The Proper Thing to Do
Hebrews 2:10
“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”
The Proper Thing to Do
What does it mean to be fitting, and who is Him? Another term that could be used in this verse is proper. It was proper for Him. What the author is saying is that “it” was the right thing to do, the correct thing to do, the action was right for the occasion, or the decision was suitable for the situation. It was proper manners on the part of Him to perform it. What is it??
We see death everywhere. Creation is passing away and we see this in how trees die, plants die, pets die, animals die, cars rust out, houses eventually break down and the earth cracks and creeks because of death. Suffering, terrible life choices, terrible life styles and disease are all evidence of death. Why? Because of Him who subjected it to futility – Romans 8:20. Who is Him and why did He subject it to death?
God the Father is Him. He is the source of everything. He is the beginning point and the ending point of all reality. He is the one that decided to create a world full of death. This is all felt in the deepest recesses of our bones. Those who do not feel this have subjected themselves to some type of drug or alcohol that numbs the pain. It is real and we all experience it.
Why? The answer comes in the last part of Hebrews 2:10, “to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” It was the right thing for the Father to crush His Son in order to perfect Him. In order for Him to be the leader that He needed the Son to be, He needed Him to experience death. Why, so that He may disable the power of death and lead many sons to glory.
Death needed to be defeated so that we may enjoy life with God. Death is the consequence of not loving and submitting to the rule of God who is the embodiment of love, joy, peace, patients, kindness and all goodness. Death is also the tool God uses to perfect His Son. The crazy thing is God planned it! It did not take God by surprise but is in fact part of His marvelous plan in perfecting His children beginning first with God Incarnate, Jesus our Brother.
Jesus experienced everything that we experience with the exception of sin. He got hungry, tired, experienced hatred, experienced sadness and experienced death. In His death we have a tremendous visual of the character of God on display. The sufferings He experienced are the black canvas in which the light of God is most visually seen. In doing so He causes us by the power of His Spirit to follow Him. In doing so we experience hardship as well but we have hope in the fact that He conquered and destroyed death. Death is still a tool in the God’s tool box but only a tool for those who trust in Jesus. The hardships we suffer are perfecting sufferings in which we will be molded into displaying the very nature of God. We have a sure hope that we will reign with Him as He has promised.
Our hope is secure not because of our strength and endurance, but because it was fitting for our Father to perfect our Brother through suffering or through death. He is now leading us to that awesome day in which we will be like Him with no more suffering and death. We may not see this now but we can rest assure that we will because Jesus conquered it for us.