Two Whoppers and a Large Hope
Intro:
DQ Truck Story (It’s appropriate that I use a fast food anaolgy to begin today’s message…)
NASB:
16 For clearly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brothers so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
NKJV:
For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
NIV:
For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
ESV:
For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
A Greek Whopper:
epilambanomai (ep-ee-lam-ban’-om-ahee)
VERB
Total: 19x in NT
took (11x), caught (2x), took on (1x), lay hold on (2x), take hold (2x), laid hold upon (1x).
Definitions:
to take in addition, to lay hold of, take possession of, overtake, attain, attain to
to lay hold of or to seize upon anything with the hands, to take hold of, lay hold of
as a metaphpor: to rescue one from peril, to help.
Application:
ONLY what Jesus took the form of (humans-decendants of Abraham) is that which he died as…THEREFORE only humans are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice.
J.I. Packer:
Another translation is “takes on” or “lays hold of” as of “taking on” human nature in the Incarnation.
Either way, the point is that the sort of incarnation described in v.14 is determined by the sort of creatures whom God wills to save.
These human beings, and the eternal Word must be incarnated as a human being.
“The word became flesh” (John 1:14)
So let’s be clear:
Angels cannot be saved, they are either in the Lord’s Army or in Satans.
Animals cannot be saved.
Only humans, descendants of Abraham, made in his image, can be saved, because that was the form that Jesus took when he became flesh.
THEREFORE: (v17)
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brothers so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
A Greek Whopper Jr.
hilaskomai (hil-as’-kom-ahee)
Definition:
to render one’s self, to appease, conciliate to one’s self
to become propitious, be placated or appeased
to be propitious, be gracious, be merciful
to expiate, make propitiation for
Key Point:
There is something extremely important here I don’t want us to miss:
The author of Hebrews goes to great lengths to illustrate that there is a necessary and clear relationship between Jesus, needing to be like us in all things, so that he might be a propitiation or substitutionary appeasement for his father’s wrath against us.
The author of Hebrews finds it extremely important to remind his audience that we have a savior who can 100% empathize with the struggles we have in the flesh. Most famously, and we will get there eventually:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
When we meditate on this truth, what should be our take away?
- How much he loves us! To become us, to go from divine to flesh, then to suffer and be tempted as us, then to be humiliated, scored, tortured, all for…us?
- There is no thing, no sin, no struggle, no thought that we can’t bring to him…there is NOTHING we can do to shock or surprise Him…he’s been there.
- This should give birth in our hearts to the ultimate hope.
Pray/Q&A