Title: The Days of His Humanity
7 In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior.
“In the days of His humanity…”
I think the author is subtly suggesting and reminding his audience of something with this phrase. Why might the author qualify Jesus prayers to The Father with “in the days of His humanity, instead of just saying, “Jesus offered prayers to his Father”?
(take answers)
- “Humanity” is not where/what Jesus is NOW, it was never Jesus’s default state. It was something special, sacrificial, and purposeful Jesus did FOR US.
- These are NOT the days of His humanity. These are the days of his Kingdom being established and populated. The Kingdom is both “here” and “coming”.
- When He returns, it is not as a human. It is as the conquering King of all creation.
“He offered up both prayers and pleas”
This is an instance where I don’t think the NASB captures the Greek as well as some other translations.
The NKJV states:
“In the days of his flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save him from death…
Concerning this Packer states:
“Jesus anguish at the prospect of the cross (Mark 13:43-46, John 12:27) shows us that Jesus is not aloof from the weaknesses and fears that threaten us.
This concept should sound very familiar to us, drawing us back just a few verses to Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
In the general sense: Jesus was always praying to his father.
A. As a sign of his own love, devotion and adoration of his Holy Father
B. As an example to us. (THIS is what the regenerate Man does, THIS is the level of intimacy and prayer you are to hold.) Jesus went away from his own disciples no less than NINE times in the N.T. to spend time in prayer with His Father.
In a specific sense, the author of Hebrews may be reminding his audience of Jesus’s humanity in the Garden of Gesthemane,
There, Jesus was pleading “Father, take this cup from from me” and then saying “not my will but thine” BECAUSE Jesus knew that the Father was the ONLY one capable of saving him from death.
“He was heard because of His devout behavior”
There is a way to read this to simply which comes to the conclusion that Jesus was rewarded because he was a good and faithful son.
However, the author is saying so much more than that.
Jesus was the second Adam, he was the second representative of mankind. And where Adam fell and failed and disconnected mankind from their Creator, Jesus succeeded. Jesus re-bridged the gap between humanity and their heavenly father.
A secondary reason the author mentions Jesus’s devout behavior is to reinforce his sinlessness.
God the father’s requirements for perfection in Jesus met them fully. That is why the law is no longer required, because the law is unable to do what Jesus did. In fact, the long game of the law is to reveal that we are utterly incapable. In other words, one of the purposes of the Law was to demonstrate God’s utter perfection and unobtainability. (a word I just made up)
Therefore God sent a mediator and an advocate, who was not only capable, but also succeeded.
The stamp of approval of Jesus work is seen in two bookends of his ministry:
1. Jesus’s baptism “This is my son with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
2. His resurrection. This was the ultimate approval from God that Jesus fulfilled his mission and the Father raised him from death to life.
Packer:
“The psalmists often praised God that He heard their cries of distress. (Ps. 22:34, 30:23, 116:1) Jesus’s plea for salvation from death was answered not through escape from the ordeal of the cross, but through resurrection from death.
Final Thought:
And we must be very clear about the difference between someone being capable and someone succeeding.
As much as I hate to admit it, the greatest shooter in the history of basketball is Stephen Curry. If he and I lineup to each take 10 NBA three-pointers I am capable of matching him shot for shot. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to win.
Jesus comes and not only is capable of resisting sin and Satan’s advances, but more importantly, He succeeds!
That is why we sing “Victory In Jesus!”
Q/A