Hebrews 2 - Jesus Knows What You Are Going Through!
Warning to Pay Attention
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
When the writer says the message spoken through the angels, he is referring to the words given to Moses in the wilderness or the Pentetuech,, which is the first five books of the Old Testament. The writer warns the Jewish Christians of drifting from the truth of God's Word, which is an issue in our society as well. Paul says in Romans 12:2,
"Don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of Your mind."
We know the best way to renew our minds is to be in God's Word on a daily basis. I hope you will continue to use the Daily Bread each day was we work through the New Testament again nest year, I am going to use a new format but we will still be doing a chapter a day/fire days a week.
Our salvation was predicted in the Old Testament, but was first announced by our Lord Jesus. He confirmed it by the many signs and miracle he performed. The greatest miracle being his resurrection from the dead, which he predicted beforehand on numerous occasions.
Jesus Made Fully Human
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? 7 You made them a little[a] lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor 8 and put everything under their feet.”[b][c]
Today is Christmas, and we celebrate one of the greatest miracles of our faith, when Jesus came down from heaven and was born in a manger to a virgin teenager. We call this the "incarnation", which means "in-fleshed". Jesus came in the flesh but never was anything less than fully divine.
The writer reminds them they were created in God's image, just a little lower than the angels. We share in Jesus' humanity, and one day will reign with Him. This is from Psalm 8:4-6 Most Jews would have spent many hours studying, memorizing, and singing through the psalms, so these verses would have been familiar to them.
God never gave angels the kind of dominion man originally had over the earth (Genesis 1:26-30). Angels do not have dominion over this world or the world to come. (Guzik)
“The divine purpose for the world is that man, not angels, is to rule in the future.” (Griffith Thomas)
In putting everything under them,[d] God left nothing that is not subject to them.[e] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.[f] 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Jesus emptied himself and became a human, died on a cross, and was resurrected on the third day. Jesus will come again someday in great and promised glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom, his rulership, will have no end.
In the same way, as his followers, the scriptures says we will reign with him. 2 Timothy 2:12
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[g] 12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.”[h] 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.”[i] And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”[j]
As part of Jesus becoming a man, he was subjected to suffering proving that he did not just appear to be a man. He really was. This was in response to the heresy that Jesus only "seemed to be a man", but appeared to be a man. The problem with that is that if Jesus was not truly human, he did not truly die for our sins on the cross, and we are still stuck in our sins.
Jesus was not aloof to suffering. He says Jesus was "made perfect in his suffering". Jesus completed his journey as a man by suffering on a cross, while remaining obedient to the Father. We are perfected through our suffering, as we trust and obey God despite our circumstances. It is tough to obey and trust in God in our suffering. When we get through our suffering, or as it subsides, we can look back and see how it shaped our faith and character to be more like Jesus.
Again the writer quotes the Old Testament, and the prophet Isaiah, to remind the Jewish Christians that this was all part of God's perfect plan to bring them the Messiah. Unfortunately many of them did not make the connection and rejected Jesus, because they were looking for a political Messiah who would deliver them from the Roman government.
14 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,[k] 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.
Jesus literally came in the flesh. I.e. He was in every respect fully human. As a human he died on the cross and was able to defeat the power of sin, death, and the power of the devil. Before Jesus we were in slavery to our sinful nature and feared death. One of the greatest benefits of being a Christian is not having to fear death. You can't put a price on that.
Verse 17 says something really important. Jesus was made like us and experienced what we experienced in every way. Think about it, everything thing you have ever felt or experienced, Jesus has felt or experienced. He has experienced joy, sorrow, heartache, temptation, thirst, hunger, grief, anxiety, rejection, and yet was without sin. Therefore, there is nothing you are going through right now or in the future that Jesus has not gone through.
You might think that because Jesus was the Son of God, that his temptation was not real. But it says that Jesus suffered when he was tempted. Jesus became a merciful "high priest" because he had experienced the human condition. The duty of the priests in the Old Testament was to bring the sacrifices into the temple. The most important sacrifice came on Passover, when a lamb without defect was killed and his blood was poured over the altar. Just like the blood was painted over the doorposts to save the Israelite children from the angel of death, the blood poured over the altar took away the sins of the Jewish people.
The bible says there is no forgiveness "without the shedding of blood". - Hebrews 9:22 We know that Jesus was the "Lamb of God" who took away the sins of the world.
Importantly because Jesus was tempted in every way, starting with his 40 days in the wilderness, he could identify with our temptations. The devil tempted Jesus three times when he was hungry and tired, but Jesus relied on the Word of God and the power of the Spirit to overcome it.
So you will never go through anything that Jesus had not undergone. Not only does Jesus know what you are going through, but he can give you the power to get through it.
The apostle Paul gives us what I think is the best verse on beating temptation.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man, but God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. Be with the temptation will provide the way out so you be able to stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Where you being tempted in your life, or where are you suffering right bow? Take a moment to realize that Jesus knows exactly what you are going through and will give you the strength to overcome it!
You may think it is impossible to overcome it, but Paul promises us that no temptation has overtaken us that someone else hasn't gone through!
Merry Christmas! Immanuel God With US! God is with YOU! And he will never leave us until He returns in great and promised glory!
Comments
Post a Comment