Like Us, for Us 像我们一样

[Dexu Xia]

For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way.  Hebrews 2:17

Derek noticed his son didn’t want to take off his shirt to swim and realized it was because he was self-conscious about a birthmark that covers parts of his chest, belly, and left arm. Determined to help his son, Derek underwent a lengthy and painful tattooing process to create an identical mark on his own body.

Derek’s love for his son reflects God’s love for His sons and daughters. Because we, His children, “have flesh and blood” (Hebrews 2:14), Jesus became like us and took on a human form and “shared in [our] humanity” to free us from the power of death (v. 14). “He had to be made like [us], fully human in every way” (v. 17) to make things right with God for us.

Derek wanted to help his son overcome his self-consciousness and so made himself “like” him. Jesus helped us overcome our far greater problem—slavery to death. He overcame it for us by making Himself like us, bearing the consequence of our sin by dying in our place.

Jesus’ willingness to share in our humanity not only secured our right relationship with God but enables us to trust Him in our moments of struggle. When we face temptation and hardship, we can lean on Him for strength and support because “he is able to help” (v. 18). Like a loving father, He understands and cares.

How might Jesus relate to the struggle you’re facing right now? What keeps you from leaning on Him in this moment?

Thank You, Jesus, for taking on a human form to relate to me in my struggles and pay for my wrongdoings. I want to trust You more.

 所以，祂凡事该与祂的弟兄相同。—希伯来书2章17节

德瑞发现儿子不愿意脱掉上衣去游泳，后来他才知道儿子是因为胸口、腹部和左臂上的大片胎记而感到自卑。他下定决心要帮助儿子，于是便忍受漫长痛苦的刺青过程，在自己身上刺了一大片和儿子的胎记一模一样的刺青。

德瑞对他儿子的爱，让我联想到上帝对祂儿女的爱。因我们都是“血肉之体”，所以耶稣就成为人的样式，“照样亲自成了血肉之体”，好让上帝的众儿女能脱离死亡的权势（希伯来书2章14节）。“祂必须在各方面都跟祂的弟兄姐妹一样，也就是跟我们一样”（17节，新普及译本），以代替我们接受罪的刑罚，使我们能与上帝和好。

德瑞想要帮助儿子克服自卑感，所以把自己变得和儿子“一样”。耶稣要帮助我们克服的是更严重的问题，就是要让我们不再做死亡的奴仆。所以祂成为血肉之体，就像我们一样，亲身背负我们犯罪的代价，藉由替我们死而胜过死亡。

耶稣愿意和我们一样成为血肉之体，不仅确保我们能与上帝和好，更帮助我们能在困境中信靠祂。在面对试探和艰难时，我们可以倚靠祂的力量和扶持，因为祂“能搭救被试探的人”（18节）。祂就像慈爱的父亲一样理解我们，并看顾我们。

耶稣如何同理你现在正面临的困境？
此时，是什么拦阻了你，使你无法倚靠祂？

耶稣，感谢祢成了血肉之体，
所以祢可以同理我的困境，
也谢谢祢为我的罪付上代价，
我要更信靠祢。