Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14
If you recall last week, as we start this study in the book of Hebrews, I mentioned there would be subjects that would be familiar to other New Testament books. We immediately see, in the second chapter, that the deity and authority of Christ is the main topic. Along with His deity, the author spends a significant amount of time discussing the the attribute of Jesus that is important, His humanity. In fancy theological circles, this is referred to as the Hypostatic Union, which is a fancy way of saying that He is both fully God and fully man.
The author of Hebrews understands that this distinction is important, as it allows the perfect alignment for the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ as the penance for the sin of humanity. He is setting a structural theological foundation for the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and emphasizing His existence not only before He came to earth to live as a man, but also His existence in union with God the Father and the Holy Spirit before the earth itself is formed. He does this by reiterating what we know from the Gospel records, that He faced many of the same challenges as we do today, pain, suffering and temptation, only to remain perfect in His fulfillment of the law.
Most importantly the Author shows that He triumphantly conquered death and the devil by rising again on the third day. He celebrates the fulfillment of the payment, as well as the return of the risen King. After which He can return to his place in Heaven at the right hand of the Father.
Have a great week! ~Danny
