Jesus, the Man, the God, our heavenly High Priest

Hebrew 2:14-18 (KJV) reads,

14.  For as much then as the children are partakers of the flesh and blood, he [Jesus] also himself likewise took part of the same: that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15.  and deliver them [us] who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage.

16.  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17.  Wherefore in all things it behooved him [def: behoove = to be necessary or proper for] to be made like unto his brethren [us], that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18.  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

Note, vs 14-15... how did the birth and death of Jesus break the bondage of death, the fear of death?  Think about it -- what gives us the hope for tomorrow as we live our day to day lives? It's our experiences from the yesterdays and today!

Since we, today,  have good health, good jobs, good finances, are surrounded by families that love us and we love, we have hope or the expectation through this knowledge that the conditions will continue to be there tomorrow when we wake up the next morning from our nightly sleep.

Similarly, with God taking birth as a man - Jesus, conceived in the womb of a woman, grew up and lived among men, experienced the emotions and suffering as any other man, betrayed by the ones he loved, convicted for a crime he did not commit, sentenced to death like a common thief, died on the cross, having been resurrected on the 3rd day as witnessed by the apostles and hundreds of others, when we by faith believe in this Jesus, the son of God, we gain the knowledge and come to the conclusion that death in our earthly body is not the end.  This faith gives us the hope for a glorious future with God.  Death does not hold its fearful grip upon us as it is replaced with the hope of the resurrected Christ, the resurrection life as shown by Christ.  As we grow in faith, our experiences and knowledge acquired in our walk with the Holy Spirit, continues to build in us the hope of the resurrection life.

I love the way the King James Version of the Bible has verse 17 - Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto us - men.  He could have chosen to have the nature of angels, but it behooved him [def: behoove - to be necessary or proper for] to choose to be as the "seed of Abraham," a man, so that when he represents us as our highpriest in God's inner most sanctuary - the Holy of Holies - He will be merciful and faithful to all mankind of whom he was one!

There is a chasm between God's full understanding of man and man's perception of what God's understanding is.  Jesus the man, the Lord, bridges this chasm! King Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:11, "God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." But, there comes a day when we will see him face to face and all doubts will be removed. Halleluiah!