Divine Humanity
HEBREWS 5:1-14
(November 3)
Have you ever been in a position of leadership that you felt God himself appointed you to? Maybe it was a position in your workplace? Or perhaps it was in your community or church?
I have been in positions of leadership, some of which were voted upon by my peers, and some of which I am certain were appointments from God, which made me feel much more secure and capable because He put me there.
In the Old Testament, God appointed the high priest. He first choice was Aaron, and then only Aaron's descendants could serve in that role. During the time that Hebrews was written, the Romans were appointing the high priest in Jerusalem.
We see proof of Christ's divinity when we see that he, like Aaron, was chosen by God to serve as high priest. He earned that position by deep reverence and obedience to God, even in his horrific suffering. His Father chose him as the perfect High Priest. Because of this, he is the source of eternal salvation for all who invite him into their hearts.
It is simple, really. He was sinless on earth, totally devoted to his Father, and earned the honor of being our source of salvation. But it seems the Jewish Christians were not getting the point of the letter. They were immature, and while they had been in the faith long enough to be teaching it to others, many of them were still not applying the faith to their own lives.
Their old traditions, doctrines, and discussions kept them stuck. The letter referred to them as "babies" because they couldn't understand in their immaturity. In order to move forward, they needed to completely walk away from those old customs and step out of their comfort zones. They needed to stand out instead of blending in. Only then would they understand the divine role of Christ, who had once been human.
What do we need to step away from? What things from our past keep us stuck, not moving forward in our spiritual maturity? Are we trying to blend in with the culture of this world, or are we willing to stand out for Christ?
How mature is our faith? How much do we understand?
These are all questions to ponder as we move through this letter of Hebrews. Jesus was both divine and human, earning this role of High Priest. We are simply human, with no expectation of ever claiming that role. The expectation for us is that we understand and believe, and make an impact on our little piece of the world, standing out boldly for our faith in Christ.