Hebrews 2:9

But we behold him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man.

Here is the abysmal depth in which, for a little while, the Son became lower than the angels. (The true translation is "for a little while"; see English Revised Version (1885) margin.) As G. Campbell Morgan so well expressed it,

The Son was made lower than the angels, descending to the level of human nature (especially regarding his passion and death), in order that he might die. From death, angels are exempt; therefore, he passed them by, coming not merely to the level of ideal humanity, but to the level of failing humanity; made lower than the angels that he might taste of death.[12]

This verse has one of the most astounding statements in the Bible, that Christ was crowned with glory and honor in order that he might taste death for every man. Again, from Morgan, "The amazing and revealing declaration then is that God conferred upon his eternal Son a crown of glory when he gave him to death for the ransom of the race."[13] Here is set forth the importance and centrality of the death of Christ, not merely for some, but for every man. Christ did not come into this world merely to deliver noble teaching, nor to establish some kind of ideal, but to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world.

[12] G. Campbell Morgan, God's Last Word to Man (Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1936), p. 33.

[13] Ibid., p. 34.