This is a part of what I read this morning as I tried to turn away and focus my attendion on the Father.
"The Letter to the Hebrews (2:18 and 5:2) has striking references to the weakness of Jesus: '"Because Jesus himself has suffered and been emptied, he is able to help those who are tempted. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is beset with weakness."' What does weakness mean here? Not the experience of sin, but almost its opposite. Weakness is the experience of a peculiar liability to suffering, a profound sense of inability both to do and to protect: an inability, even after a great effort, to perform as we should want, or achieve what we had determined, or succeed with the completeness that we might have hoped. It means openness to suffering. It means that we are unable to secure our own future, or to protect ourselves from any adversity, or to live with easy clarity and assurance, or to ward off shame, pain, or even interior anguish. In his final agony in Gethsemane, Jesus looked repeatedly to his friends for comfort, and prayed for an escape from death; and he found neither.
He finally won control over himself and moved into his death in isolation and silence, even into the terrible interior suffering of the absence of God."
There is something very powerful to me to read that Jesus emptied himself to the point that he was weak. That line "unable to secure our own future or protect ourselves from any adversity or live with easy clarity or ward of shame, pain or interior anguish" strikes a deep chord in me. When I spend time thinking about Jesus in his humanness my love for him grows. The idea that He really was like me in those things - he really did feel that and the did have to "finally win control over himself" just like me. WOW.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Jesus in weakness
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7 comments:
What you described sounds like a a good description of vulnerability. If I'm honest with myself, I know that I spend a tremendous amount of effort to avoid being vulnerable. I fear vulnerability in some of the most mundane circumstances. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Jesus to to have become completely vulnerable to the people around him, especially to those who were so self righteous and plotting to destroy him. That he was willing to do that for me - now that's love. When I compare this to my weak efforts to be vulnerable and love people, I find this to be very humbling.
I don't know if you have been
smoing something or just can't
read. Heb 5:2 is not about Jesus,
it is talking about the Jewish High Priest and it even referances
Aaron. Maybe you should slow down
and realy read.
The word weekness in Heb 5:2 is
a direct referance to sin. It says so in 5:3 because he is week he
has to offer sacrifices for his
sins and the sins of others.
Come on man get it together.
Annonymous - you are right. Well not about the smoking. I quit smoking several years ago but intend to start back if I live to be 70. Anyway, you are right about Hebrews 5 and the references to the High Priest. As you'll note in the original post I was quoting something I read - that's why I put quotations around it.
So I won't try to fully defend the writer. I would say when I went back and reread the passage that it does appear that Hebrews 5:5 and following apply what is true of those fist four verses to Jesus. Saying he didn't take "this honor" (referring to verses 1-3) on himself. So though the immediate reference is to the high priest I belive he is referening to the high priest to make the point about Jesus.
The reason I quoted the passage was to talk about the moment of worship I had in thinking about Jesus being willing to vulnerable like me.
Yes, The writer of Hebrews is
making point about Jesus
in Hebrews 5. The point is that
His priest hood is superior to
that of the Jewish priest. His
priest hood has no weaknesses
and no sin like that of the Jewish
priest. I don't know what author
you were reading but I would think
twice before I trust his judgement
again.
anonymous - Okay this is me now and not me defending the author. I have read that passage again and it sure appears that he is making the point that like the priest could sympathize with human weakness (because he sinned) that Jesus can sympathize with human weakness. He used sin as the reason the High priest could sympathize. He doesn't use sin as the example of why Jesus can sympathize but he uses the fact that Jesus had to "learn obedience". Well that idea that Jesus learned like we learn is echoed in other places in the New Testament (Luke 2:52 ex.)
Ed, I know you posted this a couple days ago, but I'm just getting around to telling you how much I appreciate you sharing this. The book of Hebrews is an awesome explanation of God's mysterious plan for salvation, and how Jesus' sacrificial death changed everything about approaching God. Every time I read this book I get something new out of it. Thanks!
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