Christ in Flesh and Blood

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tells us about a time when, after ministering in Israel with miracles and teaching, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who does the crowd of people say that I am?” And His disciples said to Him, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah. And others say that you are a resurrected prophet of old like Jeremiah.”

Those are some interesting responses, and Jesus could have explored each of those possibilities. But instead, He said to His disciple, “But who do you say that I am?”

Jesus wasn’t primarily interested in theological speculation or even theological debates. What He cared most about, and still cares most about today, is the state of each human heart.

Who do you say that Jesus is? That is the foundational issue of Christianity. That’s the question that separates Christians from non-Christians. That’s the question that makes the difference between eternal joy in heaven and eternal agony in hell. That’s the question we need to get right, not just for ourselves, but for teaching our children and our neighbors. Who is Jesus?

A basic understanding of Christian morality and even Christian theology will not save you, if you don’t understand and embrace Jesus Christ for who He truly is. If you get Jesus wrong, you get Christianity wrong. If you don’t understand who He is and what He’s done, and if you don’t respond appropriately and apply it correctly to your own life, you will not escape the wrath and the judgment of God.

This is the underlying message of the book of Hebrews. It was written to people who had professed to be Christians, but, because of persecution, were backing away from their commitment to Christ and returning to Old Testament Judaism.

Denying Jesus might have made life easier for them and their families in the short run, but eternally, it was going to lead to disaster. So, the running exhortation of the letter is “look to Jesus” or “consider Jesus.”

Jesus is unlike any other prophet or any other person or any other character in human history. Chapter 1 teaches us that Jesus is the eternal, almighty Son of God, coming with more power and authority and glory and majesty than any angel. He is superior to the angels; He is the Son of God whom the angles worship. He is greater than any angel because of His deity. That’s why rejecting Him will come with such serious consequences.

In chapter 2 of Hebrews, we see that Jesus is greater than the angels, not just in His deity, but in His humanity. He is greater than the angels as the Son of God and, also, as the Son of Man.

God destined this world to be ruled by man, but because of sin, which came into this world through Satan’s deception of Adam and Eve, this world fell under a curse. And in the plan of God, mankind is restored through the One who is both God and Man—our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ.

This is where we pick up our study today as we come to verse 14 of chapter 2. Jesus, while always being God, became a man. The word became flesh, as the Apostle John puts it. This is what we refer to as the miracle of the incarnation. It’s part of the celebration of Christmas. God came into this world as a little baby boy.

That’s not simply supposed to be a miracle and a mystery for us to be amazed with; it needs to be a reality that continually draws us back to Christ. And I hope that’s what happens this morning. If you don’t know Christ, I hope the Spirit of God by the word of God draws you to Him. I you’ve already trusted in Christ, I hope our study today is a reminder that reignites your gratitude, your appreciation, your worship, and your love.

One of the challenges in the Christian faith is to always remember both sides of who Jesus is. He is truly and fully God and also truly and fully man. If we forget His deity, then He becomes like any other man, and we erase His great act of love in taking on humanity. If we forget His humanity, then He will be a distant God, detached from this world and from our own lives.

Having reminded us of the deity of Christ in Hebrews chapter 1, chapter 2 reminds us of Jesus’ humanity. Today, I’m simply going to give you one sentence as a summary of our lesson, but I’m going to give it to you in three parts.

The first part is, very simply, “Jesus died.”

Jesus died...

Look with me at verse 14. Hebrews 2:14 says—Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things.

I’m sure many of you have heard the famous expression that the only certainties in this life are death and taxes. Well, a man can cheat on his taxes, but nobody, on his own, can cheat death, right? Death is universal. It’s not an essential aspect of humanity, but it’s a universal reality. I hope you understand the difference.

Apart from a few miraculous interventions which have already taken place, and which will take place at the Rapture, everybody dies. But death is not an essential aspect of humanity. Adam and Eve were designed to live forever without death, and they were human. Those whom Christ raises and brings into eternal glory will live forever as glorified humanity with no death.

So, it’s not the experience of death that makes us human, but death is a universal experience. It’s like the tiny spiders and bugs in your house and under your house. They’re not part of the house, they don’t show up in the blueprints, but every house has them. Death is not part of what makes us human, but as members of fallen humanity, all of us experience death.

This is what verse 14 is pointing to when it says that “the children,” referring to us, share in flesh and blood. This is our common experience in a fallen world.

Christ, however, whom verse 12 portrays as our older brother, has, as the Son of God, no capacity to die. So, in order to experience death, Jesus added to Himself human nature. He took our common experience in this fallen world, and He joined in. He took on blood and flesh, which was necessary in order for Him to experience death.

This is an essential aspect of the Christian faith. God became a man, and then He died. Back in verse 9, we were told that Jesus for a little while was made lower than the angels… so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

This is how Paul puts in Philippians 2, speaking of Jesus Christ—though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Infinite God, incapable of death, took on a human nature, and He died. If you’ve been a Christian for some time, you might take that for granted, but you need to let it sink in. This is a core aspect of Christianity. Jesus died.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says to the church—Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. The Jews couldn’t understand how their promised Messiah, their eternal King, could have died in such a seemingly helpless way. The Greeks thought it was a stupid idea that God would die. So, they rejected and mocked the message.

And the same is true today. People want to turn their lives around. People want to fix their families and their finances and their emotional health. People want to heal, but they don’t want to talk about the ugly, bloody, and violent death of Jesus Christ. They think, “What’s that got to do with anything?”

And there are churches who do the same thing. They say that Jesus’ death was a tragedy, and their focus is on His love and His kindness. They ignore the reality and the theology of the cross. To some, the cross is just a symbol to remind us and give us hope. But what does it stand for? Why does the death of Jesus matter? Why did Jesus die?

There are a variety of ways we could answer that question, but the author of Hebrews gives us two responses. Let’s see the first answer in the rest of verse 14 from Hebrews 2—He himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.

Let’s continue our summary sentence for today: Jesus died to destroy Satan.

Jesus died to destroy Satan...

Verse 14 says that it was through death Jesus destroyed Satan. Notice those two words there: “through death.” This isn’t like a brave knight dying as he slays a dragon. No. His death was not simply a tragic consequence of the battle. The death of Jesus was the means by which He destroyed Satan. If Jesus hadn’t died, Satan would not have been destroyed.

Now, what does it really mean that Satan is destroyed, because Satan is still working in this world? Well, the way it’s translated in the New American Standard and the Legacy Standard Version is helpful here. Jesus died, it says, to render Satan powerless. The notes in the NET Bible say “to break [Satan’s] power,” or “to reduce [him] to nothing.”

It’s a powerful image of Jesus’ victory. This Greek word was used in a legal sense when a law no longer applied. It was nullified. The principle was done away with. It’s abolished.

Because of Satan’s deception, sin entered into this world and into the human race. Satan’s deception led to both physical death and spiritual death. A man dies in his sins, and he is cut off from God forever. He is sent into eternal torment. But through the death of Jesus Christ, Satan’s greatest weapon of spiritual death and physical death is broken. It’s powerless. It no longer applies to those who belong to Christ.

Romans 8 says—There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Colossians 2 says we were dead in [our] trespasses, but God made [us] alive together with [Christ], having forgiven all our trespasses, [how?] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This [record of debt] he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

That’s Christ’s victory over spiritual death. The sins of his people are forgiven. And that’s the only way they can be forgiven. There is no other way and no other person that can save us from the power of Satan.

And one say, that victory over spiritual death will also be a victory over physical death. Those who belong to Christ will be raised in glory, and death will be abolished.

That’s why Paul proclaims the victory in 1 Corinthians 15 when he says—“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The promise of God given in Genesis 3 will be fully realized. The serpent’s head will be crushed forever, and mankind will be restored because Jesus took the curse of death upon Himself, paying the price of the sins of His people.

Every time you sin, you need to remember that that sin, big or little, requires death. That’s how serious sin is and how glorious and righteous God is. But in His mercy, God sent His Son to take the place of sinners. Jesus traded places with sinners, and He took the punishment upon Himself.

Romans 8:3 says God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, [and] He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.

You and I deserve to die and be judged forever, but Jesus died in our place, if we trust in Him. The penalty of sin is broken. The power of sin and Satan has been cancelled.

Think about this—Jesus, in His glory and majesty, used Satan’s weapon and power against him. Satan is the supreme example of the fool in Proverbs 26:27. It says there—Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. The devil was rolling around the stone of death as his weapon, but it was through death that Jesus defeated and shamed him forever.

Second Timothy 1:10 says—Our Savior Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Humble yourself before that reality. There is nothing you can do to fix yourself. Trust in Jesus. Call out for mercy. And then let your heart be filled with gratitude and joy and peace.

The death of Jesus Christ has eternal implications for Satan, and it has practical implications for you and me every day.

In verse 15, we see Jesus’ death applied to us. And this gives us the final part of the sentence for today’s message. Jesus died to destroy Satan and to deliver the saints.

Jesus died to destroy Satan and to deliver the saints.

Obviously, there is eternal deliverance. There is a future salvation to come in glory, but it seems like the emphasis here is on the present result. Look at verse 15. Why else did Jesus die? He died to destroy Satan—and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

The state of mankind, apart from receiving the grace which has come through Jesus’ death, is fear. This world is marked by fear of death. It is a lifelong slavery.

Some people fear death so much, they refuse to talk about it or accept it. That’s common in our culture. We want funny movies. We want happy scenes. We want silly stories. For some people, death is basically pushed into the world of fantasy, like video games and movies. So, someone understands the general concept, but they don’t accept it as part of this life.

I remember talking to a guy who was in his 80s who came to our church for a food drive. And I figured, at least statistically speaking, he was closer to death than I was at that time. So I asked him if he ever thought about death or about what comes next. And I remember his answer. He simply said, “I try not to think about it.” That was it. That was his solution. Try not to think about it.

Nobody would do that when the gas is running out in their car, and yet people do that when they’re running out of time here on earth. Why? Because they don’t to feel the pain and the anxiety of death.

Other people live with the fear of death regularly in a more visible way. And it can be extreme or more subtle. In my own flesh, apart from Christ, death is a scary subject.

How am I going to die? Is it going to be painful? What it happens suddenly? What’s going to happen to my wife? What if my wife and I die at the same time? What’s going to happen with my kids? Who’s going to take care of them?

Do you ever think about death? How is it going to come? What going to happen afterward?

The unsettling aspect of death is that the reality is certain, but the timing is not. We don’t know when it’s going to come. Once in a great while, I’ll get a quick, sharp pain somewhere in my chest, and I don’t know what causes it. Maybe it’s just some muscle being popped back into place. But I’ll think sometimes, “Lord, do it quickly, please. Don’t drag it out. If it’s time to go, it’s time to go.”

But some people, or in some seasons, the reaction to the reality of death is far greater. There’s panic. There’s anxiety. Death is an unbeatable enemy. Just think about how the world responded to Covid. People died. For some, that was the greatest fear imaginable. Some people preferred never to hug their friends again than to potentially increase their chances of dying. Some people went to all kinds of extremes.

I’m not advocating for recklessness, but I’m just pointing out how extreme this fear of death can be for some. But really, it’s a driving force in society. “Take these pills, do these exercises, stop that habit,” we’re told, “and you can add 5 years to your life.” That’s kind of statement assumes you want to avoid, or at least delay, death.

This is the kind of slavery mankind is under. But those who know Christ, and have called out to Him for mercy, and have trusted in Him, they are free. They have been set free. They’ve been delivered.

The deliverance Jesus offers is not a deliverance from a hard life. It’s deliverance from the power and fear of death.

Do you know that deliverance? Are you confident over death? Do you know what’s going to happen the moment you take your last breath and then see Christ for yourself?

Hebrews 9 says—it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. What is that judgment going to mean for you? If you’re just playing games with God and with Jesus Christ, you’re headed to eternal judgment. But if you belong to Jesus Christ, the fear of death will not control you. It will not dominate your life. You’ve been delivered. You’ve been freed from the power of sin and Satan, and you’ve been freed from the fear of death.

Every single person in this life either belongs to Satan, or they belong to Jesus Christ. You will either be destroyed, or you will be delivered. Those are the only two options.

Once you truly belong to Jesus Christ by faith, there is no going back. You’ve been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the light of Christ. This is what Christ has done for us as the Son of God and as the Son of Man. This is what He alone has accomplished.

Jesus died to destroy Satan and to deliver the saints. If you say that Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man who died and rose again, then the response you must have is to cling to Him in love and gratitude and worship and obedience.

You go to Him in His word. You go to Him humble prayer. You go to Him in repentance when you sin. You go to Him in joy for His blessings. And there is the blessing of knowing that when you go to Him, He comes to you as well.

He who is exalted above all angels and kings, comes down to you, to minister His truth and His love.