Reading Plan:
Hebrews 2:10-14

Our Thoughts:
You may have heard it said that Jesus is the “Suffering Servant.” Now, the story of Jesus–his life, death, and resurrection–is filled with many moments of suffering, culminating in the cross. But have you ever stopped to wonder why?
Why did Jesus have to suffer? Why is our faith founded upon the difficulties, sufferings, and execution of a first-century rabbi from Nazareth? I’m glad you asked.
These are all great questions, and they’re questions that the writer of Hebrews takes a moment to answer in the second chapter of his letter, specifically in verses 10-14. In verse 10, the writer says that “it was fitting” in God’s eyes for Jesus to suffer on the cross and give up His life so that many could become “sons” with Him in glory. But what does“fitting” mean? Couldn’t God have made a way of salvation that didn’t include the suffering of the Son of God?
Technically, yes. But there is so much more to this verse that needs to be explored. Sure, God could have engineered a different salvation plan (we see such plans in the Old Testament), but ultimately, He knew that the price could only be perfectly paid by the giving of a Perfect Sacrifice.
And here’s the lesson: love, real love, the roll-up-your-sleeves-I’ll-do-anything-for-you kind of love, requires sacrifice. David reminds us of this in 2 Samuel 24:24 when he says, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” This is why God the Son came to this earth as Jesus, so that He could show us His love through His ultimate sacrifice.
But what about the next phrase, in Hebrews 2:10 that says, “For it was fitting that he… should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”Isn’t Jesus already perfect? Yes, He is.
Nothing has ever been lacking in the deity of Jesus, the Son of God. However, until he stepped into human history as a man, God had never experienced suffering. But as Christ, God the Son stepped into suffering and took it upon Himself to pay the price for our sin. As a result, He passed through the suffering that no other human would ever be able to bear. He took our sin and our shame, and in Hissufferingmade a perfect path of salvation for us; in essence, He became the founder of our salvation.
Here’s the takeaway today: Jesus knows you. He knows your pain. He knows your suffering. There’s nothing you can face today that He hasn’t faced Himself (Hebrews2:18). He is the One who sticks closer than a brother. Lean on Him today. Trust Him with your fears and your difficulties, your temptations, and your bruises. After all, He knows better than anyone else what it's like to carry that load.

More Questions:

• Would you say that you have ever experienced suffering? What did that look like for you?
  
• Do you believe that Jesus knows what you’re going through and experiencing? How can you hand over your difficulties and struggles to Him today?
  

• What does it mean that Jesus was the “Suffering Servant?”
  
  

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you. Thank You that took on the cross, You took on the pain, so that through Your suffering you might have perfect knowledge and understanding of what it means to be human. You have paved the way for me to have a relationship with the Father, and for that, I thank You. I hand over to You all of my current struggles, difficulties, and sufferings. I hand over to You my weakness, because when I am weak, then You are strong.


Author: Blake Houston