Sunday Link – Never Alone – Hebrews 2:10-18 | SL20251228

SERMON

Never Alone

Hebrews 2:10–18 NRSVUE

Author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”  Nowhere is this truer than in leadership.  Whether in business, the military, or any other organization, good leaders understand that to be respected, they must be willing to share space, tasks, and hardships with those they are leading.  We also can see this understanding in the pages of the Bible where it describes how the One who became human in part to understand human suffering and be our comfort.

Let’s look at

Hebrews 2:10–18 (NKJV)

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  ¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹² saying:  

¹³ And again:

And again:

¹⁴ Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,  ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.   ¹⁶ For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.   ¹⁷ Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that  He might be  a merciful and faithful High Priest  in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  ¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.   

Hebrews 2:10–16,17-18 (NRSVue)

It was fitting that God, for whom, and through whom, all things exist in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  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, saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”  Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and  free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.  For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.

Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.

Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

If we consider Hebrews 2:10–18, we see that Jesus is considered the “pioneer” or leader of our salvation who was made “perfect” through suffering.  This wording doesn’t mean that Jesus lacked moral perfection or that he wasn’t fully divine.  Maclaren’s Expositions has this to say:

Christ’s perfecting is not the perfecting of His moral character, but the completion of His equipment for His work of being the Captain of our salvation … He was not ready for His function of Leader and Originator of our salvation until He had passed through the sufferings of life and the agonies of death.

Let’s consider these ideas from the passage:

• Jesus’s humanity means he understands the joys and sufferings of human beings.   And because Jesus understands, we know he stands in solidarity with us as we rejoice and as we weep.  We are never alone in our human experience.   We have each other and Jesus, and when we show compassion to each other, we are the hands and feet of Jesus.
• Jesus breaks the power of death by succumbing to it, taking it to the grave, and allowing God to transform it.  At first, the disciples thought Jesus was dead for good.   They didn’t understand that sometimes winning means giving in and letting God redeem and resurrect.   This way of breaking death’s power over us is completely contradictory to our human nature.   Our survivor instinct tells us to fight, but if we’re quiet and listening, we will figure out that resting in God and letting God transform a situation might be the best course of action.

Application:

• When you suffer, know that you are never alone.  Jesus knows exactly what you’re going through, and he is as close as your next breath. (Psalm 103:14)  Know that your experience of suffering isn’t wasted because you will be able to comfort someone else as Jesus (and other people) have comforted you. (2 Cor.1:3-4,5-7)
• Following Jesus’s example, the best leaders are those who aren’t afraid to be on the same level as those they’re leading.  This might mean taking the initiative to serve and work alongside others rather than delegating. (1 Cor.9:19-23) It definitely means exercising kindness and compassion, and it means encouraging those you are leading. (1 Peter 3:8; 1 Thess.3:1-2)  Francis of Assisi said, “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.”
• When faced with a challenging situation, consider accepting it rather than fighting against it, and give God space to transform it.  While this certainly doesn’t apply to situations of abuse, many times we are faced with a reality that is different than what we think we want.  We often resist and fight against this reality, either consciously or unconsciously, by complaining or making sarcastic jokes.  Think about Jesus’s example of giving in to death in order to break its power and allowing God to transform it.  By waiting on God to resolve the situation when we cannot do it ourselves, we make space for transformation to happen, both in us and in our circumstances. (Exodus 14:19-14)
  • • ¹⁰ And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

      ¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation^[b] of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold^[c] your peace.”  

    •  

      Ephesians 6:10-13    ¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles^[schemings] of the devil.  ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and  having done all, to stand.  (See, also, Ephesians 6:14-18 … and note how v.14 begins.)

Not only is Jesus the “pioneer” or leader of our salvation, but he is our comfort in the midst of suffering and loss because  he has been there.  It was God’s intent to lift us up, to bring us into a relationship with the Triune God, but to do that, God’s Son had to become one of us.  And by becoming one of us, Jesus also was equipped to break the power of death and our fear of death by giving into it and making space for God to transform it.

God is not distant, but actively entering history — our lives, our struggles, and even our pain — bringing restoration.  Jesus doesn’t rescue from afar — he becomes human, suffers, and dies.   He suffered, and he redeems those who suffer.   Jesus’ way is incarnational — so our mission must be rooted in proximity, humility, and real presence.

SONG OF RESPONSE

CLOSING PRAYER

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