Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18)
There’s a story about a little boy who walked to the seashore. He brought a large shell back to give to his teacher. She was deeply touched by the gift, but said, “But you shouldn’t have walked all that way just to bring me a gift.”
“But teacher,” the boy said, “the walk was part of the gift.”
Sometimes, it seems as if Jesus coming to us as a babe in a womb, becoming a babe in a manger, growing up as a carpenter’s son, was a waste. It makes sense that God became a man to take on the punishment for our sins. I grant that He needed to be found innocent of sin, but one year, or two – the time He spent in ministry would have been enough to reveal anyone as sinful. Thirty-three years? Isn’t that a little overkill? Yes, He did have to fulfill prophecy, but God didn’t have to include a prophecy that a virgin would be with child. It just seems a little more than was needed, like a long trip to and from the seashore to give a teacher a shell.
I’ll bet that teacher didn’t have a lot of money, but I’ll also bet that the teacher could have gone to the shore more easily and brought home a score or more seashells. Jesus’ thirty-three year journey to the cross could have been much shorter and still accomplished the basic task but think about this. Just as that little boy could have turned around and gone home after every step on the way to the coast, Jesus could have gone home every second of every day of that thirty-three years. It might be a mystery to me why He would bother with His sacrifice AND His life, but every second of each of those days was part of His gift to you and to me.
Every temptation He suffered was a gift. Every moment of suffering…a gift that says “I love you this much.”
“But teacher,” the boy said, “the walk was part of the gift.”
Sometimes, it seems as if Jesus coming to us as a babe in a womb, becoming a babe in a manger, growing up as a carpenter’s son, was a waste. It makes sense that God became a man to take on the punishment for our sins. I grant that He needed to be found innocent of sin, but one year, or two – the time He spent in ministry would have been enough to reveal anyone as sinful. Thirty-three years? Isn’t that a little overkill? Yes, He did have to fulfill prophecy, but God didn’t have to include a prophecy that a virgin would be with child. It just seems a little more than was needed, like a long trip to and from the seashore to give a teacher a shell.
I’ll bet that teacher didn’t have a lot of money, but I’ll also bet that the teacher could have gone to the shore more easily and brought home a score or more seashells. Jesus’ thirty-three year journey to the cross could have been much shorter and still accomplished the basic task but think about this. Just as that little boy could have turned around and gone home after every step on the way to the coast, Jesus could have gone home every second of every day of that thirty-three years. It might be a mystery to me why He would bother with His sacrifice AND His life, but every second of each of those days was part of His gift to you and to me.
Every temptation He suffered was a gift. Every moment of suffering…a gift that says “I love you this much.”
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