God is often misunderstood or simply unknown for many people. It ought not to be, but it is. Why? Ignorance and indifference are major factors, of course, but for those who claim to be believers, there's really no excuse.
God came to earth in human form. All four gospels give eyewitness accounts of this. Indeed, this is what the celebration of Christmas ought to be all about. And yet, misunderstandings and ignorance prevail.
For one thing, we tend to overemphasize the spiritual and overlook the human factor. Think about it. God once had flesh and bones, lived a daily life on earth, was part of a family, and in community with other people.
Jesus, the Son of God, experienced a real human life for over 30 years. Although in a different time in history and culture, He experienced life as we know it.
For all those who trust in Him, He is our living bridge to God the Father.
Scripture
Every chief priest is chosen from humans to represent them in front of God, that is, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. The chief priest can be gentle with people who are ignorant and easily deceived, because he also has weaknesses. Because he has weaknesses, he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins in the same way that he does for the sins of his people.No one takes this honor for himself. Instead, God calls him as he called Aaron. [vss 1-4]
So Christ did not take the glory of being a chief priest for himself. Instead, the glory was given to him by God, who said,
“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” (Psalm 2:7)
In another place in Scripture, God said,
“You are a priest forever, in the way Melchizedek was a priest.” (Psalm 110:4)
During his life on earth, Jesus prayed to God, who could save him from death. He prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears, and he was heard because of his devotion to God. [vss 5-7]
Although Jesus was the Son ⌊of God⌋, he learned to be obedient through his sufferings. After he had finished his work, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. God appointed him chief priest in the way Melchizedek was a priest. [vss 8-10]
(Hebrews 5:1-10 GW) [Context– Hebrews 5]
Key phrase—
He became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys Him
Digging Deeper...
Review the Scriptures above as you answer the following questions
What are we told about the office of a high priest?
Who chose Jesus to be a high priest? How is He different from previous high priests?
What are we told here about His life on earth? What did He do and experience?
What did Jesus learn from suffering? Does this surprise you?
Reflection...
Because Jesus became human like us, He experienced our weaknesses and human struggles. He's the perfect bridge between God (the Father) and us.
He was human, yet wasn't tainted with sin or a selfish nature as we are. We're told He learned obedience by what He suffered. Wait. If He was perfect, without sin, why would He need to learn obedience? Aren't we to obey Him?
Because He endured suffering and the human condition, He's able to relate to us as we suffer, and as we endure life in these physical bodies.
We're also told Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears. When? One revealing time was in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-44), as He asked the Father to escape the agony of the cross. Yet, He surrendered His will to the Father. He obeyed the Father.
He showed us the way to live an obedient, trusting life with God. He became our living bridge and went ahead of us, so He could secure the way for all those who trust in Him.
Make it personal...
Read through the Scripture text again as you consider and answer these questions
Do you understand how the humanity of Jesus helps us relate to Him as our Savior?
Does this Scripture text reassure you how Jesus is able to relate to us in our humanity?
Have you come to trust in Jesus as your living bridge to God the Father?
Have you learned to surrender your will to Him in obedient trust?
Here's a free introduction for the book of Hebrews— Intro to studying Hebrews