Scripture: Hebrews 2:10-18
God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.”
He also said,
“I will put my trust in him,”
that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
Some Thoughts
We’ve seen pleas on commercials for people to adopt homeless pets. Adoption is a unique process and a wonderful old concept. One may adopt a dog, but by adopting you don’t become part of the dog’s family pedigree. You can love a dog, but you can’t become a dog. When you get sick, you don’t go to the vet. And the dog, in spite of what some people think, can’t become human!
I don’t know if you’ve ever given it thought as to why Jesus became a human being. In all other religions, the god remains distant, separated from this world. There is no relational, personal, or physical human dimension in any of these gods. Face-to-face encounters are not possible. One of the great challenges to those of the Jewish faith is the reconciling of God who is Spirit with a human Jesus who claims to be God incarnate, God with human flesh, and not just human flesh, but also completely human in every way. The above Scripture is profound. If God were not completely human in every way, then the sacrificial death would be a faux sacrifice. A spiritual god dying a spiritual death would not solve the human problem.
Looking at things from the human side, if humans were to become brothers and sisters of our Lord, then the Lord would truly have to become one of us in order that we might be able to be adopted. Dogs and people are not of the same family. Heaven and earth are not of the same family unless . . . heaven condescends to earth . . . unless the spiritual takes on flesh and blood, born of a virgin woman. The conception had to come from God the Spirit in order to unite the two worlds.
The glorious truth is that now, death is forever defeated as, by the power of God, the God-Man, Jesus was raised from the grave destroying the devil’s power over death. Notice also this passage has no bearing on angels which are not human beings. This comment reflects a clarifying factor for the Jewish readers who held angels in highest esteem. The portion you read is part of a larger discussion the author is writing regarding the superiority of Jesus over angelic beings. In this season we are reminded anew of the humanity of Jesus and his dealing with all the temptations and struggles of this life of ours. He knows; he’s experienced it. He is able to help us, even this day. He’s adopted us into his family and signed the papers with his blood.
Music: “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” Fernando Ortega
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who has taken up our humanity to be seated at the right hand of God the Father, we bow before you again this day with hearts filled with gratitude. That you have willingly laid aside the glories of heaven to become one of us in human flesh for the purpose of restoring the whole world, is truly more than we can ever comprehend. It is beyond our imagination or conception as to what the heavenly realm is like as we have only veiled and shadowy thoughts at this point. We can only think like humans but it is still hard for us to truly grasp. Maybe when we are in heaven with you, we may have greater understanding and comprehension of your great love. But as one of your followers, Jesus, in your humbling to become one of us as our brother, we offer our deepest gratitude for adopting us into God’s immortal family. All praise and glory to you, one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen. ―Daniel Sharp