Section 4: Jesus
Week 3: Jesus Came to Live and Die to Save Us from Sin
Day 4: In Order to Save Us, Jesus Had to Be Human
Heb. 2:14-17
We saw yesterday that Jesus’ death was credited to our accounts as a payment for our sins. That wouldn’t have been possible, however, if Jesus weren’t human. God was able to credit Jesus’ payment to our accounts because he was acting as our representative. To serve as our representative though, Jesus had to be one of us.
There’s an episode of the Simpsons that illustrates why. As you probably know, the Simpsons are a cartoon family that lives in Springfield. In one episode, the employees of the nuclear power plant in Springfield form a softball team. Initially, the team consists of actual employees. Later, however, professional baseball players are brought in to ensure victory. Homer, one of the show’s main characters and an actual employee of the plant, loses his spot as a starter. As we watch, we feel his pain because we know it’s not right for these “ringers” to play.
In the end however, Homer winds up winning the championship game for his team. He gets hit in the head by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to bring in the winning run. Admittedly that’s not as dramatic as hitting a home run, but it’s fitting because Homer is a true member of the team, and we can say his victory is the team’s victory. When Homer is in the game, he truly represents the team and the team truly represents the power plant. When the professional players are in the game, we recognize that’s different. They don’t legitimately represent the team and, consequently, they don’t legitimately represent the power plant.
In the same way, if Jesus hadn’t been human—if he hadn’t been a member of the human team, so to speak—his representation wouldn’t have been legitimate.
Challenge:
Read Hebrews 2:16-17.
Reflection Questions:
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus becoming part of the human race? How does that affect the way you think about him? About yourself?
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