Read: Hebrews 2:14-18 NRSV
Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
We have an advantage over the Israelites to whom God revealed the law: we have a perfect leader, teacher, priest, and example in Jesus Christ. Everything that Moses and Aaron were supposed to be for the Israelites, Jesus lived out and continues to live out to perfection for the new covenant people. This passage highlights what makes Jesus such a perfect intercessor for humanity: he was human! He knew what it was like to be tired, sore, irritated, anxious, angry, and impulsive, but unlike the various leaders of Israel, he did not let any of those feelings lead him to sin. He was frail and weak like us, but he used that frailty and weakness to meet us with the love and understanding that can only come through shared suffering.
Jesus understood that rest was both the end goal and one of the means of achieving it. Rest, as it’s used in Hebrews, is similar to shalom, the Hebrew word for peace. We might think of peace as just the absence of turmoil, or rest as the absence of action, but it seems to mean a lot more here. Rest as the end goal, the destination that God offered to the Israelites and then to everyone is the splendor and comfort of being in His holy presence. It is a sense of wholeness and completeness that nothing else can provide. In God, we rest in who we are truly meant to be as his children. Think of Jesus’ references to being with his father.
“So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed” (John 17:5) When God is reunited with his people, they will know shalom and rest.
Rest is also an important step towards the goal. As we read in Genesis and Exodus, God uses rest as a way of turning the attention of his people towards him in the same way we use birthdays to celebrate an individual or anniversaries to celebrate a marriage. God wants us to set aside time for him so that we can be drawn nearer together. So just as Jesus needed rest because he was frail and weak, he also craved rest because it allowed him to spend time with God. There are times when we need rest. We are sore, beatdown, and exhausted. Jesus shows us how to enter healing rest. There are also times when the last thing we want is to stop. We feel invincible, energetic, and productive. Again, Jesus shows us how to enter reflective rest, bringing us always back to the presence of the Father.
