A Jesus Like Us
Hebrews 2:10-18
Introduction
A few weeks ago, I reminded you of the way that God chose to communicate with us. God didn’t just send another teacher or prophet, God sent his Son. Not a half-god but the exact reflection of God’s glory. In some mysterious way, when God was sending his Son, he was sending himself.
My goal in that message was to awaken a sense of awe in what God has done. God chose to re-create us through the same one that created the heavens and the earth. This was an amazing act of communication that really goes beyond our full understanding.
All of this is true but there is a danger. It is possible to see Jesus in such an exalted manner that we feel very little connection with him. How can we identify with Jesus when every atom that makes up our body is a creation of his hands? It can feel pretty humiliating.
Imagine being invited to a dinner party and upon arrival, you discover that the rest of the guests are among the most powerful figures on the planets: kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers. How comfortable are you going to feel? How easy will it be to identify with the rest of the guests?
And that is only a small fraction of what separates us from the glory of Christ. How could we possibly have a relationship with Jesus? That question was on the mind of the author of Hebrews. Having set up how powerful the Son is, he goes onto show exactly why this Son is the source of our hope.
Not Ashamed
It would seem as if the author has described the Son in the most exalted way possible. He is far beyond even the most powerful of angels. This Son has been sent, not just to show off his power but for our salvation. My translation has pioneer of their salvation, although I like the KJV’s captain of their salvation. This is good news for us. What is surprising is that we are told that this pioneer or captain is made perfect through suffering. That is confusing in two ways. One is that he seemed to be perfect already. The other is that suffering would seem to make one less perfect. The perfection that is spoken of here is not of value or power but in the fittingness for a task. The Son was perfected in suffering because the Father chose the cross as the means of salvation. The one is the Creator would be killed by his creation. Is there any greater act of love?
That by itself would seem to be enough. But the author goes on. This was no impersonal transaction, such as an anonymous billionaire paying off a debt for a stranger. We are told that Jesus was not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. There are two things here. One is that Jesus does call us brothers and sisters and secondly, he is not ashamed of that. I grew up as an only child but I saw enough examples in other families that not everyone is happy with their siblings. Jesus welcomes us as his brothers and sisters. That is incredible!
The author then goes into some more detail of what happened when the Son came to earth. It is not just that Son appeared and then made atonement. The plan had been for Jesus to become like us. We sometimes think of Jesus as God pretending to be human, as if he wore a mask disguising who he really was. While still God, Jesus was also human. Not a super-human, just a human. As the Son of God, Jesus knew all of the factual details of suffering, but as a human, he now knew suffering through experience.
Have you ever felt like you have been tested? It is not a pleasant feeling. According to the author, Jesus was tested as we are tested. Not only that, but Jesus uses that experience of testing to help us in our own time of testing.
We think of our mission as becoming more like Jesus and that is true. But before we were asked to that, Jesus was on a mission to become more like us.
Who is Your Jesus?
When you think of Jesus, what comes to mind? A distant historical figure who had some interesting things to say? The divine Son of God who is completely unapproachable? This is something that we all need to wrestle with. We may find that how we see Jesus changes over time. We may see him a distant power at one point and as a close friend at another point. We may see him as our teacher that shapes our values and we may see him as our guide who walks with us through the most difficult circumstances.
We need to think about how we see Jesus and then ask why we see Jesus in that way. Some may see him as distant because of awe of his power. But others may see him as distant out of a sense of shame. We may feel unworthy to be in his presence.
The author of Hebrews gives us a balanced view. Jesus is God incarnate. Jesus is also a suffering human who has been tested as we are. Jesus is our brother and he is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. What would it take to get us to accept that? How can we get to the place of accepting both the power of Jesus and the love of Jesus?
It may come easy to you or it may be a lifelong struggle.
Conclusion
I am a Christian because of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he is the Creator, that he is the exact representation of God. I believe that Jesus is God incarnate and that the incarnation was not a sham. Jesus is human with a human body and human emotions.
I believe that no matter what happens in my life, I can go to Jesus. I can go to Jesus because he knows suffering by experience. He has been tested just as we have. He has suffered just as we have. Not only does Jesus know, as the Son of God, he can make a difference. I cannot predict what that intervention will be, but I can trust that all will be well.
