Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 17 – January 1982
A Divine Must
Sermon by Rev. J.F.H. VanderBom on Hebrews 2:17
Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17; Hebrews 2
Psalter Hymnal: 323; 266:3,4 or 338:2; 233:9-13; 372:3; 373:1,4
Brothers and Sisters in the Saviour,
Today our text compels us to speak of the Duty of the Son of God. But did it ever strike you how strange this is: in the Church to speak, not about our duties, but about the Duty of Him, Who is the Holy One?
Still, in these weeks between Christmas and Easter the Church reminds itself again of the fact that He came to learn obedience. For the Son of God there was a lesson to be learnt. As long as He was on earth, He lived under obligation, under a MUST. “Wherefore it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto his brethren”, says the old (KJ) translation. And because the expression, “it behooved him” is very old-fashioned, the wording was changed by the new translators. In the R.S.V. it says, “and therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect.” But J.B. Philips in his Paraphrase renders a little stronger, as follows: “it was imperative that he should be made like his brethren.”
Anyhow there is no doubt about the fact that for the Lord there was the MUST. Over his life loomed the great duty of service and sacrifice. We can learn that from the Heidelberg Catechism (5 and 6). We have heard this after Christmas (Gal.4), ‘He was born of a woman, he was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.’ And for this end, to become what He is (our Mediator and great High Priest) He was under a constant need to adapt himself in every respect to our ways of life.
And still we must feel how strange and unbelievable this is. I remember that when we were children in High School we once had a discussion on the duties and obligations of Her Majesty the Queen. The question arose, what would happen if children in a royal family were naughty. And: what would happen if the Queen herself did something very wrong. Who would punish Her Majesty? Could the Queen be prosecuted by the police? Or, in a case of traffic offense, she wouldn’t be fined, would she?
Yes, for a queen there may be all sorts of exceptions, because our Sovereign is understood to be above the law. But what then of our Lord Jesus Christ? Isn’t He above the law? The Christ of God could be a law to himself: King of Kings, Lord of lords, God of God, Light of Light. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels! We remember how the beginning of this epistle to the Hebrews, the first sentence already has mentioned numerous glorious things about the Son of God: being the reflection of God’s glory and the stamp of His nature; the appointed heir of all things, through Whom God created the world…!
Sure, He has his place above the law. Yet He came down. For the purification of sins’, says chapter 1. Therefore He had to become one of us, to completely adapt himself. And He was born under the same obligation which applies to every one of us. He became man. He became child. He became servant. He had to learn obedience.
So He couldn’t even live with the angels. His home must be a home in the dark. “Sent by the Father from on high; Our life to live, our death to die…!” and our fears to share and to be tempted in all our temptations.
Yes, let’s take this realistically, please! He grew up in a home where He did not get much pocket money. Father Joseph probably died when Jesus was still pretty young. So He became responsible for his mother and his younger brothers and sisters. And so He had to learn obedience and adopt full responsibility. Nobody would ever say that his conditions in life were attractive. Sure, He had to learn the lesson. Very early when He was a child, He had to learn that there are the rules, duties and necessities of life. ‘It was imperative that He should be made…’ a poor child of a miserable mankind. But WHY?
Jesus Christ had to adapt himself in all things to be in fullest harmony with the will and the nature of God. This is a second thing to which we ought to give all our attention on this Lent Sunday. God’s Son had to learn obedience, because thus it was exactly in harmony with his Father’s ruling and purpose. And again we must realize how strange this is!
For you know how we all have our certain and fixed ideas about God. God can just do what He likes. For Him there is no law, no fixed rule. Conceited and arrogant beings that we are, we all have our ideas about God’s nature and His freedom. We have our imaginations of what a worthy God must be like, and what He can do… Sometimes we would even like to protest, and interrupt God, or call Him to order. ‘No God, You must show a bit more love, or a little more justice and power, or wisdom, or compassion!’
But, there is no need for you to tell God what He must do, and which things would be worthy of God? Long, long before you and I began to live, the Light was already there. And ages before you or I could tell Him something, He had already decided what He would do.
Oh no, our God is not a statue of marble which cannot be involved. He is not too cold to be moved. Indeed, God’s way is holy. His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. You see that very clearly in the way. He went with Israel. His ways are not our ways. But was God cold towards Israel? The same applies to the Christian Church. His thoughts are not our thoughts for the Church. But was He ever cold towards His Church? God’s way is in the sanctuary. You see that, clearest of all, in the way which God has chosen to go with His own Son. He had to learn obedience. He had to follow God’s purpose. Already 7 verses earlier in this chapter we are told that not only Jesus Himself, as the Son of God, had to serve under law; but God the Father himself wanted to act according to plan and purpose. ‘For it was fitting’ (reads verse 10) ‘that He, for Whom and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect by suffering.’
Mind you, here it reads that it fitted God. For our sakes it fitted to bring His own Son into suffering. Yes, this happened according to plan. To bring a son into suffering, this is what He asked Abraham. Then God said: now it fits Me to do the same. Don’t tell me that for God there are no rules, orders, or laws.
Aren’t we living in a most wonderful world? Our world is based on law. But then we must not think of the laws of nature, in the first place. Our human life in the world is founded upon the willingness of an Everlasting Father and an Everlasting Son. When the Father considered our miseries, looking at our sorrows and sins, He said that it befits Me to do something about it. In bringing many sons to glory, I must not only send them some servants. It befits Me as God to make My own Son the pioneer of their salvation.
And God the Son stood ready. ‘I must go’, he said. In full obedience He gave Himself. You may say, between the Father and the Son there was a perfect agreement, or: call it a covenant, if you like. The content of the agreement was a Jesus Who was born to serve, and Who came to serve and obey to the very point of death on a cross.
To serve – this became the highest glory for the Son of God. For us, this sounds impossible. Think only of the story of the foot-washing. We do not like to serve. We are too proud, or too shy. But let us never forget that the whole realm of nature rests on service. The glory of everything in nature is that it has its function in serving a purpose. The same is even more true about the realm of the angels. You can’t even be a shining angel without the willingness to serve. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to serve,” for the sake of us?
Then, exactly this was the will and purpose of the Father for the Son. Christ came to serve, to sacrifice himself – not for the angels but for those who were lost sinners. It behooved him to become the helper of the helpless, and the servant of his very enemies. “The Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many.” Mark 10:45.
And so He became a merciful and faithful High Priest, in the service of God to make expiation for the sins of the people. Now, this name ‘high priest’ is a very precious name. We may call on Christ by different names, but to call Him our merciful and faithful High Priest has a significance so rich that this whole epistle to the Hebrews is devoted to it, and rightly could be called a commentary on the contents of this name.
Jesus Christ, our merciful and faithful High Priest.. in these weeks before Good Friday we have plenty of opportunity to spell this name. With our Catechism we are inclined to call the Saviour first of all our highest Teacher and Prophet, who has revealed to us the secret will of God. And I am happy that I may call him ‘My Teacher, My Wisdom’.
More often and with greater thankfulness we have learnt to call Him our King, our everlasting King, the Pioneer of our Salvation, who rules over us, saving us and protecting against all our enemies. But the name most glorious for a sinner to remember is Jesus our High Priest, the Son Who has become our Mediator, our representative. This is how the Father had ordained it: in the Old Testament the office of the high priest was most central. The high priest was the person who stood responsible, answerable for the sins of his people, as man responsible before the majesty of the Holy One.
But who could be a high priest, who was able to stand before God and to answer for all our sins? Again and again there were prophets who spoke up and told God’s people that God’s will was to be done…! But these prophets could not do it. There were also many kings; bad and good, who ruled over God’s people. But they could not stand before God and answer for the sins of their nation. As far as Israel’s High priests were concerned, they were just a shadow, if not a mock image of what was expected from them. And worst of them all, was Caiaphas the high priest. He was a caricature, full of crime. Still he spoke the truth when he pointed the nation to that Man of sorrows. For in Jesus alone, in the perfection of his surrender, and in his faithfulness, you learn what a high priest should be.
Yes, and we thank You, Christ, most of all for becoming exactly this, for making it Your duty to fulfil and answer our duty towards God, to make reconciliation with God for us, impossible sinners. Lord, we praise Thee for being our High Priest, so merciful and so faithful.
And we have come to church today only for this one purpose to hear this gospel again. Was the Light obliged to shine in darkness? Was then God obliged to be good to his enemies? But in our world so full of sorrow, suffering and sin there was the Father of light who spoke: I will send my Son. And there was the Son who became our High Priest, merciful and faithful. Believe, don’t reject such a gospel.
We are not so very merciful, are we? Our sympathy is often just a matter of words. We love those who love us, and then, very soon there is the full stop. But Jesus Christ came to love his enemies. He didn’t get much sympathy or words of appreciation. But because this was law for Him, He loved them to the end. Yes, He is that merciful!
And how faithful He is! We are not faithful either. The very reason why this letter to the Hebrews was written, was because people had become faint hearted and unfaithful. And the reason we come to Church on Sunday is because we are so quickly disappointed, failing in love, hope, zeal and patience.
Yes, what those Hebrew Christians needed, is exactly what you and I need. Christians who are unhappy and unwilling to go all the way have only one great need, that is to get a fresh impression of Jesus and His sufferings. How merciful He was, and how faithful!
‘Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a holy call, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.’ Remember that He was faithful and merciful. And in the coming week, in all your trouble and sorrow, fix your eyes on Jesus. He was so glorious. But He came not for angels. He is not ashamed to be seen in your company. You may even call Him: Jesus, my Brother!
Amen.