Hebrews 2:14-18

Summary retelling of Hebrews 2:14-18

Jesus came to be flesh and blood so we – the children of God – might be freed from the power of death and its master, Satan.  In conquering death he has delivered all of us who are in bondage to sin because of our fear of death.  Jesus did not come to rescue the angels, but mortal men.  He has become our high priest before God, able to rescue us when we are tempted by the things of this world because He knows what it is like to overcome temptation.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

There is something to pause and rejoice about in this passage.  We are freed.  We are saved.  We do not have to be in bondage to Satan.  God sent Jesus in human form so that we could know true life, not this temporary life of mortality.

How do you live out the fact that you are saved?  Does this thought enter into many of the decisions that you make?  How often do you rejoice at your salvation?

Second Thought:

 Our bondage to sin is fundamentally tied to our fear of death.  It is easy for our perspective to rest upon death as the end.  Since we see our life as terminal, we want to do as much as possible before we die.  We want to have as much as possible before we die.  We become slaves to the things of this world because our perspective is limited.  However, when we see our life as eternal – because Jesus freed us from death through His own death and resurrection – we don’t have to chase the fleeting things of the world.  We have an eternity to experience life and all that God has in store for us.

Have you ever thought, “I need to do this before I die?”  Have you ever heard of the “bucket list” idea?  Not that there is anything wrong with setting goals and accomplishing things, but can you see how our fear of death can help to put the wrong things on our “bucket list?”

Third Thought:

The author tells us that Jesus can indeed help us when we are put in the path of sin.  Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted.  He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness.  When He was arrested He could have called down a legion of angels to prevent His death.  He knows what it is like to have absolute power at His fingertips but choose righteousness instead of fulfilling His desires.  If we trust Him, He can show us the way of righteousness as well.

How difficult do you think it was for Jesus to know that He had absolute power and instead of saving Himself He chose to help humankind?  Do you think you could choose to behave righteously time and time again if you had the power of God at your fingertips?  What does your answer reveal to you about your nature?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 3:1-6