Since
the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by
his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is,
the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear
of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s
descendants. 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. Because he himself suffered when he was
tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18
According to this passage in Hebrews
2, Jesus became human because…
·
Jesus wanted to share humanity with his creation. That’s love.
·
By dying as a perfect human sacrifice, he broke the power of death over
mankind.
·
He wanted to show us that we no longer needed to fear death.
·
He wanted to become a merciful and faithful high priest (as described in
Leviticus 16 and 21). The high priest
made “atonement” (again Leviticus 16) once a year, entering a sacred place in
the temple called the “Holy of Holies,” leading the sacrifices to bring God and
man together as one. Jesus wanted us to
be “one” with God.
·
By suffering and being tempted, and overcoming suffering and temptation,
Jesus can help those going through the same difficulties. He did that by example and through his
teachings.