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“Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin..” – Hebrews 4:15 (MSG)
When you’re going through a setback, nothing means more than having someone come alongside who understands what you’re going through. Jesus Christ left the splendor, beauty, glory, holiness, wonder, and perfection of heaven to walk in our world of setbacks, sorrow, sickness, and struggles. He came to earth to become one of us. A study of the New Testament illustrates that even though Jesus was fully God, He was human in every way but one. He never sinned. Hebrews 2: 17 says, “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sister…”
It is not inconsequential that Jesus came to earth as a man. Philippians 2:7-8 says that He “… gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Jesus coming to earth was certainly meaningful for all of humanity. He saw we were powerless to help ourselves because sin had overwhelmed us. There had to be a way to bridge the gap, to save mankind from eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ is that bridge.
But it is difficult to get our arms around the eternal God becoming one of us; becoming a human being. “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14) And while He was one of us He was tempted. Mark 1:13 says, “where he was tempted by Satan for forty days.” He experienced poverty. Matthew 8:20 says, “…Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He was frustrated as we read in John 2:15-16: “Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables…“Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” He grew weary: “…Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.” (John 4:6) He experienced rejection. “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.” ( John 6:66) Jesus knew disappointment: “…How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (Luke 13:34) He knew sorrow as we see in Matthew 26:38, “…My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” And He knew ridicule: Mark 15:19 tells us, “And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.
Jesus certainly understands all that we are going through because being born fully man, He “…faced all of the same testings we do.” (Hebrews 4:15) He endured His sufferings for our sakes so that we can have His peace and power to rise above the setbacks, trials, and struggles we are facing.
Discussion Questions:
- Why did Jesus come to earth and take on human form?
- What can we do this week to live as Jesus lived?