Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 – Hebrews 2
There was a 1 in 400 trillion chance for you to be born.
Without getting into the health class specifics of it all, it is an absolute miracle that this version of you – with your traits, your attributes, your predispositions – made it to where you are now. We can look at that, and feel absolutely on top of the world. Thinking about that makes me feel that I can use the exact gifts I have to do things in the world. It makes me grateful that of all the creatures in the world, I am a human with a brain, and opposable thumbs, and was born into a culture with inherent freedoms.
And then, as you take all that in, a random earthquake has killed almost 3,000 people and injured over 5,500 more. I’m not simply mentioning this as part of an illustration: Please pray for the people of Morocco, for healing, and for peace amidst such an unimaginable tragedy.
We are incredibly powerful in the world as humans, and at the same time, utterly helpless.
The book of Hebrews, after starting with a bang talking about the divinity of Jesus, goes on to talk about how humans have been put in this position in the cosmos to be “just a little below angels.” Hebrews continues, quoting OT sources: “You crowned (humans) with glory and honor and put everything under their feet. In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present, we do not see everything subject to them.” (Hebrews 2:7-8)
God has given us a major gift, and it might not make any sense to us. Despite all of the blessings the human race has, it’s news to none of us that we constantly choose the wrong thing, hurt ourselves and each other, and do all of the things we wish we wouldn’t.
And yet:
“So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly, I will sing your praises.’”
Regardless of where you find yourself today – celebrating your unique privilege of living in the world, or numb and heartbroken over the shattered nature of the world – Jesus calls you family. The animating force of the universe died for you so you could live. Chances are, you’re somewhere in the middle of the extremes. But how does that truth meet you today? How can you take time to remember that fundamental truth? How can you set aside some time to orient yourself around it? I think we’ll all be better for it.