These writings are my own daily thoughts of short passages from the Bible. Follow along and keep me active in writing everyday. Maybe we will make it through the whole Bible.
Hebrews 2:1~18
The word here to pay attention to is "pay attention", the most careful attention so we don't "drift away". It is easy to be distracted by the main streams of this world and "drift away.
What then in this passage should we pay attention to? We find these words: the grace of God (9), salvation (10), made holy (11), break the power of him who holds the power of death (14), make atonement (17), help those who are being tempted (18).
Jesus did not come to save angels and holy people. Jesus came to save sinners. This is the grace of God. David asked in Psalm 8: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" When we look up and see the stars and the heavenly beings we seem to be pretty insignificant, just like dust.
Should our Creator be mindful of us? Yet he was mindful and by the grace of God we see Jesus who for a little while was made low. He took up the most humble place and died on the cross, but now he is crowned with glory and honor. By the grace of God he would taste death for everyone. He did this to open the way to the kingdom of God for children of God. He made the pioneer of their salvation perfect thought he suffered.
On the cross he prayed,
"Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
His forgiveness brought us together as one.
In Jesus we are one family. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters and we should not be ashamed of each other. We should sing glory to God and praise his name because he opens the way of life for us through his death and resurrection. We were slaves to sin and death, but set free from the devil. Jesus did not die to set the angels free, but set human beings free, the descendants of Abraham. This simple means the children of the promise.
To be the perfect savior Jesus had to come to be with us and be fully human in every way, in order 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. Indeed God is merciful to save. He came and walked in human flesh. He was tempted in every way we are. He felt every limit of the human body. In this way he could help those who are being tempted.
This is really good news of the mercy of God because I am weak in human flesh. I succumb easily to the temptations of the world, but when I look at Jesus I see that there is a way out. There is one who has made atonement so I can serve God in holiness and righteousness all of my days. This is indeed mercy. I pray to show mercy to others as God has shown mercy to me. In our office are five other teachers but our office is due to be remodeled. The accounting office has a contract and plan for the construction work but is waiting for me and the other teachers to decide on a blue print. I always thought some other teacher was taking care of the office plan, but the head of accounting said she was waiting for my decision. I pray to have mercy on the other teachers to listen to their opinions and try to come to some conclusion for the floor plan before this month.
I pray for mercy in our family to welcome and serve one another. Sometimes we are put at our limits especially when it comes to school for the kids. I pray that I can show some of Jesus' mercy to embrace and teach our children the word of God and also practical basic skills that they need. It is easy to drift away or watch something funny on TV and forget about all of our problems, but we need faith to come to Jesus who has the power of sin and death. Praise Jesus who helps us every day.
Passage Hebrews 2:1-18
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6 But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?
7 You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet." In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.
9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.
11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.
12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises."
13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
14 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 -
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order 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.
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Cover Photo from Alec Ohlaker