Hebrews 2:1-3 tells Christians that they have received a "great salvation." 

What is "great" about your salvation?  Dylan and Jack sit and read Heb. 2:1-3 and smile ... "Yep, it's a great salvation.  I went to a great movie yesterday.  I have a great Persian kitty at home.  I have a great stereo in the car, and a great salvation into the bargain."

Nope.  Actually, "great" in this sense comes from a Greek word, telekautes, that means colossal.  Mighty.  Heavy. 

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We drove through KFC the other day and asked for an extra-large soda pop.  The speaker asked me to clarify.  Did you mean our 44-ounce size?  Or the 64-ounce size?

WHAT?!  I remember the days when 16-oz cans were introduced; holding one, standing and talking with your friends, you felt like a pig.  That 16-oz can was tall.  Why isn't 12 ounces enough?  

32 ounces were a sensation when they came out.  Isn't 64 ounces like a half-gallon or something?  Do you drink it, or give your football coach a celebration bath with it?

A telekautes drink would be a vast drink, an immense one, an imposing drink.  Like a 64-oz drink.  These days, American drive-thrus offer you "GREAT" drinks and fries. :- )

The word is also used in James 3:4... the "great" ships are turned with a very small helm.  The word is used in 2 Cor. 1:10 ... Paul was delivered from a "great" death at the hands of the Romans. 

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So you and I sit here with a giant, mighty, imposing salvation.  What makes a salvation mighty?

The other day, my cat was sitting on top of a 7-foot fence, stranded.  I reached up, pulled it down, cuddled it, and it purred.  That is a salvation -- a rescue.  Was it a "great" rescue?  :- )  Nah, it was a small salvation.

What does make a salvation mighty?  When the airplanes were hijacked on 9/11, one of the groups of hostages heard, on their cell phones, about the other planes' fates.  They decided to stage a rebellion.  It resulted in the crash of that plane too, but they evidently saved the Pentagon.  Now, there's a great salvation, a considerable rescue.

Why a great salvation?  Because of the fear and danger that the rescuers faced, and because of the fate they were able to spare the victims, and because the level of effort and sacrifice required.

Pulling your kitty off the fence doesn't require courage, unless there's a Doberman growling nearby.  It doesn't require much effort; you don't even have to cancel your afternoon golf.  It's a rescue, but not a great one.

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Did Christ rescue us, as victims, from a dire fate?

Did He face danger and fear in doing so?

Did He pay a large price to accomplish the rescue?

The Messiah theme is such a loud, resounding salvation that the three greatest fantasy/sci-fi stories plagiarize it:  Dune, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars all pivot around heroes willing to die for their friends, saving the universe itself from Evil personified.  Paul and then Leto, Gandalf, and Luke all sacrifice (or offer to sacrifice) themselves, battling preposterously Evil enemies, in eerily Christ-like style.

The Hebrew writer thinks about our salvation as a "colossal" rescue.  There could be no greater rescue executed.  A greater rescue literally cannot be imagined, much less accomplished.  The word "great" understates the "ultimate."

Warm regards,

Jeff