Scripture: Hebrews 2: 16-18
Once there lived a king who was generous in helping the people of his province and was available to needs of the people. One fine day suddenly he passed away and the whole province was mourning. One old lady was crying and saying “ It’s better to take my life and that the king may live again”. By the time the Yema Dharma Raja was passing through the street. He responded to the old lady saying “Granma I give respect to your feelings hence I will fulfill your request. I will take your life that the king may live”.
Immediately the old lady said “ No…No… I just said it for the sake of everyone. But I want to live more”.
Friends People always live with a fear of death. It is the one sure event that comes to us all. Apart from what the Bible has to say about it, no one knows what will come after death. Most people have no hope about the future, and they are afraid of what they do not know. In Jesus Christ there is the promise of a much better life. People who put their trust in Jesus need no longer to fear death.
The first readers were probably Christian Jews. The author did not write this letter for all Jews. He wrote to a group, whom he knew well and had become Christians. The book reveals that they were not strong in their belief. They were in a danger of going back to their old religion. The writer argues from the Old Testament to keep them trusting in Jesus. The purpose of the book is these Christian Jews had to make a choice. They could not continue in Judaism and be Christians. They must decide which way to go. It was either to go back and be as Jews or to continue to be as Christians. It seems that their nation had now turned against Christians. They could not now go to the temple as the Jews would not let them. The writer tries to show his readers that the right choice was to continue to trust in Jesus. That was much better than all the ceremonies of their former religion, which Jesus had replaced.
Verse 16 tells Jesus became a human being so that he could take us by the hand and lead us to God. He did not become an angel. He did not come to earth to help angels. He came to this world to save the children of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of the Jews and their nation came from him. He was also a man of real trust in God. The Bible also calls all who believe in the one true God the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9). God rescues the men and women who trust in Jesus.
Jesus came to save men and women, not angels. Therefore he had to become like one of us and not like an angel. He had to be a human being so that he could stand before God as our chief priest. He takes the sacrifice for our sins to God. That sacrifice was his own blood, that is, his life that he gave for us on the cross. He asks God to forgive his brothers and sisters. God forgives all who put their trust in Jesus and in what he has done for them. Jesus loves us and we can trust him to be our priest towards God.
The suffering that Jesus had makes him able to help any who are in need. When the devil or the things of this life test us, we can look to Jesus. He will give us the strength to do what is right. If we fail to do what is right, he understands. When we turn to him and confess that we have failed, he is able to make us right with God again.
Through this identify Jesus Christ sympathizes with us he literally feels with us. It is almost impossible to understand another person’s sorrow and sufferings unless we have been through them. A person without a trace of nerves had no conception of the tortures of nervousness. A person who is perfectly physically fit had no conception of the weariness of the person who is easily tired or the suffering of the person who is never free from pain. A person who had never loved can never understand either the sudden glory or the aching loneliness in the lover’s heart. Before we can have sympathy, we must go through the same things that hr other person had gone through and that is precisely what Jesus did. Because he sympathizes Jesus can really help. He had met our sorrows he had faced our temptations. As a result he knows exactly what help we need and he can give it.
It is evident after only two chapters that the writer of Hebrews is a pastor writing a word of encouragement for example, Christ is presented to the readers as a pioneer the one who goes before them not only showing the way but also creating a path. Christ is also our champion, defeating the devil and setting us free from the fear of death in addition Christ is our high priest offering a sacrifice of atonement before God as our advocate, intercessor for all who are being put to the test. Common to the concepts of both of champion and high priest are the elements of representation and solidarity with a particular people. The presentation of Jesus exalted son continues to identify himself with the oppressed people of God exposed to humiliation and testing in the hostile world.
Dear friends As servants of God we are given the assignment of motivating the people through our witnessing life to the ones who lose their belief and increase their faith by leading them towards Christ.
Immediately the old lady said “ No…No… I just said it for the sake of everyone. But I want to live more”.
Friends People always live with a fear of death. It is the one sure event that comes to us all. Apart from what the Bible has to say about it, no one knows what will come after death. Most people have no hope about the future, and they are afraid of what they do not know. In Jesus Christ there is the promise of a much better life. People who put their trust in Jesus need no longer to fear death.
The first readers were probably Christian Jews. The author did not write this letter for all Jews. He wrote to a group, whom he knew well and had become Christians. The book reveals that they were not strong in their belief. They were in a danger of going back to their old religion. The writer argues from the Old Testament to keep them trusting in Jesus. The purpose of the book is these Christian Jews had to make a choice. They could not continue in Judaism and be Christians. They must decide which way to go. It was either to go back and be as Jews or to continue to be as Christians. It seems that their nation had now turned against Christians. They could not now go to the temple as the Jews would not let them. The writer tries to show his readers that the right choice was to continue to trust in Jesus. That was much better than all the ceremonies of their former religion, which Jesus had replaced.
Verse 16 tells Jesus became a human being so that he could take us by the hand and lead us to God. He did not become an angel. He did not come to earth to help angels. He came to this world to save the children of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of the Jews and their nation came from him. He was also a man of real trust in God. The Bible also calls all who believe in the one true God the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9). God rescues the men and women who trust in Jesus.
Jesus came to save men and women, not angels. Therefore he had to become like one of us and not like an angel. He had to be a human being so that he could stand before God as our chief priest. He takes the sacrifice for our sins to God. That sacrifice was his own blood, that is, his life that he gave for us on the cross. He asks God to forgive his brothers and sisters. God forgives all who put their trust in Jesus and in what he has done for them. Jesus loves us and we can trust him to be our priest towards God.
The suffering that Jesus had makes him able to help any who are in need. When the devil or the things of this life test us, we can look to Jesus. He will give us the strength to do what is right. If we fail to do what is right, he understands. When we turn to him and confess that we have failed, he is able to make us right with God again.
Through this identify Jesus Christ sympathizes with us he literally feels with us. It is almost impossible to understand another person’s sorrow and sufferings unless we have been through them. A person without a trace of nerves had no conception of the tortures of nervousness. A person who is perfectly physically fit had no conception of the weariness of the person who is easily tired or the suffering of the person who is never free from pain. A person who had never loved can never understand either the sudden glory or the aching loneliness in the lover’s heart. Before we can have sympathy, we must go through the same things that hr other person had gone through and that is precisely what Jesus did. Because he sympathizes Jesus can really help. He had met our sorrows he had faced our temptations. As a result he knows exactly what help we need and he can give it.
It is evident after only two chapters that the writer of Hebrews is a pastor writing a word of encouragement for example, Christ is presented to the readers as a pioneer the one who goes before them not only showing the way but also creating a path. Christ is also our champion, defeating the devil and setting us free from the fear of death in addition Christ is our high priest offering a sacrifice of atonement before God as our advocate, intercessor for all who are being put to the test. Common to the concepts of both of champion and high priest are the elements of representation and solidarity with a particular people. The presentation of Jesus exalted son continues to identify himself with the oppressed people of God exposed to humiliation and testing in the hostile world.
Dear friends As servants of God we are given the assignment of motivating the people through our witnessing life to the ones who lose their belief and increase their faith by leading them towards Christ.
[Anandraj Paul Jacob, the preacher of this sermon, is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute.]
