For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Hebrews 1:5-18
The earthly life of Jesus could be summed up in one phrase, “perfect through what He suffered.” Was He not perfect when he came? When Jesus was a babe in Bethlehem’s manger, was He not perfect even then? When He was tempted in the desert and Satan tried to turn Him from the cross, was He not already perfect? When He was feeding the five thousand, in compassionate ministry to the hungry multitudes, was He not perfect? Why then does it say He was perfected by suffering? In this case, perfect means “complete,” demonstrating that Jesus came to complete a mission planned by God the Father before the foundations of this universe were ever laid. Jesus was, and always has been, perfect in His person, but His work was not yet perfected. A person may be perfect in health, perfect in body, perfect in strength, perfect in soundness of humanity, but not yet perfect in the work they are called to do. Suppose Jesus Christ had come full-grown into the world a week before he died. Suppose He had never been born as a baby and grown up into adult life, but had stepped into the earth full-grown as a man. Suppose He had uttered in one week’s time the Sermon on the Mount, the Olivet Discourse, the Upper Room Discourse and all the teachings that we have from His lips recorded in Scripture. Imagine that He came on Monday and on Friday they took Him out and crucified Him, hanging Him on the cross, and that He died, bearing the sins of the world. Would He still have been a perfect Savior? Certainly, He would have been perfect in bearing our guilt for our sins which needed to be paid for. If that is all Jesus did for sinners, we would be no better off than Adam was in the Garden of Eden. No, sinners need to be righteous to be in the presence of Holy God. So, Jesus lived a sinless, righteous life that no human could ever live. Having lived a righteous life and died an atoning death, sinners, saved by faith alone in Christ alone, have their sins imputed to Jesus on the cross and Jesus’ righteousness imputed to the sinner. Jesus’ works have made us fit for heaven. God does not expect me to live a perfect life! Christ did that for me! Jesus experienced fear and uncertainty just as any man. He identified with us as humans. Every fear is temptation, every sense of uncertainty is temptation. The moment Jesus felt fear gripping His heart, He leaned back upon the full-flowing life of the indwelling Father and that fear was met by faith. The moment He felt uncertain, He rested back upon the indwelling wisdom of God and was immediately given a word that was the right word for the situation. Christ is fully one with us and able to bring many sons and daughters to glory.
Source: S C Ball March 21, 2024
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