What Jesus Did For Us...?

Lately I am not sure what to think about Jesus. A friend of Keith’s recently pointed out in an email how so many writings these days seem to bypass the importance of Jesus. He is almost an afterthought. But is he? I’ve pretty much ruled out the line of thinking that proclaims that he is just one of us. I know that scripture proclaims him as the firstborn of many brethren but, as Dena says, he is not just the guy who “went first” to lead the way. I don’t have my thoughts about Jesus figured out but I believe he is much more than that.

And you know….I really want to continue to believe in the virgin birth…and that Jesus is God “with skin on” in a way that I am not.

This snippet, from Max Lucado’s Cure for the Common Life, touches me. It seems to hint of the penal substitution theory which I completely disagree with….but other than that….I think it demonstrates in a simple word picture what Hebrews 2 tells us:

¹⁴Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

¹⁷Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted. NLT

Or…to word it the way Max does….

Little Blake Rogers can help us understand Jesus’s heart stopping act of grace. He offered a remotely similar gift to his friend Maura. Blake and Maura share a kindergarten class. One day she started humming. Her teacher appreciated the music but told Maura to stop. Itn’s not polite to hum in class. She couldn’t. The song in her head demanded to be hummed. After several warnings, the teacher took decisive action. She moved maura’s clothespin from the green spot on the chart to the dreaded blue spot. This meant trouble.

And this meant a troubled Maura. Everyone else’s clothespin hung in the green. Maura was blue, all by herself.

Blake tried to help. He patted her on the back, made funny faces, and offered comforting words. But nothing worked. Maura still felt alone. So Blake made the ultimate sacrifice. Making sure his teacher was watching, he began to hum. The teacher warned him to stop. He didn’t. She had no choice but to move his clothespin out of the green and into the blue.

Blake smiled and Maura stopped crying. She had a friend. And we have a picture, a picture of what Christ did for us.