S) "14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."
Hebrews 2:14-15 (NASB)
O) There's quite a bit to digest in this short passage, but taking it one step at a time, we can see quite a bit of encouraging truth. The writer was establishing the close fellowship of Jesus Christ with those who are redeemed through Him (vv.10-14), which tells us that the children mentioned above are those very same believers. Where it says, "share in flesh and blood," we should immediately understand this does not mean physical flesh and blood (and literally, it should be "blood and flesh"), because not all believers are Jews, and even the Jews who do believe are not necessarily close enough to the Davidic line to be called flesh and blood with Jesus. However, the very next statement is that Jesus also "partook of the same," so we can see this is actually a reference to the last supper, where Jesus described the wine as His blood, which is for the forgiveness of sins, and the bread as His flesh, which conquered the grave. Verse 14 then refers to "him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," and the writer tells us that through the blood and body of Jesus, through the forgiveness of sins and conquering death, the devil is now impotent. Then we come to the last verse above, and we see something a little harder to dissect. We know that we have freedom from sins in Christ Jesus. It's also easy to understand how, before Christ, we were slaves to our sins all our lives. However, the difficult phrase is, "through fear of death." Understanding how a fear of death keeps us enslaved to sin is difficult. Working from an opposite premise, however, clarifies some things. The Bible tells us, over and over, that the only fear we should have is a fear of God. There are more than a dozen references in the book of Proverbs alone, that tell us the fear of the LORD will keep us from sin, lead to life, give understanding, or otherwise bless us. God gives life. To fear death is to fundamentally miss what (that is, who) should be feared. However, the fear of death is a common thread through all of human history and culture. To stop fearing death, without beginning to fear God, is foolish at best. However, if we are freed from sin because we trust in Jesus Christ, then we already fear God enough to understand that His Son was sent to die the death we deserve. Because we will not die that death, we have nothing to fear - except God, which is exactly how we are meant to live. That's one angle from which we can see, the fear of death will lead to sin. The second way to see this is true, is working from some of the other things Jesus said, that turn human instinct on it's head. In Mark 8:35-37, Jesus is giving a contrast between material pursuits and eternal life. In Luke 12:19-21, Jesus gives a short parable to show how worthless it is to be rich in this world, but not rich toward God. Just a few verses later (v.25), He said that we can't extend our life by worrying. However, over and over, we see people running, grinding, pushing, amassing, trying to secure a future or extend a lifetime, and it's all sewing the seeds of idolatry, the lies of independence, and the fallacy of man's sovereignty.
A) The first application in this, is to celebrate my fellowship with Christ! There is great reason to be excited, thinking about the things Jesus did that I also do. Starting with baptism, it is a joy to know that my Savior was baptized as I was! Whenever I take communion, I need to contemplate the fact that Jesus took communion with the first disciples. I need to live in the fear of God, remembering that He alone is sovereign, He alone is worthy of worship. He alone is independent, while I am utterly dependent on Him. The last thing is a little harder to hammer out... but as I am contemplating this passage, and my own fears (of which there simply are not many I can discern), one area does come to mind. There is a sense in which I might say that I fear sleep. For years, I had said that sleeping felt like a waste of time to me. While that sounds quaint, or even like the words of an ambitious man, it is really a confession that I pursue pretty worthless hobbies. Video games were the time-suckers of my life. Certainly, there can be a place for entertainment, if it is purposeful. Most notably, entertainment can be a great way to share some fellowship with people I love. However, there were countless nights when I simply didn't go to bed, because I wanted to keep playing video games. And what was that, if not a blatant display of idolatry. My fear of losing time (which is just another way to describe a fear of death) was leading to the sin of idolizing my hobby. Even recently, I struggle with contentment if I have too much "down time" and I feel like I could be playing a game. This is a sneaky, pervasive type of sin, that I should root out of my life. I fear God alone! I actually have no idea how much time I have left in this world. It is not up to me to "maximize" what I want to do, with selfish ambitions, even some so seemingly benign as video games.
P) Father, please forgive me for the shortsighted selfishness that has been in my heart. Thank You for the grace at work, in You seeking communion with me. Thank You for sending Jesus to come down to earth, to bridge the gap that was between us. That was only possible through the grace of gospel. I don't want to waste the gift of this life within me. I know that entertainment is not inherently wrong, but I confess that I still have a tendency to take a blessing and want to make it an idol. But, I don't want to do that, Lord. I don't want to disdain sleep, as if it is robbing me of a life that I am already confessing doesn't belong to me. Help me to be more focused and mindful of my life as belonging to You, in every way. Help me to be more purposeful with my time, not based on my own idea of purpose, but based on the purpose You have given me, namely, to glorify Jesus. Open my eyes and ears, Lord. Speak to me, and show me where I have been fearing the wrong things, and where that is allowing sin to creep into my life unnoticed. I pray the Holy Spirit is strong with conviction, and that I am humbly submissive, to allow You to purge my life of anything that should not be here. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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