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Is Jesus Lower than the Angels?

Episode 98: Year B – 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

In this episode, we look at three details in the readings for this upcoming 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. Two of the three come from the second reading, which is taken from Hebrews 2:9-11. Both details pertain to the topic of Jesus’ divinity. If Jesus is God, so it’s asked, how can he be “lower than the angels” and “made perfect”? The third detail comes from the Gospel reading, taken from Mark 10:2-12 and it has to do with the topic of divorce and remarriage

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Hey everyone,

 

Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings and pick out the details that are relevant for explaining and defending our Catholic faith.

 

I’m Karlo Broussard, staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, and the host for this podcast.

 

In this episode, we’re going to look at three details in the readings for this upcoming 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. Two of the three come from the second reading, which is taken from Hebrews 2:9-11. Both details pertain to the topic of Jesus’ divinity. If Jesus is God, so it’s asked, how can he be “lower than the angels” and “made perfect”? The third detail comes from the Gospel reading, taken from Mark 10:2-12 and it has to do with the topic of divorce and remarriage.

 

Here’s the second reading from Hebrews 2:9-11:

 

He “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels, ”
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated
all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

 

The first detail is the author’s statement that Jesus was “made ‘lower than the angels.’” How do we reconcile this with our belief that Jesus is divine? This detail and our belief seem to be in conflict.

 

Well, they’re not in conflict when we consider that the author attributes this lesser status to Jesus insofar as Jesus is man, not God. A similar explanation is offered by Aquinas when he responds to the challenge from John 14:28 where Jesus says the Father is greater than him. In his response, Aquinas appeals to Heb. 2:9. He writes,

 

Thus when he says, the Father is greater than I, he does not mean I, as Son of God, but as Son of man, for in this way he is not only inferior to the Father and the Holy Spirit, but even to the angels: “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:9). Again, in some things he was subject to human beings, as his parents (Luke 2:51). Consequently, he is inferior to the Father because of his human nature, but equal because of his divine nature (Commentary on the Gospel of John 14.8).

 

Just as Jesus can rightly speak of himself as being less than the Father because of his human nature, so too the author of Hebrews can rightly speak of Jesus as being less than the angels, insofar as he has a human nature.

 

Jesus has a human intellect and a human will, which, when considered of themselves, are inferior to the intellects and wills of angels. Jesus’s body/soul unity, considered naturally, is subject to disunity. Angels are not subject to such disunity because they’re not united to any matter!

 

Therefore, insofar as Jesus has a human nature, we can truthfully speak of him being lower than the angels.

 

The second detail that relates to Jesus’ divinity is the statement that Jesus was made “perfect through suffering.” How can Jesus be lacking perfection, so it’s asked, if he’s God, the one who is absolutely perfect, lacking no perfection whatsoever?

 

And even prescinding from the question of his divinity, we believe that Jesus was perfect in his human nature, both naturally and supernaturally, which seems to conflict with this passage.

 

Well, I address this very same question when commenting on Hebrews 5:9 in episode 69 of the Sunday Catholic Word, which deals with the readings for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. Since it’s not that involved, I’ll just repeat my answer her.

 

Aquinas addresses this question as well. In his commentary on Hebrews, he writes,

 

In Christ the fruit was glorification; hence, he says, and being made perfect, for from the instant of His conception He was perfectly consummated as to the happiness of His soul, inasmuch as it was drawn to God; but he still had a nature that could suffer, although after His Passion He could not suffer.

 

With Aquinas, there’s a need to make the proper distinction: the distinction between perfection in Christ’s soul and the perfection of Christ’s corporeal nature that involves freedom from suffering and death, also known as “glorification.” Once this distinction is made, the conflict dissolves. There’s no tension in saying Christ was “perfect” in the happiness of his soul, having the beatific vision, and yet attained the “perfection” of glory.

 

Okay, let’s now turn to the Gospel reading, which is taken from Mark 10:2-12. Mark reports,

 

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?”
They replied,
“Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her.”
But Jesus told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.

So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.”

 

This is Jesus’ definitive teaching that there can be no divorce and remarriage, assuming that there is a real/valid marriage in the first place. Notice Jesus teaches that whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery. Why adultery and not mere fornication? Because the assumption is that each of the spouses are still bound to each other as husband and wife. In other words, the divorce didn’t dissolve the marriage.

 

So, as the Catholic Church teaches, Jesus reveals the indissolubility of marriage here: “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” If man and woman are husband and wife, there is a bond that is not dissolved by divorce.

 

Now, some might ask, “Well, what about the provisional clause in Matthew 19:9? There Jesus says, ‘If any man divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, except in the case of sexual immorality.’ Doesn’t that reveal that in some cases where there is sexual infidelity the divorce does dissolve the marriage?”

 

The short answer is no. I’m not going to go into detail here, so I’d like to refer you to my article at catholic.com entitled “Matthew’s ‘Get Out of Marriage Free’ Card.” In this article, I give reasons why Jesus isn’t allowing for an exceptional case where divorce dissolves a marriage, thus permitting remarriage.

 

However, I will say this. Notice that Mark doesn’t include this apparent exceptional case clause like Matthew does? Why is that? Well, to whom is Mark writing? Gentiles. To whom is Matthew writing? Jews. Perhaps, the apparent exceptional case clause in Matthew refers to something only the Jews would have been familiar with, given their Law and traditions, that Gentiles wouldn’t have been familiar with. And a great candidate for that is the Levitical laws governing unlawful unions. Such unions would explain why it wouldn’t’ be adultery for a man to put away his “wife” and marry another, the reason being that they were not truly husband and wife to begin with.

 

The bottom line is that Jesus reveals marriage is indissoluble, and he roots it in God’s original intention for marriage from the beginning. Here is where the first reading comes into play, which is quoted by Jesus in the Gospel passage.

 

Conclusion

 

Well, my friends, that brings us to the end of this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word. The readings for this upcoming 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, hasn’t shortchanged us when it comes to apologetical material.

 

  • We have details that lead to legitimate questions concerning Jesus’ divinity, and
  • We have material to biblically justify the Church’s teaching that spousal infidelity doesn’t give grounds for divorce and remarriage.

 

As always, thank you for subscribing to the podcast. And please be sure to tell your friends about it and invite them to subscribe as well at sundaycatholicword.com. You might also want to check out the other great podcasts in our Catholic Answers podcast network: Cy Kellet’s Catholic Answers Focus, Trent Horn’s The Counsel of Trent, Joe Heschmeyer’s Shameless Popery, and Jimmy Akin’s A Daily Defense, and Tim Staples’ 1-on-1 with Tim, all of which can be found at catholic.com.

 

One last thing: if you’re interested in getting some cool mugs and stickers with my logo, “Mr. Sunday podcast,” go to shop.catholic.com.

 

I hope you have a blessed 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. Until next time, God Bless!

 

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