God became man; so what?

If your life is anything like mine, this year has left you worn out and you're hoping that the Christmas holiday would provide some needed refreshing. As I think about the marvelous mystery of the Incarnation, I appreciate the words of the author of Hebrews, who wrote:

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. (Hebrews 2:14-18).

They provide tremendous encouragement to us, who often find ourselves feeling like the people to whom the author of Hebrews wrote. We find our faith faltering and our patience wearing thin as we strive to be faithful to Jesus in this fallen world among sinful people (being sinners ourselves).

That Jesus “partook of the same things” is a staggering notion. We tend to forget that Jesus got hungry (Mark 11:12) and tired (John 4:6), wept for the pain of loss (John 11:35) and was dismayed by people’s unbelief (Mark 9:19). He probably got pimples, hit his finger with a hammer (though without the swearing) and experienced being broke. You get the picture. As Robert Letham points out, “In becoming man,Christ united himself with the human race. This follows from his sharing flesh and blood,experiencing human life from embryo through infancy and childhood to maturity.” For the infinite,eternal, unchanging God to enter into our humanity to be subjected to our limits and our neediness is immeasurable condescension and matchless humility demonstrating the depth of his love for us.

The humanity of Jesus gives us every reason to go to him for help. He knows how we feel, because he’s been where we are. Better yet, he is able to help us when we are tempted to be unfaithful to him (and that’s every situation we face, in case you haven’t noticed) because he overcame every temptation he faced. He doesn’t just feel our struggle; he is able to strengthen us to be faithful.

Even when we fail and fall into sin (as we often do), Jesus is still our comfort because by his death on the cross he made “propitiation for the sins of the people” (and “the people" refers to those who put their trust in him). As the author of Hebrews points out, that was the whole point of the incarnation. Jesus was born so he might die for us as our great high Priest who offers the ultimate sacrifice that appeases God’s wrath for our sins and reconciles us to God - his own life! That is indeed love beyond measure.

Moreover, Jesus doesn’t just help us in the present; he guarantees our hope for the future. He’s freed us from the fear of death because he didn’t just die; he rose again, thereby defeating death. By his resurrection he who was born as the second (and last) Adam has inaugurated the new creation that will be consummated when he comes. So we’ve got every reason to take heart. Praise God for his indescribable gift!