The One Who Leads Us to Salvation
Hebrews 2:14-18
Good News Translation (GNT)
*************************
14 Since the children, as he calls them, are
people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself
became like them and shared their human
nature. He did this so that through his death
he might destroy the Devil, who has the power
over death,
15 and in this way set free those who were
slaves all their lives because of their fear of
death.
16 For it is clear that it is not the angels that he
helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of
Abraham.
17 This means that he had to become like his
people in every way, in order to be their
faithful and merciful High Priest in his service
to God, so that the people's sins would be
forgiven.
18 And now he can help those who are tempted,
because he himself was tempted and suffered.
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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by
Scripture Union
Our elder brother: Victorious pioneer
Hebrews 2:14-18
Lord, give me an open ear to hear your voice in the Scriptures today.
Verse 16 contains the last reference to angels in these first two chapters:
'For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants' (v 16).
They explain why Jesus had to become fully human.
God planned to bring many sons and daughters to glory through Jesus, the pioneer of our salvation - the one who blazed the trail for us and is now crowned with glory and honour.
To do that, he needed to identify with those sons and daughters in every way, including their suffering.
This identification was so close that he refers to them as his brothers and sisters.
Since Jesus came to redeem his brothers and sisters rather than the angels, he didn't become an angel: he became one of us.
He did this so that he could become a 'merciful and faithful high priest in service to God' (v 17).
Aside from a hint in Hebrews 1:3 about Jesus making atonement for sins, this is the first explicit reference to the theme that will occupy the writer in chapters 5-10: Jesus is our great high priest.
The writer draws two implications here about Jesus, the merciful and faithful high priest.
He was faithful to God in the past when he offered himself as a sacrifice of atonement to deal with our sins, and he is merciful to us now in his ongoing ministry before God.
Since he was tempted as we are and suffered in that temptation, he can help us when we are tempted.
These two aspects of the work of Jesus will be gradually unpacked as the letter proceeds.
References to suffering imply that the readers were enduring suffering and were tempted to give up.
Pray today for those who suffer hardship for Jesus, wherever they are.
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