04/09/2008
14Now since the children (humanity) have flesh and blood in common, [Jesus] also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil— 15and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. 17Therefore He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.
There are some who believe that Jesus was never fully and completely human. They believe that God would not and could not be represented as mortal. In this thinking, they can reason away the fact that Jesus was sinless in His life. They can argue that He did not suffer or die. These arguments only serve to diminish what Christ has done for us. If our Savior was not fully human, that is, mortal, then how can He relate to our suffering?
The writer of Hebrews addressed this fallacy in his letter: “16For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring.” It stands to reason that if Jesus came to minister to humans that he would have to become fully human.
For this reason, we know that our Savior can relate to every aspect of our lives. We don’t think about the fact that Jesus was a human, as a child, dealing with childhood issues, and as a teen dealing with teen issues. Can you imagine Jesus with acne?
Somehow, we seem to see Jesus as in the paintings where even as an infant, he is pious and adult-like. But I believe this painted image to be in error. We only have one account where Jesus was behaving beyond His years (when he was talking with the priests at age 12). Otherwise, we should consider that He lived like a child, played games with other children; that he grew into His teen years and interacted with other teens. And only after He had completed His apprenticeship with His father Joseph, did he begin His ministry.
I am convinced that He endured pain, heat, cold, hunger and thirst—not because he could not prevent them, but so that we would know that He understands the human condition. Further, we can know that He understands temptation and the allure of this earth.
How difficult would it be to have faith in a savior that never experienced what we experience?
I am thankful to have a Savior that lived as I live, experiencing the same things that I have experienced, and who overcame this life and even death to give me hope for the future.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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