Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear,
(Heb 5:7 RV)
"Who in the days of his flesh," - God became a man, and yet remained the Father that Jesus the man was able to call out to. How that happened is beyond me. I try to comprehend it and struggle, therefore I merely accept the concept as fact. Jesus was so remarkable, miraculous, and filled with the father's love that he must have been who he said he was. There are so many proofs that he is God and yet the compassionate Jesus who walked with man upon earth.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 RV)
"In the days of his flesh" - I can readily ascent to the fact that He walked this earth as a man; the God man.
"having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him" -
Is it the prayers or the fact that he did it with tears that causes the problem? Perhaps the fact that the verse has him offering prayers unto him, him being God.
Now wait! I thought he was God. Right you would be.
Entities, aspects, and perhaps personalities, capable of separating themselves from the other in form, diverse in mannerisms, and yet totally in cooperation with the other, nor struggling to dominate the other.
Tears merely demonstrate the humanness of our God King, and Messiah.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
(Heb 4:15 KJV)
He, Jesus the man, was tempted in every manner that is common to man, and he became our high priest. Therefore he knows what we go through, and what it feels like. He still maintains that role in the heavenlies, and as the author of the book "The Shack" tries to point out, he still voluntarily maintains that form and position in the heavens with the Father.
"unto him that was able to save him from death,"
God could have spared him the agony of torture and then death.
Being ridiculed, beaten, and then hung upon the cross was only part of it. Sin separated us from God, something the King of Glory had never experienced, and everything we know from scripture is part of God's plan to redeem us back to himself.
The OT is filled with the hows and whys of the sacrifice that had to be made, just so man could have momentary relief from the sin that is so deeply ingrained within, and even at that man still had no direct communication with the Father, but had to allow the high priest speak to God on man's behalf.
We are told he did it - did what?, allowed himself to be sin knowing that it would separate him from the Father. And why? for the joy set before him.
No one, in their right mind, finds joy in their own brutality and torture, therefore what was set before him was something more than just the agony of death.
Hanging there on the cross he cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Since Jesus became sin, our sin, God could no longer look upon him either -just as he could not look upon sinful man, and for the first time in eternity Jesus experienced separation from God.
Not to worry, that all got straightened out, but think about it. Jesus had never experienced life without the Father. Adam got a good dose in the garden after having dominion over it for how long.
I will tell you that there are those who will not buy this concept. They feel strongly that it is blasphemous to even consider such a thing. How could God separate himself from himself, or allow a beloved son to experience such pain and trauma. I do not know how to answer that, but I sure am glad that Jesus voluntarily subjected himself to it.
This obedience produced a warrior king, a high priest, and a God man that could completely understand who were since the fall.
"and was heard...."
What might be troubling about this aspect? Jesus had asked the Father if there was another way. That sure sounds like a man that really wanted another way if it was possible. What we did not see was God answering him back. We can make that assumption based upon the fact that Jesus carried out the mission. But that is not what this says. It says that he was heard. Then that only leaves one conclusion: LOVE won.
What does that mean? Jesus volunteered, and God so loved a broken world that he gave his only son to it as a gift. Beside all that Jesus opened one of his prayers with "Father, I know that you hear me always" To be heard in this manner implies that the Father responded positively to every request that Jesus made. Jesus did not demand a yes answer to his question, but merely made the statement that he already knew the answer to.
Just because we do not see things going the way we want, while in anguish, does not mean that God does not hear. Perhaps God has given you the answer and you are just fighting it.
"... in that he feared;"
He was heard because he feared.
Fear is a negative word with negative connotations, but, especially in the case of Jesus, would it not be more practical to think in terms of respect. That phrase "fear God" is scratched all over the pages of the bible. Certainly there were more than enough circumstances to evoke fear, but really the entire time God was looking for respect. He made his point on many occasions by pointing out the futility of playing with inanimate objects, painting little hands, feet and mouths on them when then cannot speak, and have done nothing for you.
Scripture really does demonstrate God mocking these things for when the Philistines captured the Ark of the covenant they placed it in one of their temples, near their god Dagon. In the morning their god was on it's face before god. Not totally convinced that was significant they tried it again. They found their god not only face first on the floor before the Ark, but its head and hands were broken off as well. They caught on.
There is a context to the fear aspect here, and might be missed if one did not continue to read. The next verse says: "Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered;"
I seriously doubt that Jesus struggled with obedience, that was man's problem, had always been, but then again - tempted in all ways as we are he would have had ample opportunity to try and rise up against the Father. This is what made Satan's offer of the kingdoms of the earth such a realistic offer. The moment Jesus would have said yes would have taken him into the realm of asserting himself above God, the supremely correct decision maker. That is exactly what Satan did, and you can see where it got him. Jesus defeated him hands down on the cross that day, and Satan's only home will be in eternal punishment when this is all over.
The second greatest gift that Jesus gave us was his willingness to be and do nothing outside of the Father's instructions.
You might think that is way too restrictive. Ask yourself, as you read about Jesus' life on this earth, was there anything about him that seemed restricted. Good lord no! He healed the sick, healed the lame, cast out demons, set people free, sought out the broken and restored them, and gave people life and hope. And best of all he had fun doing it. How can I say that he had fun, for God fills us with a joy that surpasses all understand when we doing his will.
(Heb 5:7 RV)
"Who in the days of his flesh," - God became a man, and yet remained the Father that Jesus the man was able to call out to. How that happened is beyond me. I try to comprehend it and struggle, therefore I merely accept the concept as fact. Jesus was so remarkable, miraculous, and filled with the father's love that he must have been who he said he was. There are so many proofs that he is God and yet the compassionate Jesus who walked with man upon earth.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 RV)
"In the days of his flesh" - I can readily ascent to the fact that He walked this earth as a man; the God man.
"having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him" -
Is it the prayers or the fact that he did it with tears that causes the problem? Perhaps the fact that the verse has him offering prayers unto him, him being God.
Now wait! I thought he was God. Right you would be.
Entities, aspects, and perhaps personalities, capable of separating themselves from the other in form, diverse in mannerisms, and yet totally in cooperation with the other, nor struggling to dominate the other.
Tears merely demonstrate the humanness of our God King, and Messiah.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
(Heb 4:15 KJV)
He, Jesus the man, was tempted in every manner that is common to man, and he became our high priest. Therefore he knows what we go through, and what it feels like. He still maintains that role in the heavenlies, and as the author of the book "The Shack" tries to point out, he still voluntarily maintains that form and position in the heavens with the Father.
"unto him that was able to save him from death,"
God could have spared him the agony of torture and then death.
Being ridiculed, beaten, and then hung upon the cross was only part of it. Sin separated us from God, something the King of Glory had never experienced, and everything we know from scripture is part of God's plan to redeem us back to himself.
The OT is filled with the hows and whys of the sacrifice that had to be made, just so man could have momentary relief from the sin that is so deeply ingrained within, and even at that man still had no direct communication with the Father, but had to allow the high priest speak to God on man's behalf.
We are told he did it - did what?, allowed himself to be sin knowing that it would separate him from the Father. And why? for the joy set before him.
No one, in their right mind, finds joy in their own brutality and torture, therefore what was set before him was something more than just the agony of death.
Hanging there on the cross he cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Since Jesus became sin, our sin, God could no longer look upon him either -just as he could not look upon sinful man, and for the first time in eternity Jesus experienced separation from God.
Not to worry, that all got straightened out, but think about it. Jesus had never experienced life without the Father. Adam got a good dose in the garden after having dominion over it for how long.
I will tell you that there are those who will not buy this concept. They feel strongly that it is blasphemous to even consider such a thing. How could God separate himself from himself, or allow a beloved son to experience such pain and trauma. I do not know how to answer that, but I sure am glad that Jesus voluntarily subjected himself to it.
This obedience produced a warrior king, a high priest, and a God man that could completely understand who were since the fall.
"and was heard...."
What might be troubling about this aspect? Jesus had asked the Father if there was another way. That sure sounds like a man that really wanted another way if it was possible. What we did not see was God answering him back. We can make that assumption based upon the fact that Jesus carried out the mission. But that is not what this says. It says that he was heard. Then that only leaves one conclusion: LOVE won.
What does that mean? Jesus volunteered, and God so loved a broken world that he gave his only son to it as a gift. Beside all that Jesus opened one of his prayers with "Father, I know that you hear me always" To be heard in this manner implies that the Father responded positively to every request that Jesus made. Jesus did not demand a yes answer to his question, but merely made the statement that he already knew the answer to.
Just because we do not see things going the way we want, while in anguish, does not mean that God does not hear. Perhaps God has given you the answer and you are just fighting it.
"... in that he feared;"
He was heard because he feared.
Fear is a negative word with negative connotations, but, especially in the case of Jesus, would it not be more practical to think in terms of respect. That phrase "fear God" is scratched all over the pages of the bible. Certainly there were more than enough circumstances to evoke fear, but really the entire time God was looking for respect. He made his point on many occasions by pointing out the futility of playing with inanimate objects, painting little hands, feet and mouths on them when then cannot speak, and have done nothing for you.
Scripture really does demonstrate God mocking these things for when the Philistines captured the Ark of the covenant they placed it in one of their temples, near their god Dagon. In the morning their god was on it's face before god. Not totally convinced that was significant they tried it again. They found their god not only face first on the floor before the Ark, but its head and hands were broken off as well. They caught on.
There is a context to the fear aspect here, and might be missed if one did not continue to read. The next verse says: "Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered;"
I seriously doubt that Jesus struggled with obedience, that was man's problem, had always been, but then again - tempted in all ways as we are he would have had ample opportunity to try and rise up against the Father. This is what made Satan's offer of the kingdoms of the earth such a realistic offer. The moment Jesus would have said yes would have taken him into the realm of asserting himself above God, the supremely correct decision maker. That is exactly what Satan did, and you can see where it got him. Jesus defeated him hands down on the cross that day, and Satan's only home will be in eternal punishment when this is all over.
The second greatest gift that Jesus gave us was his willingness to be and do nothing outside of the Father's instructions.
You might think that is way too restrictive. Ask yourself, as you read about Jesus' life on this earth, was there anything about him that seemed restricted. Good lord no! He healed the sick, healed the lame, cast out demons, set people free, sought out the broken and restored them, and gave people life and hope. And best of all he had fun doing it. How can I say that he had fun, for God fills us with a joy that surpasses all understand when we doing his will.
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