Sabbath: Jesus, Our Faithful Brother
Image © Pacific Press
Sabbath Afternoon,
Read for This Week’s Study: Leviticus 25:25–27; Hebrews 2:14–16; Hebrews 11:24–26; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Hebrews 5:8-9, ; Hebrews 12:1–4.
Memory Text: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil” (Hebrews 2:14, NKJV).
Hebrews 1 talks of Jesus as the Son of God, the ruler over the angels, and “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3, NKJV). In Hebrews 2, Jesus is the Son of man, who was made lower than the angels and who adopted human nature with all its frailty, even to the point of death (Hebrews 2:7).
In Hebrews 1, God says about Jesus: “You are My Son” (Hebrews 1:5, NKJV). In Hebrews 2, Jesus refers to human children as His “brethren” (Hebrews 2:12).
In Hebrews 1, the Father declares the Son’s divine sovereignty (Hebrews 1:8-12). In Hebrews 2, the Son affirms His faithfulness to the Father (Hebrews 2:13).
In Hebrews 1, Jesus is the divine Lord, Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign. In Hebrews Chapter 2, Jesus is the human high priest, merciful and faithful.
In summary, the description of Jesus as a faithful and merciful brother is depicted in the description of the Son as the ultimate manifestation of the eternal, creator God (Hebrews 1:1-4).
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 22.
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Today's lesson refers to Jesus divine rulership and sovereignty. And it is true that Jesus is absolutely divinely sovereign. But does Jesus (and therefore God as the one who Jesus is the exact representation of) use divine rulership and sovereignty in the way we see rulership and sovereignty being used within this world?
If we consider the memory verse carefully (Hebrews 2:14), we see Jesus with, in and from divine rulership and sovereignty, willingly submitting to death and in so doing bringing about the demise of both the devil and his accompanying power of death.
What insights does this suggest regarding how Jesus/God's divine rulership and sovereignty is very different (Isaiah 55:8-9) to the rulership and sovereignty we are familiar with as humans? See John 15:13; Philippians 2:5-10; Romans 5:19 for some suggestions.
Incase you might be wondering what this question has to do with real life at present, consider how you are seeing rulership and sovereignty being exercised within the context of the COVID pandemic at present - wherever you are located. What methods are you seeing being used under such rulership and sovereignty and are these in any way similar to those Jesus/God has used, does use or will use (Isaiah 55:8-9)?
Amen! The methods being used are coercive and authoritarian. God is anything but those two things.
An interesting question. In our local church, rulership and sovereignty are being exercised in microcosm. We have members who are extremely vulnerable to COVID, yet other members insist on their “rights,” refusing to wear masks or physically distance or to stay home when they may be symptomatic. In a word, their “rights” trump the health and safety of everyone else.
Further, we see the run on effects of such thinking in general society. Hospitals and healthcare strained beyond their limit because of those who could care less that their actions adversely impact access to healthcare by others. Because of the “rights” of these people, others who need transplant surgeries, cancer treatments, joint replacements and other medical treatment face significant delays or cannot get them because the healthcare system is inundated with COVID patients.
But the effect does not stop there. Over two years of COVID has exhausted healthcare personnel. Many are quitting because of the unrelenting impact on their personal lives. All because of those who insist on their “rights” at the cost of the health and safety of others.
I find it interesting that the “oppressors” and the “oppressed” can mirror virtually identical characteristics of self-centered concern in their spheres of influence. It leaves me wondering “Where is Christ in all of this?”
Amen!
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
John 20:17
The first time Jesus calls us "my brothers". Overcoming sin and death, now through the cross adoption being completed He can offer the relationship of brotherhood unto us. He can claim us to be adopted sons and daughters of God.
Never ever forget the cost of the Him becoming our brother. Oh what a marvelous gift heaven has bestowed upon humanity.
Christ our elder brother is our strength and security. Like Maurice wrote in the previous postings when we are in trouble or not He is always at our side.
He is also willing to guide us through the straight and narrow to the heavens of heaven.
Are we going to allow Him?
Amen to God be the Glory.
I have been so blessed to have two wonderful brothers who have been willing to step in and help me when I needed them.
And I am even more blessed that being a child of the LORD means that Jesus is my brother who is ever at my side in good or bad times.
Matt 12:49-50
49 Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Thank you for sharing Matthew chapter 12 in the context we are all one in Christ Jesus living according to the will of God.
It is a hard concept when we don't look the same, act the same, and hold different cultural values and claim superiority by where we come from.
Only being transformed, we can say like Paul, I become all thing to all men to save some.
The bodily form of the Son of God was given the name “Jesus” at His birth as requested by the angel – Matt.1:21; Luke1:31. To use the name of ‘Jesus’ before the coming of the Son of God in the form of man is confusing to me. It would be good if this name-fluidity could be sorted out so we can intentionally, fully and intelligently relate to the Son of God who took on the form of man in order to save us from our sinful state.
What adds to my confusion is, that some SDA teachings refer to Michael as the Son of God who came to us in the form of Jesus. Jude1:9 relates that Michael the archangel contended with the devil about the body of Moses; Daniel 10:13, 21 and Dan.12:1 refers to Michael as “your prince which standeth for the children of thy people; Rev.12:7 relates to the war in heaven when Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. Maybe Michael is a Son of God, or even the Creator of this earth, but where in the Scriptures does it state so clearly?
The KJV does not clearly use Jesus' name in Heb.1:1-5. I understand Heb.1:1-6 to refer to the Son of God who came from heaven to earth taking the form of the man Jesus. Heb.1:6 – states: ”And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith ….. .”
Is the firstbegotten being brought into the world the Son of God who came from heaven to become the firstbegotten Son of the Father in the form of man, who then became our Lord and Savior for the purpose of our resurrection?
Heb.1:9 – is the first text which I can understand clearly referring to Jesus, the Son of Man – 'He remained firm in His faith - loving righteousness and hating iniquity' - , being rewarded with His resurrection to become the first-fruit of His brethren in the faith.
Though the Son of God was embodied in the Son of Man, the Son of Man, during His lifetime, refused to be aided by the powers inherent in the Son of God; except for some occasions of miraculous healing and for the teaching of the Word/Truth of God. He experienced life as a human being – in the flesh, though desiring to resist the temptations of the flesh.
When becoming aware of who He was as the Father affirmed Him as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased, and as His mission and the path He needed to follow became clear, Jesus continued His walk as a human not a divine being. His only help was His motivation to want to please His Father! He could now clearly see the outlines of the mission His Father had placed into His hands - to make salvation of mankind possible by His Faith, motivated by His Love of the Father.
It appears to me the Son of God wanted/needed the experience of mankind in order to become its Savior, and it is at the point of Jesus' resurrection that the Son of Man merges into the Son of God to become One with Him and the Father – the Son of God who is now also the Savior of mankind, is now refered to and called upon by man using the name Jesus.
All who believe that Christ Jesus is now the Son of God and one with the Father, are therefore Christ Jesus’ faith-brethren and hid in Him as He is in the presence of the Father.
How did Jesus who Is God now becomes our brother? Who are Jesus's brothers and sisters?
What was it about Moses that made the Apostle Paul say in Hebrews 11:26 that Moses chose the reproaches of Christ as being better riches than the pleasures of sin in Egypt? Jesus did not show up anywhere in Moses time at all for Moses to even know Jesus. It seems to me that Moses was just following God like Abraham followed God---they both heard God speaking to them and then chose to follow God by their faith towards that voice. And we do the same thing now as Christians---we go by The Bible and by scripture and God speaks to us via His Holy Spirit as He did to them then.
Pete, the Bible gives us many clear references about Jesus’s preexistence, so when in the O.T. the word God is mentioned, often it is Jesus who took action.
John 14:9 Jesus said „me and the father are one, he who has seen me has seen the father“.
Gen. 32:22-31 Also, we know that when Jacob wrestled with the angel, again the Angel was Jesus.
Daniel 3:25 when the 3 men were put in the fiery furnace, the king exclaimed: „ Then why do I see 4 men walking around in the fire and the fourth one looks like the son of man.“ who actually was Jesus himself.
Many other examples are yet to find. God bless.
Very good, Amina Hoenes, you have shared here things of scripture that are the same as the one King David wrote about and the Apostle Paul also devoted three chapters in the Book of Hebrews regarding King and Priest, Melchizedek, as having no beginning of days or end of life and also that God Himself made an "Oath" that Jesus His Son would be a King and Priest after the order of King and Priest Melchizedek etc. Yet, how many Kings and Priests after the order of King and Priest Melchizedek were recorded in the Old Testament? Only one, the one that met Abraham and took the 10th of Abraham's spoils and blessed Abraham. This tells me that Jesus and Melchizedek are one and the same King and Priest forever to bless us also, "Now and forever." I have very strong belief that Moses also knew that King Melchizedek would some day take the form of a human in Jesus christ.