How can we see Hebrews 2:8 fulfilled in Jesus' earthly ministry? The Promise Revisited in Hebrews 2:8 “ ‘You have put all things in subjection under His feet.’ When God subjected everything to Him, He left nothing outside of His control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him.” (Hebrews 2:8) Snapshots of “All Things” Bowing to Jesus • Authority over nature – “He rebuked the wind and the sea: ‘Silence! Be still!’ And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.” (Mark 4:39) – Water becomes wine (John 2:1-11). – He walks on water (Matthew 14:25-32). Creation recognizes its Master—an early display of Psalm 8:6 dominion. • Authority over the spiritual realm – “Even the unclean spirits obey Him!” (Mark 1:27). – Legion of demons driven into swine (Mark 5:1-13). Invisible powers fall in line under His feet. • Authority over sickness and disability – Instant healing of fever, paralysis, leprosy, blindness (Matthew 8–9). – People “were all healed” as they touched Him (Luke 6:19). Bodily brokenness submits to the One who fashioned the body. • Authority over scarcity – Five loaves and two fish feed thousands with baskets left over (Matthew 14:13-21). Matter multiplies at His word, hinting at complete cosmic control. • Authority over death itself – “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” (Mark 5:41-42). – Widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:14-15). – “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43-44). Death yields to the Prince of Life, previewing the final defeat of “the last enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26). • Authority to forgive sin – “ ‘So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up….’ ” (Matthew 9:6). Spiritual bondage, the deepest “enemy,” lies under His feet as surely as winds and waves. The Climactic Display: Cross and Resurrection • At Calvary Jesus bore sin, disarmed rulers and authorities, and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). • The empty tomb seals the dominion declared: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:18) “Already” and “Not Yet” • During His earthly walk, Jesus let creation, demons, disease, and death feel the weight of His feet—fulfilling Hebrews 2:8 in principle. • After the resurrection He announced, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18) • The full, visible subjection awaits His return (1 Corinthians 15:24-27), but the Gospels give irrefutable evidence that Hebrews 2:8 is already true in Him. |
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