Hebrews 2:10-18 He ain't heavy, he's my brother
No too long ago, at a social event I was introduced to a man who as it turns out is a deacon and is coming out. Of course my eyes lit up a bit and my ears strained to hear everything he had to say. It was my story he was living! If anyone would know how I feel, he would certainly have an idea and so a new friendship was born.
When we say that Jesus died on a cross for us, I think it seems impressive and powerful but perhaps we are a little detached from it. The movie by that horrible anti-gay, anti-semite, religious fanaticist, Mel Gibson called The Passion of the Christ if nothing else brought us face to face with what a vision of what Jesus endured for each one of us. That is powerful and good for us to remember.
That picture of Jesus however is often the only vison we think of though - he died on a cross for us. In this reading, I get a different picture, one that I hold in my heart and profess to anyone I can. It is a vision of the human Jesus. Jesus as brother. As I noted above, Jesus as someone who experienced what we experienced so you feel automatically drawn to him because you know he knows what it like to live. That in itself I suppose isn't that hard to visual either if it were not for the fact that the reading make that much richer.
Jesus calls us brother. Jesus is as human, fragile and troubled sometimes as we are. Although there is scant information about Jesus in (approved) scriptures about the first 33 years of Jesus' life, we know he was not zapped here. He grew up like we all did. He did the things we all did and shared the life and emotions we all lived. He played as a child, skinned his knees, got dirty perhaps, even didn't do his chores exactly when asked to. Would that be a sin? No, not really. Did he feel love for someone? Did he have the attractions and emotions we all have? You name any emotion, situation that we lived and feel, so did he.
So when Jesus steps up onto the stage of public life, he steps up and says what? Preaches like a self righteous born-again-like preacher? Is he a aloof? No, not at all. He is one of us and he lives like one of us and preaches in words like the people did, like one of us. And he makes a point of saying he is one of us, shares humanity with us and calls us brothers and sisters and recognizes the godliness in every one as well. Now here is God come alive as we all can, as humans. We will not achieve what he achieved but should not aspire to for we cannot and we are not meant to. But Jesus loves us like a brother and friend and show us what we are capable of in goodness and Godliness. He shows us The Way. He shows us that He is someone we can sit and talk with, someone who will make our eyes light up because he gets it. He knows what being human is like. He experienced what we experience.
Gathering with friends, loving, sitting by a fire, drinking, eating, trying to do he right thing and being thwarted, feeling love for someone, just living - Jesus knows. He calls us brothers and sisters. He did not dismiss us for any reason and embraces us always, everywhere and at all times in our life.
More good news. He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
No too long ago, at a social event I was introduced to a man who as it turns out is a deacon and is coming out. Of course my eyes lit up a bit and my ears strained to hear everything he had to say. It was my story he was living! If anyone would know how I feel, he would certainly have an idea and so a new friendship was born.
When we say that Jesus died on a cross for us, I think it seems impressive and powerful but perhaps we are a little detached from it. The movie by that horrible anti-gay, anti-semite, religious fanaticist, Mel Gibson called The Passion of the Christ if nothing else brought us face to face with what a vision of what Jesus endured for each one of us. That is powerful and good for us to remember.
That picture of Jesus however is often the only vison we think of though - he died on a cross for us. In this reading, I get a different picture, one that I hold in my heart and profess to anyone I can. It is a vision of the human Jesus. Jesus as brother. As I noted above, Jesus as someone who experienced what we experienced so you feel automatically drawn to him because you know he knows what it like to live. That in itself I suppose isn't that hard to visual either if it were not for the fact that the reading make that much richer.
Jesus calls us brother. Jesus is as human, fragile and troubled sometimes as we are. Although there is scant information about Jesus in (approved) scriptures about the first 33 years of Jesus' life, we know he was not zapped here. He grew up like we all did. He did the things we all did and shared the life and emotions we all lived. He played as a child, skinned his knees, got dirty perhaps, even didn't do his chores exactly when asked to. Would that be a sin? No, not really. Did he feel love for someone? Did he have the attractions and emotions we all have? You name any emotion, situation that we lived and feel, so did he.
So when Jesus steps up onto the stage of public life, he steps up and says what? Preaches like a self righteous born-again-like preacher? Is he a aloof? No, not at all. He is one of us and he lives like one of us and preaches in words like the people did, like one of us. And he makes a point of saying he is one of us, shares humanity with us and calls us brothers and sisters and recognizes the godliness in every one as well. Now here is God come alive as we all can, as humans. We will not achieve what he achieved but should not aspire to for we cannot and we are not meant to. But Jesus loves us like a brother and friend and show us what we are capable of in goodness and Godliness. He shows us The Way. He shows us that He is someone we can sit and talk with, someone who will make our eyes light up because he gets it. He knows what being human is like. He experienced what we experience.
Gathering with friends, loving, sitting by a fire, drinking, eating, trying to do he right thing and being thwarted, feeling love for someone, just living - Jesus knows. He calls us brothers and sisters. He did not dismiss us for any reason and embraces us always, everywhere and at all times in our life.
More good news. He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
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.’
‘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.
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