Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word helps and tempted.
Reading
Hebrews 2:14-18—Like His brothers
Optional Reading
Psalm 124:1-8
Keys for kids
- Jesus is the elder brother of all Christians.
- He is also our Great High Priest.
- As such, He helps us win over temptation.
Questions
- Did Jesus just seem to be a real human? Why or why not?
- What kind of high priest is Jesus to us?
- How does His having been tempted matter to us?
Notes
(See Saturday for authors.)
The author of Hebrews continues with the significance of Jesus being our blood brother. He is just like we are—in every way (except He never sinned (Heb 4:15)). He did not just seem to be a man, He was fully man, while in some mysterious way, also fully God. This perfect God-man was for us our merciful and faithful high priest.
Utley notes that _Hebrews is unique in the NT in calling Jesus high priest…Hebrews describes Jesus’ High Priestly work in several ways: 1. atonement for sin (cf. 2:17; 7:27; 9:14), 2. strength for those tempted by sin (cf. 2:18), 3. grace in time of need (cf. 4:15–16), 4. brings eternal life (cf. 5:9–10), 5. intercession on believers’ behalf (cf. 7:25), and 6. confidence to approach a holy God (cf. 10:19–21). _
The focus here is that He turned aside God’s wrath to Himself for our sin (propitiation) and that He strengthens and helps us to turn away from sin. We might be wrongly inclined to think that since Jesus never sinned, he didn’t really experience temptation fully like we do. Yet the contrary is actually true. As Kistemaker notes _because of his sinlessness, Jesus fully experienced the intensity of temptation. He is able and willing to help us oppose the power of sin and temptation. _
Seek the help of your elder Brother—your High Priest!
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 94b, 2a
Prayer
- Pray that you will resist temptation, with Jesus's help.
- Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.