“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” – Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
In the passage of Scripture, Hebrews 2:5-18, we see the utter humility of the Son of God and his liberating power. This Son, already described as the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, became totally human and vulnerable to all the pressures of human existence. He was tempted, He suffered, He died, and yet through it all, He gave us the picture of what God intends human beings to be like.
The writer of Hebrews uses an Old Testament Psalm (Psalm 8) to help convey this astonishing truth. God made humanity a little lower than the angels to be crowned with glory and honour and to have dominion over all things (Hebrews 2:8). We are all well aware destiny has not yet been fully realised, but we see it as a glorious possibility.
In going through human experiences and, most particularly, in tasting death without being destroyed by it, Jesus has opened the way for us to follow. He is the “pioneer” (Verse 10), blazing the trail ahead of us. He is our brother (Verse 12) who has shared our common humanity and broken the stranglehold of our mortality (Verse 5). He is our merciful and faithful High Priest who can set aside our sins, unite us with God, and bring us understanding when we are tempted (Verses 14-17).
Such a message speaks deeply to our suffering world, enslaved by potentially all destructive delusions of grandeur and, on the other hand, by a crippling awareness of weakness and failure to love. Jesus can set us free from our slavery; we only have to turn to Him (Verse 18).
Prayer
Dear Lord, give me the wisdom to seek You, the patience to wait for You, the insight to hear You, and the courage to obey You this day and forever. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Read: Psalm 8:6; Hebrews 2:11
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 139:11-16; 3 John 1; Zechariah 1; Zechariah 2; Zechariah 3; Zechariah 4
