For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:17 NIV
Jesus’ divinity and superiority were stressed in the first chapter of Hebrews. But now we see the other side, the humanity of Jesus. Jesus became human, in every way, to offer the atoning sacrifice of himself to God. Becoming completely human was essential to Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross; only as a human could he be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
But this verse also tells us something about Jesus that we sometimes struggle with. He was made fully human in every way. He lived for 33 years as an infant/child/youth/adult, going through all the same things we did and do. Jesus got hungry, thirsty, and tired. He was tempted. He was limited in his knowledge and had to learn like we do. I’m sure he got blisters and splinters learning the carpentry trade. He had human desires and emotions. We like to think that Jesus was without sin because he was God. But he was also fully human in every way, which, it would seem to me, had to include the ability to sin. Yet he did not! And as such, he sets an example for us of how to live a holy life.
