The Humanness of Jesus

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Hebrews 2:14-18 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

 One of the biggest goals of the author of Hebrews was to show that Jesus was fully human.  One of the most offensive things to the Jewish leaders was Jesus, a mere man, claimed to be God.  Hebrews says that Jesus became human in every way.  Therefore, anything we experience, Jesus experienced.  Importantly Jesus was tempted in every way as we are tempted.  In some ways Jesus' temptation was more severe than ours in that Jesus never sinned.  We relieve the suffering of temptation by giving into it, but not Jesus.  As one commentator has said about the nature of Jesus' temptation, 

 "Jesus knew the temptations of power and the temptations of pain. He knew the temptations of riches and the temptations of poverty. He knew the temptations of popularity and the temptations of rejection. He knew the temptations of the boy and the temptations of the man. He knew temptation from His friends and temptation from His enemies. He knew temptation from His family and temptation from strangers." (Guzik)

 Of course the biggest way in which Jesus experienced humanness was by dying.  And Jesus did not die naturally, but subjected himself to death by crucifixion.  So you could say that there is nothing we could experience that Jesus hasn't experienced.  It is pretty amazing that God subjected Himself to becoming human.  But by becoming human he defeated sin, death and the power of the devil.  

 If you are going through any kind of suffering or temptation today, realize that you are not alone.  Jesus has been through it, and He will help you to get through it.   

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