He Made the Way

Hebrews 2:10-18: Discover how Jesus' suffering brings salvation and delivers us from the fear of death. Reflect on His role as our merciful high priest.

Scripture: Hebrews 2:10-18 (ESV)"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.' And again, 'I will put my trust in him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given me.' Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Devotion:

Yesterday you learnt that I spent my free time as a kid hanging out in observatories overnight. Today I will yet again reference The Lord of the Rings. As one of my congregation members recently pointed out: “You are such a geek”. Oh well, I suppose that’s part of what makes me unique… What I love about the story of the Lord of the Rings is that the main hero endures incredible hardships to save the world. Frodo has to carry the burden of the corrupting One Ring, all the way to Mount Doom. There is no one else who has been entrusted with the work. But his path is filled with suffering and yet it is the only way to bring salvation to the world.

I think the reason this story resonates so well is because it echoes the journey of Jesus described in Hebrews 2:10-18. Jesus became just like us so that he could stand in our place. He has to be perfectly human, so that he could be a sacrifice for humanity. But his suffering and ultimate death on the cross is the only way we could be saved. It is the only way our sins could be paid for. Jesus carried that ring for us, all the way into the fires of Mount Doom, on our behalf, so that we could be saved. In his suffering we are set free.

The author of Hebrews tells us that it was fitting for God to use suffering to perfect Jesus, who brings many sons to glory. Jesus, fully God and fully man, experienced the full range of human temptation and pain. By sharing in our flesh and blood, He became like us in every way, which made Him the perfect high priest. He really geniunely could stand in our place. He wasn’t like the earlier sacrifices - the sheep and goats and bulls - which had to be offered again and again. No Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, of exactly the same kind of thing as the people he was sacrificed for. A perfect person, sacrificed for imperfect people.

Why did Jesus do this? Because we were separated from God, and we were deserving of death. We fear death as a result of this separation. We live in lifelong slavery to this fear, trying to avoid it at all costs. We will spend money to look younger, stay fit, stay healthy and try to stave off aging. But in the end Death will come for us all. However for the Christian this fear is baseless because Jesus faced death head-on and destroyed it.

That means we can be brave because the very thing most people fear has already been conquered. Doesn’t that set you free?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for becoming like us, sharing in our flesh and blood, and enduring suffering for our sake. Help us to trust in Your sacrifice and remember that You understand our struggles. Strengthen us when we are tempted and remind us of the victory You have won over sin and death. Amen.

Spiritual Challenge: Today, reflect on an area of your life where you feel tempted or burdened. Pray and ask Jesus for strength, remembering that He has already walked this path and is able to help you.