Spring Disciple Formation Focus
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SPU Professor Dr. Rob Wall's online commentary - www.spu.edu/lectio
We’re only (& always) human…that’s why we need a Savior
who shares our humanity
In chapters 2 & 3 of Hebrews, we’re encouraged to
consider our humanity in relation to God’s salvation in two different but
related respects. Think of the two
dimensions as being captured in these two phrases:
- Our need for a human savior
- Our human need for a savior
Do you see the subtle difference in word order? One focuses on a “human savior” while the
other focuses on “human need.” The first
emphasis leads us to consider why Jesus the Savior needed to share our flesh
& blood. The second emphasis reminds
us of why we need a savior in the first place, and how our sinful humanity can
cause us trouble in the journey of faith.
Our Need for a Savior Who is Human
Hebrews emphasizes the importance of the fact that Jesus
shares our humanity. A few reasons given
are these:
- Because we can’t see the spiritual world around us (like angels), we need a savior we could see. Hebrews 2:5-9 goes into detail about what we can’t see, but then reminds us “but we do see Jesus” (2:9). Here it’s implied that our “seeing” of Jesus is another way of saying that he was human like us; even though we weren’t around when he walked the earth, we have a pretty good idea that he looked like a human being.
- Because we need someone who experienced the same human suffering we experience – “It was fitting that God…should make the pioneer of humans’ salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:10, NRSV) We’ll pick this up more specifically in our second part below.
- Because what we needed to be saved from had to be attacked from a particular direction. I recently watched the DVD version of the latest Star Wars movie. Reflecting on this and other action movies, isn’t it interesting how it always seems that evil needs to be destroyed through a small place of vulnerability rather than via a full-on frontal assault? First you have to enter the halls of evil and then fire the well-placed shot that causes it all to explode. Hebrews explains that the Savior needed to be human so that he would die a human death, and that was his way into death’s power center where he could destroy it and free those who were held in slavery through fear. “Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NRSV)
Our Human Need for a Savior
Hebrews emphasizes our human need for salvation, not just in a general philosophical sense, but also in a specific sense of our human weakness and unfaithfulness that cause us all kinds of trouble each day of our lives. In the midst of our everyday human struggle, we need a savior who helps us everyday.
- It starts right from the beginning of chapter 2: “Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1 NRSV). One human weakness we have is that it is possible for us to drift away from God’s ways. Here in Hebrews we're encouraged to pay greater attention to God so we can guard against this natural human tendency. Like a coach harping on an athlete because they’re falling back into bad habits with their mechanics (think “swing” coaches in golf, baseball), the writer of Hebrews is reminding us to pay closer attention to our form (and our faith!). Truth is, we humans can get lazy, complacent, and fall back into patterns of living that only make life harder for us.
- This is the essence of the “warnings against unbelief” in chapter 3, verses 7-19. Hebrews quotes Psalm 95, which itself is a commentary on the WILDERNESS WANDERINGS of God’s people after their exodus from Egypt. The writer points to God’s people who wandered in the wilderness as examples of poor form in the area of living out the faith (kind of the opposite of the “heroes” of faith we’ll meet later in the book), implying that we share their human weaknesses. So readers are encouraged to be careful that this same kind of thing doesn't happen to us: “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13) Because our human weaknesses and temptations confront us every day, the best day to start paying greater attention to the Lord is “today.”
This phrase “exhort
one another every day” could be considered a key to understanding the
meaning of the entire book/sermon of Hebrews.
The author/preacher is exhorting us (coaching us) to be intentional and committed on a
daily basis to having a heart & mind that believe in God and God’s revealed
message. We are in turn invited to do this same thing with others.
Consider how this deepens our commitment to one another in Christian
community and small groups.
_____
Finally, there’s one verse – worthy of memorizing – that
brings these two aspects of Hebrews’ message together.
“Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is
able to help those who are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:18)
One major reason why it was important for
Jesus the Savior to be human is that it's important that he knows what we’re
going through when we struggle with our humanity. He suffered, and he went through times of
testing and temptation, just as we do on a daily basis. Not only do we human beings need a Savior
every day, we find one in Jesus who understands AND is there to help us in the
midst of our trials. That's good news for people who are "only human" like us!
Pastor Kurt
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