Been There, Done That, Let Me Show You
10 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. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, 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,
I was a pretty good kid in middle school. I only went to the assistant principal’s office once for riding my unicycle to school after they banned skateboards. But there was that time I just about earned the fury in my gym class.
We were doing that awful exercise where you lay on your back and lift your unbent legs up into the air about a foot. It’s awful. I don’t remember our 7th-grade class collectively complaining about any other exercise more than that one. Mr. Hostetler, who was a stud and one of the best PE teachers a kid could have, shouted out for us to do one more.
And without thinking, without a moment of surrendering to my better self, I said it:
“I’d like to see you do one!”
I still remember the look of shock on his face. It was not as happy as when he recently hit is 7thlifetime hole in one. He was mad.
In an uncharacteristically abrasive reflex, eyebrows up and eyes shocked, he hollered back at good-ole-Danny-Sullivan:
“I’d like to see you shut chur mouth!”
And that was that.
I didn’t get in trouble, but you know I was back down on that floor in a flash lifting up my feet and straining my abs. I felt bad for that all day. Sorry, Mr. Hostetler.
THAT is why Jesus had to learn suffering.
Jesus didn’t have to learn anything. He invented photosynthesis for crying out loud. But as a man, He had to experience every single thing that mankind would experience. We all know that includes suffering.
If you put on flesh and blood, you’re going to participate in some suffering.
God didn’t have to participate in our suffering to heal us any more than a surgeon has to have a heart attack before they can perform heart surgery.
But He did.
He wanted us to know that He had been there. That He had first-hand knowledge of every single thing we’d ever experience.
But He would win. What is weakness and loss for us (ultimately death) He turned into victory and success.
And in that victory, He invites us to follow along, to share in the party and to receive His reward.
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