till then, and just as the traveler came to the very spot
where it was required, it went out and left him in utter darkness. So it is full

often in the sinner’s experience who travels in the dark, his lights go out when
most needed. Oh, far better then to walk in daylight, using the eye of faith, in
the clearsunshine of gospelLight from the Sun of Righteousness!Walk in the
light of God. Come to the light, and live seeing Jesus— “‘We wouldsee Jesus,’
for the shadows lengthen Across this little landscape of our life; ‘We would
see Jesus,’ourweak faith to strengthen, For the last weariness,the final
strife. ‘We would see Jesus,’the greatrock foundation, Whereon our feet
were setby sovereigngrace; Norlife nor death, with all their agitation, Can
then remove us if we see His face. ‘We would see Jesus’—senseis all too
blinding, And heaven appears too dim, too far away; We would see You, to
gain a sweetreminding That You have promised our greatdebt to pay. ‘We
would see Jesus’:this is all we’re needing— Strength, joy, and willingness,
come with the sight; ‘We would see Jesus’;dying, risen, pleading; Then
welcome day, and farewellmortal night!” The Lord send you awaywith His
blessing, for Jesus’sake.
PORTION OF SCRIPTUREREAD BEFORESERMON—HEBREWS2
Adapted from The C. H. SpurgeonCollection, Version1.0, Ages Software.
Volume 25 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. 1
THE BEST OF ALL SIGHTS NO. 1509
A SERMON WRITTENAT MENTONE, BYC. H. SPURGEON.
“But we see Jesus.” Hebrews 2:9.

IN Holy Scripture faith is placedin opposition to the sight of the eyes and yet
it is frequently describedas looking and seeing. It is opposedto carnalsight
because it is spiritual sight, a discernment which comes not of the body, but
arises out of the strong belief of the soul, workedin us by the Holy Spirit.
Faith is sight in the sense of being a clearand vivid perception, a sure and
indisputable discovery, a realizing and unquestionable discernment of fact.
We see Jesus,for we are sure of His presence. We have unquestionable
evidence of His existence and we have an intelligent and intimate knowledge
of His person. Our soul has eyes far strongerthan the dim optics of the body
and with these we actually see Jesus. We have heard of Him and upon the
witness of that hearing we have believed, and through believing there has
come to us a new life which rejoices in new light and in opened eyes, and “we
see Jesus.”In the old sense of sight, we speak ofHim as of one “whom having
not seenwe love,” but in the new sense, “we see Jesus.” Belovedreader, have
you such a renewednature that you have new senses andhave you with these
senses discernedthe Lord? If not, may the Holy Spirit yet quicken you and
meanwhile, let us whom He has made alive assure you that we have heard His
voice, for He says, “Mysheep hear My voice.” We have “tastedthe good
Word of God.” We have touched Him and have been made whole. We have
also knownthe smell of His fragrance, for His name to us is “as ointment
poured forth.” And now, in the words of our text, “We see Jesus.”Faithis all
the sensesin one and infinitely more. And those who have it not are in a worse
case than the blind and deaf, for spiritual life itself is absent. I. Come, then,
brethren beloved, whose eyes have been illuminated, let us muse awhile upon
our privileges that we may exercise them with delight and praise the Lord
with them. First, let us regard the glorious sight of Jesus as
COMPENSATION.The text begins with, “But,” because it refers to some
things which we do not yet see which are the objects of strong desire. “We see
not yet all things put under Him.” We do not as yet see Jesus acknowledgedas
King of kings by all mankind and this causes us greatsorrow, for we wish to
see Him crowned with glory and honor in every corner of the earth by every
man of woman born. Alas, He is to many, quite unknown, by multitudes
rejectedand despised, and by comparativelyfew is He regardedwith
reverence and love. Sights surround us which might wellmake us cry with
Jeremiah, “Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears,” for

blasphemy and rebuke, idolatry, superstition and unbelief prevail on every
side. “But,” says the apostle, “we see Jesus,”and this sight compensates forall
others, for we see Him now, no longer made a little lowerthan the angels and
tasting the bitterness of death, but, “crownedwith glory and honor.” We see
Him, no more after the flesh in shame and anguish, far more ravishing is the
sight, for we see His work accomplished, His victory complete, His empire
secure. He sits as a priest upon the throne at the right hand of God, from
henceforth expecting till His enemies are made His footstool. This is a divine
compensationfor the tarrying of His visible kingdom, because it is the major
part of it. The main battle is won. In our Lord’s endurance of His
substitutionary griefs and in the overthrow of sin, death, and hell by His
personalachievements, the essenceofthe conflict is over. Nothing is left to be
done at all comparable with that which is already performed. The ingathering
of the electand the subjection of all things are comparatively easyof
accomplishmentnow that the conflictin the heavenly places is over and Jesus
has led captivity captive. We may look upon the conquest of the kingdoms of
The Bestof All Sights Sermon #1509
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this world as a mere routing of the beaten host now that the powerof the
enemy has been effectually broken by the greatCaptain of our salvation. The
compensationis all the greaterbecause ourLord’s enthronement is the pledge
of all the rest. The putting of all things under Him, which as yet we see not, is
guaranteedto us by what we do see. The exalted Saviorhas all power given
unto Him in heaven and in earth—and with this “allpower” He can, at His
own pleasure, send forth the rod of His strength out of Zion and reign in the
midst of His enemies. With Him are all the forces needful for universal
dominion. His white horse waits at the door and whensoeverHe chooses,He
can ride forth conquering and to conquer. At a word from His lips, the harlot
of Babylon shall perish and the false prophet shall die and the idols of the
heathen shall be utterly abolished. The empire of wickednessis as a vision of

the night, a black and hideous nightmare pressing on the soul of manhood, but
when He awakes,He will despise its image and it shall melt away. Turn we
then, wiping our tears away, from the wretched spectacles ofhuman
superstition, skepticism, and sorrow to the clearvision above us in the opened
heaven. There we see “the Man,” long promised, the desire of all nations, the
deliverer, the death of death, the conqueror of hell—and we see Him not as
one who girds on His harness for the battle, but as one whose warfare is
accomplished, who is waiting the time appointed of the Father when He shall
divide the spoil. This is the antidote to all depressionof spirit, the stimulus to
hopeful perseverance,the assuranceofjoy unspeakable. II. Nor is this sight a
mere compensationfor others which as yet are denied us—it is in itself the
cause ofpresent EXULTATION. This is true in so many ways that time would
fail us to attempt to enumerate them. “We see Jesus”and in Him we see our
former unhappy condition forever ended. We were fallen in Adam, but we see
in Jesus our ruin retrieved by the secondAdam. The legalcovenantfrowned
upon us as we beheld it broken by our first federalhead. The new covenant
smiles upon us with a whole heaven of bliss as we see it ordered in all things
and sure in Him who is Head over all things to the church. Sin once doomed
us to eternaldespair, but not now, for He who has put awaysin by the
sacrifice ofHimself has justified His people by His resurrection. The debt no
longerburdens us, for there in eternal glory is the Man who paid it once and
for all. A sight of Jesus kills eachguilty fear, silences eachthreatof
conscience, andphotographs peace upon the heart. There remains nothing of
all the past to cause a dread of punishment, or arouse a fearof desertion, for
Christ who died ever lives to make intercessionforus, to represent us before
the Father, and to prepare for us a place of everlasting rest. We might see
ourselves as dead under the law were it not that He has blotted out the
handwriting which was againstus. We might see ourselves under the curse
were it not that He, who was once made a curse for us, now reigns in fullness
of blessing. We weepas we confess our transgressions, but we see Jesus and
sing for joy of heart, since He has finished transgression, made an end of sin,
and brought in everlasting righteousness. The same is sweetlytrue of the
present, for we see our presentcondition to be thrice blessedby virtue of our
union with Him. We see not as yet our nature made perfect and cleansedfrom
every tendency to evil—rather do we groan, being burdened because of the sin

which dwells in us—the old man which lusts and rebels againstthe blessed
dominion of grace. And we might be sorelycastdown and draggedinto
despair were it not that “we see Jesus” andperceive that in Him we are not
what the flesh would argue us to be. He represents us most truthfully and
looking into that mirror we see ourselves justifiedin Christ Jesus, acceptedin
the Beloved, adoptedof the Father, dear to the Eternal heart. Yes, in Him
raisedup togetherand made to sit together in the heavenlies. We see selfand
blush and are ashamedand dismayed, “but we see Jesus” andHis joy is in us
and our joy is full. Think of this, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the next
time you are upon the dunghill of self-loathing. Lift up now your eyes and see
where He is in whom your life is hid! See Jesus and know that as He is, so are
you before the Infinite Majesty. You are not condemned, for He is enthroned.
You are not despisednor abhorred, for He is beloved and exalted. You are not
in jeopardy of perishing, nor in dangerof being castaway, for He dwells
eternally in the bosom of the Lord God Almighty. What a vision is this for
you, when you see Jesus and see yourselfcomplete in Him, perfect in Christ
Jesus!
Sermon #1509 The BestofAll Sights
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Such a sight effectuallyclears our earthly future of all apprehension. It is true
we may yet be sorely tempted and the battle may go hard with us, but we see
Jesus triumphant and by this sign we grasp the victory. We shall perhaps be
subjectedto pain, to poverty, to slander, to persecution, and yet none of these
things move us because we see Jesusexaltedand therefore know that these are
under His power and cannot touch us exceptas He grants them His
permission so to do. Death is at times terrible in prospect, but its terror ceases
when we see Jesus who has passedsafelythrough the shades of the sepulcher,
vanquished the tyrant of the tomb, and left an open passage to immortality to
all His own. We see the pains, the groans, and dying strife—see them, indeed,
exaggeratedby our fears—andthe only cure for the consequentalarm is a

sight of Him who has said, “He that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live. And whosoeverlives and believes in Me shall never die.” When
we see Jesus—past, present, and to come—we are summed up in Him and
over all shines a glorious life which fills our souls with unspeakable delight.
III. Thirdly, “we see Jesus”with gladdestEXPECTATION.His glorious
person is to us the picture and the pledge of what we shall be for, “It does not
yet appearwhat we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall
be like He; for we shall see Him as He is.” In infinite love, He condescendedto
become one with us here below, as says the apostle, “Forasmuchthen as the
children are partakers offlesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part
of the same.” And this descentof love on His part to meet us in our low estate
is the assurance thatHis love will lift us up to meet Him in His high estate. He
will make us partakers of His nature, inasmuch as He has become partakerof
our nature. It is written, “BothHe that sanctifies and they who are sanctified
are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
What bliss is this that we should be like to the incarnate God! It would seem
too goodto be true, were it not after the manner of our Lord to do great
things for us and unsearchable. Normay we alone derive comfort as to our
future from His person, we may also be made glad by a hope as to His place.
Where we see Jesus to be, there shall we also be. His heaven is our heaven. His
prayer secures thatwe shall be with Him where He is, that we may behold His
glory. Todaywe may be in a workhouse, orin the ward of a hospital, or in a
ruinous hovel, “but we see Jesus” andwe know that before long we shall dwell
in the palace of the greatKing. The glory of Jesus strikes the eyes at once
and thus we are made to exult in His position, for it, too, is ours. He will allow
us to sit upon His throne, even as He sits upon the Father’s throne. He has
made us kings and priests unto God and we shall reign foreverand ever.
Whateverof rest, happiness, security, and honor our glorious Bridegroomhas
attained, He will certainly share it with His spouse—yes,and all His people
shall know what it is to be heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ, if so be
that we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together. How soonour
condition shall rise into complete likeness to the ascendedLord we cannottell,
but it cannotbe long and it may even be a very short time. The veil of time is,
in some cases verythin— another week may be the only separation. And then!
Ah, then! We shall see Jesus and what a sight will it be. Heavenlies in that

vision. ‘Tis all the heavenour loving hearts desire. The sight of Jesus which
we now enjoy is a foretaste ofthe clearersightwhich is reservedfor us and
therefore it will be a happy wisdom to be much in the enjoyment of it. A
thousand things tempt us away and yet there is not one of them worth a
moment’s thought in comparison. What are works ofart and discoveries of
science comparedwith our Beloved? Whatare the gems which adorn the
brow of beauty or the eyes which flash from the face of loveliness, if placed in
rivalry with Him? Other matters, weighty and important, callfor our thought
and yet even these we may place in a secondrank when Jesus is near. We
may not be doctors of divinity, much as we would desire to be deeply
instructed in the truths, “but we see Jesus.”Into many mysteries we cannot
pry, “but we see Jesus.”Where the divine sovereigntyharmonizes with
human responsibility is too deep a problem for us, “but we see Jesus.”The
times and the seasons baffle us, the dispensation of the end is dark to us, “but
we see Jesus.” Gloryoverus, you far-seeing prophets! Deride us, you deep-
glancing philosophers! We leave you to your boastings. We are
The Bestof All Sights Sermon #1509
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poor, short-sightedbeings, and know but little—but one thing we know—
whereas we were once blind, now we see and “we see Jesus.” This sighthas
made us unable to see many things which now dazzle our fellow men. They
can see priestly powerin a certainset of men like themselves. This we cannot
see, for “we see Jesus,” as ending the line of sacrificing priests and bestowing
a common priesthood upon all the saints. Many see greatwisdom in the
various schools ofdoubt in which we see nothing exceptpretentious folly, for
“we see Jesus”and all human wisdom pales before the wisdom of God which
is perfectedin Him. Certain of our brethren see perfectionin the flesh, “but
we see Jesus.” Others see the church and their own sect, “but we see Jesus.”A
few see nothing but their own separatenessfrom everybody else and the
peculiar excellence oftheir exclusiveness,“but we see Jesus.” Come, beloved,

let us getto our secretchambers of communion and see Jesus there as from
the hill of Pisgah. Let us turn the pages of Scripture and see Jesus there amid
the beds of spices. Letus frequent ordinances, especiallythe breaking of
bread, and see Jesus there. Let us watch in our experience as we are
conformed unto His sufferings and see Him there. Let us go into the field of
holy labor and as we gird ourselves and put on the yoke of service, let us see
our Masterthere. Yes, in all things let us learn to see our Lord, for nature and
providence, experience and Scripture are hung with mirrors which reflect
Him. Till the day breaks and the shadows flee away, let us continue to gaze
upon Him, till our eyes shall actually see Him for ourselves and not another.
Be this the grand distinction of our lives—whateverothers may see or not see,
“WE SEE JESUS.”
Adapted from The C. H. SpurgeonCollection, Version1.0, Ages Software.
Precept Austin Resources
Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than
the angels, namely, Jesus, becauseofthe suffering of death crownedwith
glory and honor, so that by the grace of GodHe might taste death for
everyone. (NASB: Lockman)
Greek:ton de brachu ti par' aggelous elattomenon(RPPMSA)blepomen
(1PPAI) Iesoun dia to pathema tou thanatou doce kaitime estephanomenon,
(RPPMSA)hopos chariti theou huper pantos geusetai(3SAMS)thanatou.
Amplified: But we are able to see Jesus,Who was ranked lowerthan the
angels for a little while, crownedwith glory and honor because ofHis having
suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us

sinners] He might experience death for every individual person. (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Barclay:(Westminster Press)
NLT: What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lowerthan the
angels" and now is "crownedwith glory and honor" because he suffered
death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesustasteddeath for everyone in all the
world. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: What we actually see is Jesus, afterbeing made temporarily inferior
to the angels (and so subjectto pain and death), in order that he should, in
God's grace, taste death for every man, now crownedwith glory and honour.
(Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: But Jesus, made for a little time lowerthan the angels with the design
that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man, we see crowned
as victor with glory and honor because ofthe suffering of death.
Young's Literal: and him who was made some little less than messengerswe
see -- Jesus -- because ofthe suffering of the death, with glory and honour
having been crowned, that by the grace of God for every one he might taste of
death.
BUT WE DO SEE HIM WHO HAS BEEN MADE FOR A LITTLE WHILE
LOWER THAN THE ANGELS NAMELY, JESUS:blepomen (1PPAI) ton de
brachu ti garaggelous elattomenon(RPPMSA)Iesoun:
Hebrews 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Hebrews 2:5-9 Our Glorious Destiny in Christ - StevenCole
Hebrews 2:5-9 Recoveryof Man's Lost Destiny - John MacArthur
THE LAST ADAM
IN VIEW

But (term of contrast) - What is the writer contrasting? Whathas he just
statedabout the dominion of the first Adam? Now he contrasts the last Adam,
Jesus. So while we do not yet see everything under man's controlin this age,
we see Jesus Who is the key to restoring man's dominion over the earth.
More literally it could be rendered "And Him who was made some little less
than messengerswe see -- Jesus -- because ofthe suffering of the death, with
glory and honour having been crowned, that by the grace ofGod for every
one he might taste of death.
Click for comments by F B Meyeron Hebrews 2:9 (from The Way into the
Holiest)
Spurgeonexplains that…
The text begins with “but,” because it refers to some things which we do not
yet see, whichare the objects of strong desire. “We do not yet see all things
subjectedto him.” We do not as yet see Jesus acknowledgedas King of kings
by all mankind, and this causes us greatsorrow, for we would gladly see Him
crownedwith glory and honor in every cornerof the earth by everyone of
woman born. He is to many quite unknown, by multitudes rejectedand
despised, and by comparatively few is He regardedwith reverence and love.
Sights surround us which might well make us cry with Jeremiah, “Oh that my
head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears” (Jer9:1), for blasphemy
and rebuke, idolatry, superstition, and unbelief prevail on every side. “But,”
says the apostle, “we see Jesus.”
We see not yet man the masterof everything, not even Christ, the model man,
the Head of all men. While He was here below, He was not a ruling Lord, but
a suffering Servant. He said to His disciples, “I am among you as He that
serveth.” Yet it is in Him that the dominion once given to man is to be seen
most clearly displayed. Man does not yet rule the world. Wild beasts defy him.
Storms vanquish him. There are a thousand things not at present submissive
to his control.
Here is the representative Man who is supreme over all: “We see Jesus,”

We see that by faith. We see Jesus,not merely as God, but as the God-man
exalted “far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion.”
Oh, how glorious it is to realize our position in Christ, and to see how He has
lifted us up, not merely to the place froze which the first Adam fell, but He has
made us stand so securelythere that we shall not againdescendaround the
ruins of the Fall! Glory be to His holy Name!
See (991)(blepo) means to see frequently in the sense of becoming aware of or
taking notice of something. Blepo denotes voluntary observation. The writer
uses it in the sense ofurging his readers to "take care" (see to it) later in the
letter writing…
Take care, brethren, lestthere should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving
heart, in falling awayfrom the living God. (see note Hebrews 3:12)
In another usage of blepo that somewhatparallels the sense ofthe use in
Hebrews 2:8 (note) the writer exhorts his readers to not forsake their…
own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. (see note Hebrews
10:25)(Comment: What day do they "see"drawing nigh? The return of
Christ, at which time we will also "see" Him Who tasteddeath for all).
In Hebrews 11 he uses blepo in the well known definition of "faith" (and
illustrates it with Noahbuilding the ark despite never having seenrain)
writing that…
Now faith is the assurance ofthings hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen(blepo)( see note Hebrews 1:1)
By faith Noah, being warnedby God about things not yet seen, (blepo) in
reverence prepared an ark for the salvationof his household, by which he
condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness whichis
according to faith. (see note Hebrews 11:7)
Spurgeonon Jesus - He is not, indeed, in this text referring to any seeing of
the Lord by mortal eyes at all; he is speaking offaith. He means a spiritual
sight of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sight is very frequently used in Scripture as a

metaphor, an illustration, a symbol, to setforth what faith is. Faith is the eye
of the soul. It is the act of looking unto Jesus. In that act, by which we are
saved, we look unto him and are saved from the very ends of the earth. We
look to Him, and we find salvation. It does not say, “We cansee Jesus”—that
is true enough; the spiritual eye can see the Savior. Nor does it say, “We have
seenhim”—that also, glory be to God, is a delightful fact. We have seenthe
Lord, and we have rejoicedin seeing Him. Nor does the text say, “We shall see
him,” though this is our pride and our hope, that “wheneverhe is revealedwe
will be like him, because we will see him just as he is” (1 John 3:2). But the
text says, “We see Jesus.” We do see Him now and continually. This is the
common habit of the Christian. It is the element of his spiritual life; it is his
most delightful occupation;it is his constantpractice. We see Jesus,for we are
sure of His presence, we have unquestionable evidence of His existence, we
have an intelligent and intimate knowledge ofHis person. Our soulhas eyes
far strongerthan the dim optics of the body, and with these we actually see
Jesus.
Made lower (1642)(elattoo from from elattôn = less)means to lessen, to
decreasein status or rank, to make less. There are only three NT uses, the
present verse and the following two verses…
He must (dei = an obligation, not an option = it is necessary;present tense - =
continually!!!) increase, but I must (added by translators)decrease (elattoo in
the presenttense = continually) (John 3:30)
Comment: John the Baptist gives us the "secret" to a powerful, purposeful
life. Observe the order - Jesus first and foremost. Why? When we see Him in
this manner, we have but one choice if we are rightly related to Him - to bow,
to fall on our face, to submit to His will rather than our own. If we "invert"
the order and it's us "decreasing", the trap is that "we" become the focus
rather than Jesus. And we canbegin to "try to decrease" by setting up rules,
etc (and fall into the subtle trap of legalism). The verb decreasedhere is in the
middle voice, indicates the specialinterest {reflexive = "I myself decreased"}
John had in his own decrease, e.g., in authority and popularity.

But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower(elattoo)than
the angels, namely, Jesus, becauseofthe suffering of death crownedwith
glory and honor, that by the grace ofGod He might taste death for everyone.
(See note Hebrews 2:7)
We do not see man triumphant, but we do see Jesus. How? Mosesgives us a
clue…
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as
seeing Him who is unseen. (see note Hebrews 11:26)
Jesus (He 8:3 10:5 Ge 3:15 Isa 7:14 11:1 53:2-10 Ro 8:3 Ga 4:4 Php 2:7, 8, 9) -
as noted by Vincent "the use of the human name, Jesus, atthis point, is
significant. In this epistle that name usually furnishes the keyto the argument
of the passagein which it occurs. See notes Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 6:20;
Hebrews 12:2)
Also imagine yourself as a Jewishreaderand here for the first time you
encounter the name Jesus.
Wuest goes onto add that a Jewishreader"would sayto himself that the
name Jesus in the Greek text is just the transliteration of the Hebrew name
Jehoshua, the name of the God of Israelthat points to His distinctive nature as
the One who saves. The idea of Deity would come to his mind. But as he read
on, he would see incarnationin the words, “who was for a little time made
lowerthan the angels.” And that would leadhim to the Personwho in the
Gospels was spokenof as Jesus ofNazareth. Up to this point, the writer has
not mentioned the name Jesus to his Jewishreaders. He was wellaware of the
fact that they were in a frame of mind in which they would be hard to handle.
The controversycenteredaround the claims of Jesus ofNazareth to the
Messiahship. At one time some of these Jewishrecipients of this letter had
acknowledgedHim as such, with an intellectual assentto the fact, but not a
heart acceptanceofHis Personand Work. Now, they were drifting awayfrom
their former position. The writer up to this point had spokenof the Son as
superior to the prophets and the angels. Now, he suddenly says that the Son is
the Jehoshua ofthe Old Testamentand the Jesus ofNazarethof the New. The
vision of Jesus whichthe writer wishes to bring to his readers is that of the

Son incarnate, glorified, crownedwith glory and honor, seatedatthe right
hand of God, a position of glory and honor which the savedof the human race
will share with Him in His future Millennial glory and earth dominion. That is
the glorious ray of light which the writer brings into the dark picture of man’s
present estate. (Hebrews - Wuest's word studies from the Greek New
Testament)
BECAUSE OF THE SUFFERING OF DEATHCROWNEDWITH GLORY
AND HONOR: dia to pathema tou thanatou doxa kaitime estephanomenon
(RPPMSA):
Ps 21:3, 4, 5 Ac 2:33 Rev 19:12
Because- term of explanation
Suffering (3804)(pathema from páscho = suffer. The suffix –ma = that which
is suffered, experience a sensation/sufferpain) describes what happens to a
person and must be endured (misfortune, calamity). It is almost always plural
(sufferings).
Jesus was crownedwith glory and honour because ofthe suffering of death.
Christ’s exaltation and preeminence over the angels was wonthrough
humiliation and death.
Vincent writes that…
Exaltation was the logicalresult of Christ’s humiliation (comp. note
Philippians 2:9), not simply its recompense (comp. Matt. 23:12;Luke 14:11;
18:14). He was glorifiedin humiliation. “The humiliation is only the glory not
yet begun.”
Christ's suffering was not an accidentbut foreknownand preordained by
God, Peterdeclaring to the Jews onhis first post-Pentecostsermonthat…

this Man, (Jesus)delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge
(prognosis)of God (God's sovereignty), you nailed to a cross by the hands of
godless men and put Him to death (Men's responsibility). (Acts 2:23)
But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the
prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He has thus fulfilled. (Acts 3:18)
For truly in this city there were gatheredtogetheragainstThy holy servant
Jesus, whomThou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the
Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whateverThy hand and Thy purpose
predestined (proorizo) to occur. (Acts 4:27-28)
In the KJV of the RevelationJohn writes that Jesus was…
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (see note Revelation13:8)
Death(2288)(thanatos)is literally a physical separationofthe soul from the
body. Every form of death in the NT is treated not as a natural process but
always as a destroying powerrelated to sin and its consequences. This is
certainly true in the case ofthe sinless God Man…
He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus the Son) Who knew no sin to be sin on
our behalf, that we might become the righteousness ofGod in Him. (2 Cor
5:21)
Crowned(4737)(stephanoo from stephanos = crown - see word study)
literally meant to adorn one with an honorary wreath which served as the
"crown" ofthe victor in the Greek public games. It is fitting that crownedis
in the perfecttense which signifies the permanence of this crown.
This particular Greek verb emphasizes Christ finishing the course and
receiving the stephanos, the Victor's crown("oh death where is your
victory"). Paul's famous passagerecords this exaltation.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore alsoGod
highly exalted Him, and bestowedonHim the name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus EVERYKNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who
are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue

should confess thatJesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (See
notes Philippians 2:8; 2:9; 2:10; 2:11)
It follows that Christ is our example to follow "in His steps" that we receive a
stephanos!Peterexpands this idea writing…
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, (See note 1 Peter2:21)
Comment: Peteris speaking in contextto slaves and so illustrates his words by
citing Christ's example of suffering unjustly. By way of application all who
desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The "cross"always
precedes the "crown" in God's economy!
THAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR
EVERYONE:hopos chariti theou huper pantos geusetai(3SAMS)thanatou:
By the grace:Jn 3:16 Ro 5:8,18 8:32 2Co 5:21 6:1 1Jn 4:9,10
Taste:Mt 6:28 Mk 9:1 Lk 9:27 Jn 8:52
For everyone:Jn 1:29 12:32 2Co 5:15 1Ti 2:6 1Jn2:2 Rev 5:9
A DESCRIPTION OF
AMAZING GRACE
Spurgeonsays He tastes death - Thus lifting man back into the place where he
first stoodso far as this matter of dominion is concerned. Oh, how glorious it
is to realize our position in Christ, and to see how He has lifted us up, not
merely to the place from which the first Adam fell, but He has made us stand
so securelythere that we shall not again descendamong the ruins of the Fall!
Glory be to His holy name!
That (3704)(hopos)means in order that (see discussionof terms of purpose or
result) and introduces a purpose clause which is pregnant with meaning. The
author puts Christ's death in behalf of (huper) or even better instead of (we

were guilty and condemned to die eternally) every man as the motive for His
incarnation and death on the Cross.
By (dia) defines the instrumentality or channel.
On the phrase by the grace ofGod, Octavius Winslow's words are so apropos
"Who delivered up Jesus to die? NotJudas, for money; not Pilate, for fear;
not the Jews, forenvy; but the Father, for love!
Grace (5485)(charis)(Click word study on charis) refers to God's unmerited
favor (Acrostic = God's Riches At Christ's Expense). Grace is costly. There is
no room for a philosophy or theologyof "cheapgrace". Gracemade it
possible for Jesus to taste death for you and for me!
As D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said "The ultimate test of our spirituality is the
measure of our amazement at the grace ofGod."
OswaldC. Hoffman rightly spoke ofthe Sonof God's love and the grace
bestowedon Him "Grace is love that gives, that loves the unlovely and the
unlovable."
Thomas Adams said that "Grace comes into the world as the morning sun
into the world; first a dawning, then a light; and at last the sun in his full and
excellentbrightness.'
Thomas Brooks - Grace is a ring of gold, and Christ is the sparkling diamond
in that ring.
Vincent writes that "Godmanifested His grace in giving Christ the
opportunity of tasting death for every man, and so abolishing death as a curse.
The same thought of glory in humiliation is expressedin John 1:14. To be
calledto the office of “apostle andhigh-priest of our confession”(Hebrews
3:1), an office which involved personalhumiliation and death, was to be
“crownedwith glory and honour,” and was a signaltokenof God’s favour.
Note John 12:23, 28; 13:31, 32, in which Jesus speaksofhis approaching
passionas itself his glorification. Compare Hebrews 3:3 (note). It was
desirable to show to Jews who were tempted to stumble at the doctrine of a

crucified Messiah(Gal. 3:13), that there was a glory in humiliation (Hebrews
2: Word Studies)
Francis Burkitt said it wellthat "Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace
consummated. Grace is glory in the bud, and glory is grace in the fruits.
Grace is the lowestdegree ofglory, and glory the highestdegree of grace.
GreatGod of wonders!
All Thy ways
Are matchless,
Godlike, and divine;
But the fair glories of Thy grace,
More Godlike and unrivalled shine.
Samuel Davies
Don't miss what the writer is saying here -- it is of profound theological(and
practical)importance in this life and the life to come. He is describing Jesus'
death in our place. We have all been born with Adam's "sin gene" and thus
we deserve to die eternally (Ro 5:12-note). Jesus, as the last (second)Adam,
was sent by His Fatherto die in our place (cf Jn 3:16), which is in its very
essencethe doctrine of substitutionary atonement. All the OT animal
sacrifices hadas one of their major purposes to show sinful men that they
needed a substitute to die in their place for their sins. Every OT sacrifice
pointed to the ultimate sacrifice ofthe Lamb of God at Calvary. When Jesus
tasteddeath, it was not without purpose. He tasteddeath so that those who
believe in His sacrificialdeath, His death in their place as their substitute, will
not have to taste eternal death! Yes, it says "for everyone" which might
suggestuniversalismto some, but the Bible is abundantly clearthat no one is
born againand enters into the Kingdom of God or heavenwithout believing in
Jesus (cf Acts 16:30-31+). Christ's once and for all time payment has been
made (See Paid in Full) and is offered as a gift of grace (cf Ro 3:24+) to all
who would receive it, also by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9+). Have you
receivedHis incredible gift of eternal life? He died for you, but you must place

your faith in Him to have His perfect righteousness imputed or reckonedto
your "spiritual bank account" (so to speak). Whenthat "wire transfer" (so to
speak)is made, the Father looks atyou, and He is satisfiedthat the price has
been Paid in Full, because He sees that you are in covenant with His Son. You
are in Christ, safe and secure eternally. To use an OT analogy, you are "safe
in the Ark" (of Christ), so that when the flood waters of God's final wrath
come, you will be rescuedfrom eternalpunishment. O taste and see that the
Lord is good(Ps 34:8), because He tasteddeath for you and for me!
RelatedResources:
What is Substitutionary Atonement?
What are the various theories on the atonement?
What is the conceptof the vicarious atonement?
What is the doctrine of penal substitution?
What does it mean that Jesus took our place?
What is the doctrine of substitution?
Taste (1089)(geuomai)means to taste with one's mouth and is a figure of
speechmeaning to "come to know" something, not with just to sample but to
partake fully. It was usedidiomatically to mean "to experience something to
the full". When used in this connection, it gives prominence to what is really
involved in dying. It means here that Jesus died, with all that that entails. It
even makes one thing of the "sourwine" the soldiers gave him.
Moffatt observedthat this taste was "a bitter experience, not a rapid sip."
Was it for crimes that I had done,
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
--Isaac Watts

(Play Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?)
Spurgeonwrites of His tasting of death - Thus lifting man back into the place
where he first stoodso far as this matter of dominion is concerned.
Death(2288)(thanatos)it is worth reiterating signifies a physical separation
of the soul from the body. Every form of death in the NT is treatednot as a
natural process but always as a destroying powerrelated to sin and its
consequences.
As Puritan writer Stephen Charnock stated"The doctrine of the death of
Christ is the substance of the gospel."
As John Murray says "He humbled himself to the accurseddeath of the cross.
There were no lowerdepths possible, for the cross bespeaksthe whole curse of
God upon sin. It is humiliation inimitable, unrepeated, unrepeatable.
A. Sapir writes that "the Lord tasted death. A man may die in a moment, and
then he does not taste death. But all that was in death was concentratedin the
cup which the Lord Jesus Christ emptied on the cross. He was made a curse
for us; He was left alone with the powerof darkness. But though He emptied
the cup of wrath, though all the waves and billows of death went over Him, He
continued to live, to trust, to love, to pray. He gained the victory in the lowest
depth of His agony. (Expository Lectures on the Hebrews)
For (huper) means for the benefit of. It speaks ofsubstitution, in this context
of Christ's substitutionary death for everyone.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
For everyone - Note the truth that Jesus tastedof death for every man is clear
testimony to the universality of His atonement (in contrastto the aberrant
theologyof a "limited" atonementtaught by some).
As J. H. Vincent phrased it "He himself was forsakenthat none of his children
might ever need to utter his cry of loneliness.
He died that we might be forgiven,

He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to heaven,
Savedby his precious blood.
--Cecil Frances Alexander
Paul wrote that Messiah…
gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. (1Ti
6:2)
In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness ofour
trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, whichHe lavished upon us. In
all wisdom and insight (See notes Ephesians 1:7; 1:8)
and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves,
but for Him who died and rose againon their behalf. (2Cor 5:15)
Jesus Himself testified that…
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. (John
12:32)
John spoke of the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice writing…
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God
who takes awaythe sin of the world! (John 1:29)
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also
for those of the whole world. (1John 2:2)
His death was in behalf of every one (not everything as the early Greek
theologians took it).
On the other hand, the writer of Hebrews is not teaching universalism (that
everyone will be saved) as is commonly taught in many liberal Protestant
pulpits today! To reiterate, what this truth teaches is the death of Christ was
sufficient for all, and efficient for some (for the "some" who come and drink
the waterof life by grace through faith).

Octavius Winslow's Devotional…
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crownedwith glory and honour; - Hebrews 2:9
There was an honoring, but not a glorifying of our humanity, when the Son of
God assumedit. Its union with the Deity-its fullness of the Spirit-its spotless
holiness-its deep knowledge of, and intimate fellowship with, God-conspiredto
invest it with a dignity and honor such as no creature had ever before, or ever
shall againattain. But not until its ascensioninto heaven was it glorified. Oh,
through what humiliation did it pass, what indignity did it endure, when
below! What sinless weaknesses,imperfections, and frailties clung to it! It
hungered, it thirsted, it labored, it sorrowed, it wept, it suffered, it bled, it
died! "The poor man's scorn, the rich man's ridicule," what indignities did it
endure! It was scourged, it was bruised, it was mocked, it was smitten, it was
spit upon, it was nailed to the tree, it was pierced, it was slain! Oh, what eye,
but that of faith, can, through all this degradation, behold the person of the
incarnate God?
But now "we see Jesus, who was made a little lowerthan the angels, forthe
suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor." Even after His
resurrection, it must be acknowledgedthat a change, approximating to that
state of glory, had already passedoverHim. So spiritualized was He, that even
His disciples, when they saw Him, knew Him not. What, then, must be the
glory that encircles Him now that He has passedwithin His kingdom, and is
exalted at the right hand of God, "farabove all heavens, that He might fill all
things"! John, during his banishment at Patmos, was favoredwith a view of
His glorified humanity, and thus describes its dazzling appearance-"Isaw
sevengolden candlesticks;and in the midst of the sevencandlesticks one like
unto the Sonof man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about
the breasts with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool,
as white as snow;and His eyes were as a flame of fire, and His feet like unto
fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many
waters. And He had in His right hand sevenstars;and out of His mouth went

a sharp two-edgedsword; and His countenance was as the sun shines in his
strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feetas dead. And He laid His right
hand upon me, saying unto me, Fearnot; I am the first and the last: I am He
that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and
have the keys of hell and of death." Sublime description of the "gloryand
honor" which now crown the exalted humanity of our adorable Redeemer!
Did the awe-strickenandprostrate evangelistentertainany doubt of the
glorious person who thus appeared to him? That doubt must all have
vanished the moment he felt the "right hand" of Jesus laid upon Him, and
heard His own familiar voice saying unto him, "Fearnot." Oh, what a
tangible evidence and what a near view did he now have of the exaltedand
glorified humanity of his Lord! At that instant he saw Him to be divine, and
he felt Him to be human!
Yes! The very tabernacle of flesh in which He dwelt, the identical robe of
humanity that He wore, He carried up with Him into heaven, and sat down
with it upon the throne. There it is, highly exalted. There it is, above angels,
and higher than saints, in close affinity and eternal union with the Godhead.
There it is, bathing itself in the "fullness of joy," and drinking deeply of the
satisfying "pleasures" whichare at God's "right hand for evermore." Oh,
what must be the holy delight which the human soul of Jesus now experiences!
Sin presses upon it no more; sorrow beclouds it no more; the hidings of God's
face distress it no more; infirmity clings to it no more: it exults in the beams of
God's unveiled glory, and it swims in the oceanof His ineffable love. If the
vision upon Mount Tabor was so glorious-ifthe splendors there encircling
that form which yet had not passedthrough the scenes ofthe crucifixion, the
resurrection, and the ascension, were so overpowering-ifthe attractions of
that spot were so great, and the ecstasyofthat moment was so ravishing-what,
oh, what must be the glory, the joy, the bliss of heaven, where we shall no
longersee Him "through a glass darkly," but "as He is," and "face to face"!
F B Meyer writes (in The Call and Challenge of the Unseen)
THE FIERY ORDEALOF TEMPTATION

Heb. 4:15, 2:9-10
WHAT is God doing at this moment? He may be creating new worlds; may be
work-ing up into new and beautiful shapes what we should accountas waste
products; or may be preparing to unveil the new heavens and the new earth.
But there is one thing of which we may be sure: He is bringing many sons
unto glory! In order to help these to the uttermost, the Sonof God was
tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. It was realtemptation, for He
suffered being tempted; but being perfected through the terrible ordeal, He
has become the Author of eternal salvationto all who obey Him. Let us learn
His talisman of victory!
This bringing of many sons unto glory is a long and difficult process,for three
reasons:
(1) It is necessarythat we should be createdas free agents, able to say "No" as
well as "Yes."
(2) We have to choose betweenthe material world, which is so present and
very attractive to our senses, andthe eternal, spiritual, and unseen. But the
choice is inevitable if we are to really know things. We canonly know a thing
by contrastwith its opposite:
(3) There is a realm of evil spirits constantlyregarding us with envious hatred,
and bent on seducing us from the paths of goodnessand obedience. Theyare
adepts at their art.
If it be askedwhy we are placedin circumstances so perilous, so trying, the
answer, so far as we can formulate it, is that we are being testedwith a view to
the greatministries awaiting us in the next life. We are to be priests and
kings!There are vast spaces in the universe that may have to be evangelized
or ruled or influenced for righteousness. Itmay be that important spheres of
ministry are needing those to fill them who have learned the secretofvictory
over materialism on the one hand, and over the powerof Satan on the other.
We know that there was warin heavenbefore Satanand his angels were cast
down to earth, and there may be another, and yet another. Therefore earth
may be the school, the training-ground, the testing-place for the servants and

soldiers of the hereafter. This thought need not be in conflict with, the ideals
of rest and worship which we are wont to associatewith the future life.
Eternity will give opportunities for all I But, if it became Him of whom and
through whom are all things to make the Captain of their salvationperfect
through the suffering of temptation, it stands to reasonthat His comrades and
soldiers must pass through the same, that they may become more than
conquerors, and, having overcome, may sit with Him on His throne, as He
overcame and is set down with His Fatheron His throne.
The first temptation on recordis that of our first parents in Eden. It is a
masterpiece ofpsychology. The experience of all after-time has added nothing
to this marvellous analysis.
1. Temptation is more formidable when we are alone f Solitude is full of peril,
unless it is full of Christ!
2. Some outward object, or some fancy of the mind, attracts our attention. It
may be an apple, a face, a gratification, the lure of popularity, or money. The
longerwe look at it the strongerthe fascinationgrows. Some birds are
mesmerized by the fixed gaze of their foe at the footof the tree. The longer we
gaze at something forbidden, the strongerits mesmeric power. While we
continue to look, the tempter covers the walls of imagery with more definite
and attractive colors, and his ideals imperiously demand realization in act.
Our only hope is to tear ourselves awayfrom those basilisk eyes;to hasten
from the haunted chamber; to escape, as Joseph did in the house of Potiphar.
3. If we linger, many thoughts will gatherto ply us--all of them suggestedby
the tempter, who speaks through the voice of our own soul. These suggestions
will question the love and wisdom which have forbidden. "Perhaps we have
placed an exaggeratedinterpretation on our limitations and prohibitions. Are
they not rather arbitrary? Would it not be goodto know evil just once, that it
might be avoided ever after? Besides, is it not necessaryto know evil in order
to realize good? Perhaps it would be better to satisfythe inner craving for
satisfactionby one single act; then the hungry pack of wolves would at leastbe
silenced!After all, is it not probable that if one were to know the forbidden
thing it would be so much easierto warn others?" Such are the reasonings in

which the tempted shelter themselves, not realizing that the only certain way
of knowing evil is not by committing, but by resisting it.
4. Finally, we take the forbidden step, eat the/or-bidden fruit; the garment of
light which veiled our nakedness drops off; the tempter runs laughing down
the forestglade;a shadow falls on the sunshine, and a cold blast whistles in
the air. Our conscience cursesus, and we die, i.e. we cease to correspondto
our proper environments, which are God, purity, and obedience. Eve ought to
have dropped that apple like a burning coal, and hurried from the spot; but,
no; she lingered, ate, and gave to "her husband; so sin entered into the world;
and sin opened the door to pain, travail, sorrow, the loss of purity, the loss of
God's holy fellowship in the coolof the day, the fad-hag of the garden, and the
reign of death and the grave.
The Temptation of our Lord.
1. It came after the descentof the Spirit as a dove. We may always expectdeep
experience of the tempter to follow close on the highest moments of spiritual
exaltation. Where you have mountains you must look for valleys!
2. He was led of the Spirit to be tempted; clearly, then, temptation is not sin. A
holy nature might go through hell itself, assailedby clouds of demons, and
come out on the farther side untainted. So long as the waves ofevil break on
the outward bulwarks of the spirit they are innocuous. Jesus was tempted in
all points as we are, yet without sin.
3. The sword of the Spirit and the shield, againstwhich the darts of evil fall
blunted to the ground, are the words of the ever-blessedGod, and the upward
glances ofa steadfastfaith. Remember how Jesus said, "it is written "; "it is
written again." He is also the Pioneerand Perfectionoffaith!
4. Eachtemptation which He overcame seemedto give Him powerin the very
sphere in which it had sought His overthrow.
He was tempted to use His powerto satisfy His ownhunger; but, having
refused to use it selfishly, He was able to feed five thousand; and four
thousand men, besides womenand children.

He was tempted to castHimself from the wing of the temple to the dizzy depth
below, in order to attractattention to Himself; but having refused, He was
able to descendinto Hades, and then ascendto the Father's throne; to lay
down His life and take it againfor a world of sinners.
He was tempted to adopt Satan's method of gaining adherents by pandering
to their passions;but He refused, and adopted the opposite policy of falling
into the ground to die, of treading the winepress alone, of insisting that it is
not by yielding to passion, but by self-denial, self-sacrifice,and the Cross that
salvationis alone to be obtained. Therefore, a greatmultitude, which no man
can number, have washedtheir robes and made them white in His blood, and
stand before the throne.
Having, therefore, met temptation in the arena, and masteredit in its
threefold spheres--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life--Jesus is able to succorthem that are being tempted; and if they should
fail He is able to understand, because He has gone every step of the way
Himself, and is well acquainted with its perils. He can easilytrace the lost
sheepon the mountains, because He has The Fiery Ordealof Temptation
marked every pitfall and the lair of every enemy. He has lookedover the cliff-
brink to the bottom, where those who have missed the track "in the cloudy
and dark day" may be lying; and when He has found them He brings them
home on His shoulder rejoicing.
Our Own Temptations. We all have to pass through the wilderness of
temptation, the stones of which blister our feet, and the air is like a sirocco
breath in our faces.
1. All God's sons are tempted. As we have seen, we only know light by
darkness, sweetby bitter, health by disease, goodby evil resistedand
overcome.
"Oh, where is the sea?"the fishes said,
As they swam through the crystal waters blue! ""
They had never been out of it, and .so were in ignorance of that which had
always been their element.

2. The pressure of temptation is strictly limited. When Satan approachedGod
with regard to Job, he was on two occasions restrictedto a fixed barrier,
beyond which he might not go. In the case ofPeter also, whenhe obtained
permission to approachhim, he could only go so far as to sift him as wheat;he
might rid him of chaff, but not hurt anything essential. Rememberalso that
glorious announcement "There hath no temptation takenyou but such as man
can bear: but Godis faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape,that ye
may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
3. As you live nearGod the temptation gets deeperdown in your nature. You
are aware ofit in subtler forms and disguises. It attacks motives rather than
the outward habits and actions.
One summer afternoon, when I came down to the Auditorium at Northfield,
Massachusetts, Ifound Mr. Moody and his brother on the platform, and
betweenthem a young apple tree, just digged up and brought from the
neighboring orchard. There were about a thousand people in the audience.
When I reachedthe platform the following dialogue took place:
Mr. Moody to his brother: "Whathave you here?" "An apple tree," was the
reply. "Was it always an apple tree?"
"Oh no, it was a forestsapling, but we have inserted an apple graft."
Mr. Moody to me: "What does that make you think of?"
"You and I were forestsaplings," saidI, "with no hope of bearing fruit, but
the Jesus-nature has been grafted into us by the Holy Spirit."
To his brother: "Does the forestsapling give you trouble?"
"Why, yes," said the gardener. "It is always sending out shoots under the
graft, which drain off the sap."
"What do you do with them?"
"We pinch them off with our finger and thumb; but they are always coming
out lowerdown the tree."

Then he turned to me and askedif there was anything like it in the spiritual
life, to which I replied: "It is a parable of our experience. The old self-life is
always sending out its shoots, and we can have no mercy on them; but if we
deal with the more superficialsins on the surface of our life, as we getolder
we realize their deeper appeals, and to the end of life shall be more and more
aware of their sinisterpower. The quick sensitivenessofage must not be
ignored or overlooked. It may be as strong a shootin the old forestsapling as
the manifestations of passionin earlierlife. Old men, for instance, may be
jealous of young ones, and quick to take offence if there are symptoms of their
being put aside."
4. Temptation is not in itself sin, but we cannot say, as our Saviour could,
"The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." We cannot
appropriate those last words. We know that all the inner gunpowder
magazines are not emptied. Therefore it is just as well, after a severe time of
testing, as the demons leave us, to ask ourselves if there has been some subtle
response in the depths of our nature it may be forgiven. We must not risk the
loss of ship or cargo because the combustion is so slow and so deep in the hold.
5. In the hour of temptation affirm your union with your all-victorious and
exalted Saviour! Stand in His victory! You are part of" His mystical Body;
take your rightful position! God has setHim at His own right hand in the
heavenlies;be sure to come down on your foe from the heights of the throne.
It is always easierto fight down from the mountain slope than up from the
lowland valleys. You can be more than a conqueror through Him that loved
you; but abide in Him.
6. Always ask the Saviour to hold the door on the inside. Satan will burst it
open againstyour feeble strength; but when Jesus stands within all hell will be
foiled. Though ten thousand demons are at you, in your patience possessyour
soul!
7. One other point is of immense importance. Be sure to claim the opposite
grace from Christ. The fact that an attack is being made at a certainposition
in your fortifications proves that you are weakestthere. When therefore the
tempter advances to the attack, and you are aware of his strategy, take

occasionto claim an accessionof Christ's counterbalancing strength. When
tempted to quick temper, "Thy patience, Lord!" To harsh judgment, "Thy
gentleness, Lord!" To impurity, "Thy purity, Lord!"
"By all hells hosts withstood,
We all hews hosts o'erthrow;
And conquering ,till by Jesus" blood,
We on to victory go.'"
Sometimes temptation will come upon us in the hatred and opposition of man,
and we shall be strongly tempted to use force againstforce, strengthagainst
strength, and to employ weapons offlesh and blood. This is not the best. The
raging foe is best encounteredby the quiet faith and courage whichenable a
man to go boldly forward, not yielding, not daunted, not striking back. Hand
the conflictover to the Captain of your salvation. It is for you simply to stand
in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Love the truth more than all, and go on in the mighty power of God, as good
soldiers of Jesus Christ; in nothing daunted by your adversaries, but
witnessing a goodconfession, whetherman will bear or forbear. "Greateris
he who is in you than he that is in the world."
It may be that this earth on which we find ourselves is the Marathon or the
Waterloo of the universe. We are as villagers who were born on the site and
are implicated in the issues of the war. We are not merely spectators but
soldiers, and whether in single combat or in the advance of the whole line, it is
for us to play a noble part. Full often in the history of warthe achievements of
a single soldier have changedthe menace of defeatinto the shout of victory.
Think of David's conflictwith Goliath; of the three that held the bridge in the
brave days of old; and of the Guards at Waterloo!From their high seats the
overcomers, who in their mortal life fought in the greatconflict for the victory
of righteousness and truth, are watching us. Are they disappointed at our
handling of the matter? Are we worthy to call ourselves oftheir lineage, or to
be named in the same category? Fightworthily of them, whether in private

secretcombat, or in the line of advance, that you may not be ashamedat the
grand review!
Fight first againstthe wickedspirits that antagonize your own inner life.
Repeatthe exploits of David's mighties: of Benaiah, who slew a lion in a pit in
time of snow; of the three who broke through the Philistines' lines and drew
waterfrom Bethlehem's wellfor their king; of Amasai and his host, the least
of whom was equal to a hundred. Every lonely victory gained in your closet
and in your most secretsacredhour is hastening the victory of the entire
Church. Listen! Are not those the notes of the advancing conquering host?
Are not the armies of heavenalready thronging around the Victor on His
white horse?
It is high time to awake out of sleepI The perfecting of God's purpose is at
hand! The return of the Jews to Palestine;the budding of the fig tree; the
bankruptcy of politicians and statesmen;the threatened overthrow of
European civilization; the rise of Bolshevism;the new grouping of the nations
for war, notwithstanding the appeals of the League of Nations;the awful
havoc of Spiritism; the waning of love; all these are signs that we stand at the
junction of two ages. The one is dying in the sky, tinting it with the sunset; the
other is breaking in the East, and the cirrus cloudlets are beginning to burn.
Let us then put off the works ofdarkness and put on the armor of light, now
in the time of this mortal life, that when He shall come in His glorious majesty
to receive the kingdom of the world, we may rise to the life immortal, through
Him who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God,
blessedfor evermore!
"Fight the goodfight with all thy might,
Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally."
From - The Call and Challenge ofthe Unseen

Jesus was a sight to see

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