Hebrews 2:10-13

“For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,” vs. 11

It wasn’t easy for early Christians to figure out the nature of Jesus. Early on they began thinking of him as the Christ or Messiah, but that added a whole new layer of questions. Was he human or was he divine, or maybe a mixture of the two? As might be expected there were centuries of debate among theologians and not a lot of agreement. The writer of Hebrews, while having a generally elevated notion of Jesus, comes down hard on the side of his humanity, and implies that he is one of us. But he never sees Jesus as being completely like us, particularly when it comes to sin. Even though Jesus is our brother he doesn’t need to be sanctified because God has already perfected him through his suffering. It’s an interesting argument, but not one that can be easily understood. It does however give an answer to the question, “Why did Jesus have to suffer?” Even if we don’t agree that his suffering was necessary for our salvation, it might be worthwhile to consider whether there might indeed be a redemptive quality to suffering. Or is suffering just suffering, something to be avoided at all costs? It would seem from human experience that suffering can be a blessing, and maybe even have benefits for our souls…yet the questions remain…and defy easy answers.

Thought for the Day: What did Jesus’ suffering have to do with me?